Chaul End community orchard
Nestled between Chaul End Community Centre and Downside Primary School, around 25 fruit trees stand here in species-rich grassland. First plantings took place around 2008, with additions by the Peace Garden Initiative in 2023 and Luton Council's Nature Conservation Volunteers in 2024.
Summary
Location: Chaul End
Size: 0.05ha
Number of trees: 25
Crops: apple, pear, plum
Age of trees: recently planted trees, young trees, established trees
Access: any time, council-owned
Natural England incremental ID: BEDF0434
History
The beginnings of this orchard have been lost in the mists of time, but Luton Council's Parks and Countryside department believes the older trees are from before 2008. In 2023, the Peace Garden Initiative planted 27 trees in the orchard.
Children from Downside Primary School helped with watering to help establish them. Many of the trees were destroyed by vandals in January 2024, but were replanted that month with improved stakes and guards.
Crop types and cultivars at Chaul End community orchard
Many trees have not been identified yet, but Luton Orchards is trying to establish what they are.
Location Type Cultivar Planting date
Row 1/01 Prunus unknown unknown
Row 1/02 Malus Geniton 2024
Row 1/03 Malus Laxton's Superb 2023
Row 1/04 Malus unknown unknown
Row 1/05 Malus unknown unknown
Row 2/01 Prunus unknown unknown
Row 2/02 Malus Hormead Pearmain 2023
Row 2/03 Malus unknown 2023/24
Row 2/04 Malus unknown unknown
Row 2/05 Malus unknown unknown
Row 3/01 Prunus unknown unknown
Row 3/02 Pyrus unknown 2023
Row 3/03 Malus S.T. Wright 2023/24
Row 3/04 Malus unknown unknown
Row 3/05 Malus unknown unknown
Row 4/01 Pyrus Caldecote 2024
Row 4/02 Malus Golden Russet (Allgrove) 2024
Row 4/03 Malus unknown 2023
Row 4/04 Malus S.T. Wright 2023
Row 4/05 Malus Cox's Orange Pippin 2024
Row 5/01 Pyrus Hazel 2024
Row 5/02 Malus Lord Lambourne 2024
Row 5/03 Pyrus Beurre Bedford 2024
Row 5/04 Malus Bazeley 2023?
Row 5/05 Malus Margil 2023?
Maintenance and pruning
The established trees appear to have been mainly unpruned for much of their life. Guards or fencing has grown into the trunks in some places. Luton Orchards carried out some careful pruning at the re-planting day in January 2024.
