Lowick Community Orchard
A heritage fruit orchard at Hunting Hall Farm
In 2011 we invited our local community to join us in creating an orchard on the farm that could be enjoyed by everyone. Over 60 volunteers from the ages of 2 to 80 began planting more than 120 fruit trees, each tree sponsored by a member of the public.
Many wonderful heritage varieties were chosen; an apple descended from Isaac Newton’s tree which inspired his theory of gravity, an apple taken to sea by Captain Cook’s men to prevent scurvy, and a pear listed in the writings of Roman historian, Pliny. We’ve also had some cuttings grafted from a local farm orchard apple to grow the Doddington Pippin. The trees have been slow to establish in challenging growing conditions so crops are small but you’re welcome to sample a fruit or two at harvest time.
With a donation from a kind local gentleman, we have added a belvedere in which you can sit and enjoy this lovely space. In the summer you’ll see a profusion of wildflowers between the trees; oxeye daisies, knapweed, birdsfoot trefoil and lady’s bedstraw. The orchard is registered as organic and managed under a Natural England stewardship scheme to create a wild area where grasses and flowers can reseed naturally. It may look a little raggy at times but the long undergrowth is a valuable wildlife habitat.
We have created an orchard quiz which you can download below. The answers can be found on the lovely display boards we have around the site.
Bring a picnic, explore and have fun!
