Accidental orchard owners in Preston Gardens

Simon messaged Luton Orchards:

'I grew up on Preston Path, it links Preston Gardens to Talbot Rd. I think our house was built on the site of an old orchard as the land was originally owned by the neighbour. Growing up we had 4 or more apple trees, two pear trees and 2 plum trees greengage and Victoria. Also a couple of hazel trees for nuts. Most of the original apple and pear trees are gone I think, but we still have apple trees and plum trees. I think next door also has a plum, apple and cherry tree. My Mum still lives there, should be ok if you wanted a look, feel free to contact me'

This was the conversation that followed during a visit on 29 December 2023: 

Simon: Well, we had about four or five apple trees, I think. I think we had two pear trees at least. And I think we had two greengage plums and a Victoria plum.

Margaret: [The] Victoria plum was right by where the apple store is. I remember that now.

S: Yes, and that's. Yeah. And then, of course, got the hazel. A couple of hazel trees.

M: Yes, we've got one hazel tree left, but unfortunately the squirrel gets there first, so we've got little nuts like that with a hole where he's taking it out. And I mean, we used to get whoppers, big, lovely big nuts off those. Off the hazel bushes.

Luton Orchards: You said there's an apple store?

S: Yeah. So they called it an apple store, but there's an air raid shelter, an Anderson air raid shelter. I think my dad [called it that]. Because maybe they did use it as an apple store after the war. 

M: Yes. There were like trestles… trestles or shelving down in it.

LO:  And what did you do with the fruit? 

M: [suddenly remembers] But I used to sell them, actually, one tree that's left used to produce very big apples. And I used to sell them, I don't know … sixpence a pound.

LO: Who did you sell them to? 

M: Anybody around here would buy them.

LO: Would they come and knock on the door? So you were known to have apples here?

M: Yeah, we didn't have that big extension then. We just had a small extension and I must have had a table there and a weighing scale, yes.

Well, just two shillings and to give them a pound or just give them a bag and say, hey, and you would keep the money or it would go to charity... or I don't know… I'd probably keep it! [laughs]

S: Yeah, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?

M: No, no, I don't. I really don't know. But that didn't happen for too many years.

LO:  Did you know of anyone else selling their fruit like that? What gave you the idea?

M: No, not round here. [...] There was a shop, Mr Boxell's, down where, um, the flats are, Ryan Court. And I took rhubarb down there and he would sell that and I just. He would just sell it, you know, sort of thing.

LO: Was it like a greengrocer?

M: Well, a general, sort of a general little shop. Just like the house opposite here has got that big wide window. That was Preston Stores.

S: What house was that? 

M: The end one - you notice it's got a very big window. [...] Here at the top of the steps. That was Preston Stores.

S: Oh wow, I didn't know that!

LO: And did your trees look like they were all the same age? 

M: Well, yes, I think they were all planted probably in the thirties or, as I say, the house was built 37. So they must have been planted around then.

LO: How did you look after the trees? Who pruned them?

S: There wasn't a lot of pruning of trees, was there? We just allowed… yeah, they were just allowed to do their thing. I mean, the only kind of pruning we did, or thinning, if you like, was when I might have had friends round and we'd have apple fights. So we'd pull all the small ones.

LO: You naturally pruned it? [laughs]

S: Yeah, yeah. We pull all the small [apples] off and throw them at each other. Yeah. I mean, there were so many. Yeah, we wouldn't pull the big ones for apple [fights], but yeah, the small ones. Yeah. 

That was also the ones that had fallen on the floor. So anything that had fallen on the floor. 

But Dad was more of a gardener of flowers, would you say? And the vegetables then. I think they just kind of allowed the fruit trees to do their thing…

LO: What do you have there now? 

M: You know, they got old and die, you know, the pear trees just got old. The apple trees, unfortunately. Yeah, there's a couple of apple trees in there. 

S: Well, we've planted new ones!