Links, books and more
This list of books, websites and places about all things orchard is growing.
Where to see great fruit trees in the Luton area
Bide-A-While public park (free entry and 24h access)
Luton Hoo Walled Garden (entrance fee, open on Wednesdays during summer)
Stockwood Discovery Centre (free entry during opening hours)
Wigmore Valley Peace Garden Orchard (free entry and 24h access)
Organisations that help protect orchards
The Luton Orchards project is connected with all these organisations. They've helped us understand what's so great about orchards and why it's vital that we protect this valuable habitat.
Bedfordshire and Luton Orchards Group (BLOG) - Facebook page
East of England Apples and Orchards Project (EEAOP)- trees, resources and courses
Orchards East Forum (OE)- mapping the East of England's orchards
People's Trust of Endangered Species (PTES) - has great resources
Orchards in art and history
Pam's Delight - a variety of apple first grown in Luton by Alfred Hull
Herefordshire's Apples and People art project
Where to buy local heritage fruit trees
The East of England Apples and Orchards Project (EEAOP) stocks a large selection of heritage varieties from its collection of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk fruit trees. Visit: https://www.applesandorchards.org.uk/
Another local grower is the Torminalis nursery near Clophill, Bedfordshire. Visit: http://www.torminalis.co.uk/
Books and videos we love and recommend
English Orchards: A Landscape History by Gerry Barnes and Tom Williamson (Windgather Press, 2022)
Orchard: A Year in England's Eden by Benedict Macdonald and Nicholas Gates (HarperCollins, 2020)
The Apple Book by Rosanne Sanders (Phaidon, 1988), watch this short video of the making of the book [YouTube]