reclaiming LANCASHIRE'S OLD FRUIT VARIETIES
The Lost Orchard Project aims to re-introduce our region’s heritage varieties of apple and pear to the fridges and dishes of Lancashire so their unique taste can be enjoyed for generations to come.
We need your help...
The problem
From the 1700s until the advent of supermarkets in the 1950s, the area around Leyland, Croston and Eccleston was once one of the largest fruit producing areas of northern England and was often referred to as the ‘Evesham of the North’ due to its abundance of orchards.
Sadly, now, the vast majority have now been ripped up and lost, along with many of our local varieties which were native to this area.
The Research
An extensive survey by Phil Rainford and the Northern Fruit Group (NFG) in 2003 across much of northern England helped identify a wide range of unique apple and pear varieties in our area, including two pear types at Cocker Bar Orchard.
We are forever indebted to Mr Rainford and the NFG for his groundbreaking work on identifying old orchards and old varieties from this area, and this project is effectively a more ‘localised’ offshoot of these efforts.
The solution
We will be using the NFG’s research as the basis (to put it lightly!) for the Lost Orchard Project but, we will add additional comments from old farmers and residents of these areas to gain a more accurate picture of the localised orchard landscape.
We need YOUR help to paint a truer picture and reverse the decline. By telling us about old fruit trees in this area (Leyland, Croston and Eccleston) in the contact box below, we can help identify, graft and preserve these old fruit types within Cocker Bar Orchard, ensuring they are enjoyed by the county’s habitants for generations to come.
We also plan to publish a book with our findings – the details of which we will share in due course.
