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The Leagrave and Limbury areas turned out to be one of three main clusters of fruit-growing in Luton in the early 20th century. We even found a photograph to prove it.
The Leagrave and Limbury areas turned out to be one of three main clusters of fruit-growing in Luton in the early 20th century. We even found a photograph to prove it.
Overview of the Leagrave and Limbury cluster
Overview of the Leagrave and Limbury cluster
We marked orchards on the 1922 OS County Series 1:2500 map in yellow. The plot at the junction of Capron Road and Compton Avenue is one of several in close proximity in Leagrave and Limbury.
The Capron Road/Compton Avenue orchard shown in 1922
The Capron Road/Compton Avenue orchard shown in 1922
The orchard first appears on the 1922 OS map.
Capron Road/Compton Avenue orchard on the OS County Series Map 1:2500, 1922 revision.
This map shows us a lot:
We can see Leagrave railway station, with extra lines for cattle trains that would transport livestock to market in London.
There is a pump house on the left - next to another orchard, as it happens.
The orchard on the corner of Capron Road and Compton Avenue. The white rectangle could be some kind of hardstanding; 'Fn' denotes a fountain. Was the orchard in a public garden?
An aerial photo to prove the map is accurate
An aerial photo to prove the map is accurate
Capron Road and Compton Avenue, just outside Leagrave railway station, was the first example where we received photographic evidence that what was represented on a map had actually existed.
Aerial photograph showing the orchard on the corner of Capron Road and Compton Avenue, outlined by us in yellow. Not dated, but we think it is post-1900. Leagrave Station is in the middle of the photo. Photo reproduced with kind permission from the private collection of Paul Hammond from the Luton Historical Society.
You can clearly see:
the orchard in the bottom right corner of the photograph with trees are planted in rows, surrounded by other trees along the perimeter and possibly soft fruit bushes on the left
other urban food-growing in back gardens and allotments
cattle containers on the railway lines behind the station and the pump house on the left
The image shows how accurately it was represented on the OS map. The fountain marked on the 1922 map would indicate there is a nearby source of water that would have been handy to keep all of that watered
You can read more about orchards in the Leagrave and Limbury cluster in the article about the Limbury sugar fraud.
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