Welcome
We hope you enjoy your visit.
To find out more about the Orchard please use the QR code shown on the lectern. If you would like to listen to the message, please click on the link for an audio description.
There used to be extensive orchards in Harwell Parish as the map on the left shows. Fruit trees grew well in the Greensand soil, but most orchards had disappeared by the 1990s. This area west of the embankment was added to the Rec. in the 1990s and was for a while used for Rugby but few other formal sports.
In choosing the varieties of trees, some are known to have been grown in the Parish or wider area and there was consideration of pollination partners and whether the apples fruit early, middle or late in the season.
Parishioners and village organisations were invited to sponsor the trees; the slate label has the tree variety and on the reverse the sponsor’s name(s) or a dedication. Some of the sponsors came to help plant their trees.
The trees within the hedgerow were planted in December 2022, positioning the cherry trees on the south side, the apples in the middle and the pears at the north side, mainly as espaliers to give a bit of structure and formality to the Orchard.
With still more sponsors, it was agreed to extend the orchard, and there was another planting session outside the hedgerow in early 2023, of plums and a range of other trees with edible fruit or nuts.
To encourage their establishment, the fruit wasn’t allowed to ripen in 2023, but in 2024 most trees produced their first, albeit small, crop.
We have an area for picnics, and, in keeping with the original aims, we intend to increase the diversity of wildflowers in the area and surrounds.
If it is the fruit-picking season, the trees may display signs to indicate if the fruit is ripe or still needs to stay on the tree to ripen.
Thanks to: This Orchard has been achieved with funding mainly by a National Lottery Community Grant, a grant from the County Councillor Priority Fund, a donation of hedge whips by The Woodland Trust, the tree sponsors and many contributions of effort by members of Sustainable Harwell and the wider community.