Orchards, Trees & Orchard Produce

Some Berkshire Fruit

Dessert Apples
Breedon Pippin raised by Rev Dr Symonds Breedon around 1801 at Bere Court, Pangbourne from cider pomace. Delectable attributed to Mr Trayhorne of Berkshire and introduced by Pop Bros of Wokingham in 1952. Guelph raised by W Pope of Welford gardens, Newbury and named after the Guelph in Canada home to the Ontario Agricultural College. Houblon raised by Charles Ross, head Gardener at Welford Park, Newbury and introduced in 1901. Named after the Houblon family, his employers. John Standish raised by John Standish of Ascot in about 1873. Miller’s Seedling once widely grown in Berkshire, raised by James Miller at Speen Nursery, Newbury in 1848. Mrs Phillimore raised by Charles Ross, Head gardener at Welford Park, Newbury, recorded 1896. Paroquet raised by Charles Ross, recorded in 1897. Peacemaker raised by Charles Ross, recorded 1913. Renown raised by Charles Ross, described 1908. Shinfield Seedling from Reading University, Shinfield in 1944. Sunrise may have been raised by Charles Ross, recorded 1897. Winston raised by W Pope, nurseryman at Welford Park in 1920.

Cooking Apples
Charles Eyre raised by Charles Ross, introduced around 1911 by W Pope at nursery in Wokingham. Encore raised by Charles Ross, recorded 1906. Frogmore Prolific raised by William Ingram, Head Gardener at Frogmore in Windsor before 1865. Popular in London market gardens in 19th century. Grenadier origin unknown, recorded in 1862, exhibited by nurseryman Charles Turner of Slough but promoted later by nurseryman George Bunyard of Maidstone. Hector MacDonald raised by Charles Ross, recorded 1904, named after his late friend the war hero ‘Fighting Mac’. John Waterer introduced by John Waterer & Sons, Twyford in 1920. Small’s Admirable thought to have been raised around 1850 by F. Small, a nurseryman from Colnbrook, Slough. Later recorded in 1949 from Tyninghame Gardens in East Lothian.

Dual Purpose Apples
Charles Ross best known of Charles Ross’s 30 named varieties, Head gardener at Welford Park near Newbury from 1860-1908, Charles Ross bred apples on a large scale. Recommended for chalky soils. Rival reputedly the juiciest of all the older varieties of apples, raised by Charles Ross in the late 1800s.

Other Apples
Welford Park Nonsuch

Pears
Williams Bon Chretien / Aldermasten Pear / Bartlett / Stairs Pear found around 1770 in the garden of Mr Wheeler, a schoolmaster at Aldermaston, grafts were sent to the nurseryman Richard Williams after whom the pear is named. Exported to the USA where it was named after the distributor Enoch Bartlett, and provided the foundation of the American pear trade. The most widely grown pear in the world.

Plum
Marjorie’s Seedling

This list was compiled using many sources including The New Book of Apples by Joan Morgan and Alison Richards (Ebury Press 2002).

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