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Grasmere orchard

Grasmere Nursery School on the corner of Icknield Way and Grasmere Road boasts a veteran orchard in its playground. Much-loved by children, parents and staff, the 13 apple, pear and plum trees in this orchard provide fruit in autumn and shelter during playtimes. It dates back to around the 1960s, where we found it marked on Ordnance Survey maps.

Summary

Location: Bramingham
Size: 0.19ha
Number of trees: 13
Crops: apple, plum, pear, wild cherry
Age of trees: veteran
Access: no public access. This orchard is only open to children and staff of Grasmere Nursery School, with some access for volunteers at the adjacent Grasmere Community Garden.
Natural England incremental ID: BEDF0428

History

We found this orchard recorded on the 1963 OS National Grid Map, when it was next to Warden Hill County Primary School.

Longstanding members of Luton Council's Parks and Countryside service remember it from the 1980s and 1990s. Senior Landscape and Ecology Officer, Trevor Tween, was invited by the nursery school's teachers to visit the orchard in 1989, as part of the Urban Wildife Project. His advice then was to "to retain and look after the trees as a significant collection from an old orchard".

The council's Green Space Manager, Jane Conway, remembers sheep grazing in the orchard and teachers at the school today mention chickens being kept in the past. Keeping poultry would have been beneficial in two ways: feeding the trees with chicken manure and eating any codling moth larvae, which would have kept this pest in check.

Then and now - use the arrows to move from one image to the other

Crop types and cultivars at Grasmere orchard

We've been able to identify three varieties of apple; others are yet unknown. Some of the pears might be rootstock.

Plan No. Planting date Type Cultivar

1 estimated 1960s Apple Laxton's Superb

2 estimated 1960s Pear unknown

3 estimated 1960s Apple Warner's King

4 estimated 1960s Apple unknown

5 estimated 1960s Apple Bramley's Seedling

6 estimated 1960s Apple Bramley's Seedling

7 estimated 1960s Apple Bramley's Seedling

8 estimated 1960s Apple Bramley's Seedling

9 estimated 1960s Pear unknown

10 estimated 1960s Pear rootstock?

11 estimated 1960s Plum wild?

12 estimated 1960s Plum unknown

13 estimated 1960s Pear unknown

A rough location plan of the trees

Laxton's Superb apple tree in fruit [1 on plan].

Maintenance and pruning

The site was maintained under School Grounds Maintenance Contracts agreed by Bedfordshire County Council (1989 to 1997), then by Luton Council's Parks teams (1997 onwards) - according to the aforementioned Jane Conway and Trevor Tween. However, specialist fruit tree care was not included. In 2024, Luton Orchards organised a pruning workshop for Luton residents and teachers from the nursery school.

Removing dead, unstable branches from the Bramley - only where necessary - to improve stability.

Creating a 'deadhedge' from the pruning day cuttings, providing an insect haven and natural nesting place.

Pruning team at Grasmere orchard on 4 February 2024. Pruning teacher Sal Wileman (second from left), three Luton residents and two teachers from Grasmere Nursery School.