Discovering our
Traditional Orchards
MID
KENT
DOWNS
ORCHARDS
PROJECT
Amongst the dramatic chalk downlan
… where ancient villages nestle in hidden dry valleys and farmland is surrounded by a network of
hedgerows and wooded hilltops, traditional orchards, a vital part of our heritage, stand majestic. Once a
distinctive feature characterised by tall, spreading trees, with sheep grazing beneath, the often sad forlorn
limbs have succumbed to the rigours of disease. Despite this, if you meander through the villages of
Sheldwich, Milstead, Lynsted, Lenham and Stockbury you will see traditional orchards thriving as
community orchards.
Orchards for Everyone invites you to explore the stunning
countryside of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty (AONB), where stately orchards stand
amid hills and hidden valleys. Join in the village
celebrations and enjoy the walks, discover the wildlife
and relish the local fruit and its heritage.
Traditional or old orchards are a unique feature in
the local landscape. They can be recognised by
the wide planting distance and often scarce
varieties on a standard rootstock consisting of
apple, pear, cherry, plum and damson which are at
least fifty years old. This also includes cobnuts,
these are grown in orchards known as platts.
Elephant
Hawk-moth
These traditional orchards were grazed by sheep
to encourage the development of the grass and
ground cover (sward), creating a more diverse
wild flower population as well as providing a
valuable habitat for other wildlife.
Orchards for Everyone
Mid Kent Downs
Fruit Map
nd of the Kent Downs …
Commercial production of fruit has changed dramatically over the last
fifty years with the mass removal of these less viable traditional orchards
leaving just a few scattered throughout the countryside. Now the true
value of these neglected traditional orchards as a landscape feature is
being realised, and their restoration will help to conserve our local
heritage and wildlife.
Today many owners are passionate to find a future for these orchards so
community access is being considered by many villages, yet they need
management help, vision and direction. The Mid Kent Downs Project has
worked to build a sustainable future for four important orchards in the
Mid Kent Downs.
Traditional orchards close to
the village centres of
Stockbury, Milstead and
Sheldwich were identified
for restoration with the
coordination of the Parish
Councils. These have been
established as community
orchards with the parishes
becoming custodians. A
new traditional orchard has
been planted in Lenham, the
only orchard with access.
‘
rich habitats, they inhabit our lives, flaunt the
seasons, colour the land, hold history and geography
in their gaze, haunt our memory, stir stories from our
lips, nourish and quench our thirst, fuel our fortunes,
offer stages for our festive moods, classrooms for our
learning and tranquil corners in which to savour life.
Sue Clifford, Common Ground
’
Sheldwich
Biodiversity mingles with cherry orchard celebrations
he village of Sheldwich nestling on the edge of the Kent Downs AONB was first recorded in AD784
under the name of ‘Scilduuic’, ‘Scild’ meaning low hill and ‘wic’ a dwelling place or shelter. Within
Sheldwich lies the Lees Court Estate which has been in the Sondes family for the past 700 years, now
covering 4,500 acres. Lees Court, the main manor house was built in 1654 for Sir George Sondes.
T
Within sight of Lees Court on the estate stands
an old traditional cherry orchard, New House
Cherry Orchard, planted in 1946, one of the very
few surviving as a legacy from years back when
most of the village was surrounded by traditional
orchards. This orchard has become a community
orchard with much of the management being
undertaken by the villagers.
What will I see in…
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Lichen
Little Owl
Woodpecker
Cherry blossom, bees
Lambs, comfrey
Vetches, butterflies
Cherries, bats
Moths
Insects
Fungi
Pheasant
Robin, fox
New trees have been planted in gaps using
traditional varieties such as Roundel and Merton
Bigarreau, a black cherry of superb quality for
picking mid to late July. The trees are vigorous,
with a very heavy crop. As you enter the orchard
the first tree is Early Rivers, a very large juicy
black cherry, this is the earliest variety to crop
from mid June onwards in the orchard.
What you might find in
a traditional orchard
As you walk the myriad of footpaths around the orchards, observe the
wildlife, a fox or a pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), the
woodpeckers, the chicken fungus (Laetiporus sulphurous) or just the
cherry trees in blossom. You may even find yourself part of a celebration
in New House Cherry Orchard!
New House
Cherry Orchard
Gerard Gorman
A251
Old traditional orchards often contain
a mosaic of important wildlife
habitats. The decaying old wood from
trees provides a home for many
species including some rare insects
such as the Noble Chafer beetle.
Selling
A251
Sheldwich
Lees
The orchard is a
place to celebrate
throughout the year
Orchard
Footpath
Perry
Wood
‘
Biodiversity is the total variety
of life on earth. It includes all
genes species and ecosystems and
the ecological process of which
they are part.
ICPB, 1992
’
Milstead
A village steeped in fruit heritage
he village of Milstead sits centrally in the Mid Kent Downs surrounded by a heritage of fruit growing.
Hollybanks Orchard stands within sight of the first commercial fruit nursery which was planted by
Henry VIII’s head fruiterer, Richard Harris, at New Gardens, Teynham 400 years ago when commercial
fruit growing was first established in England.
T
Hollybanks Orchard, Milstead, is now a schools’
community orchard, giving the pupils the
opportunity to discover that in their orchard
‘biodiversity’ stands for all forms of wildlife
beginning with B…
bees, butterflies, blossom, badgers, beetles, bats
and Bradbourne Black (cherry)!
Hollybanks Orchard recorded 46
halves (nearly half a ton) of
cherries harvested from a giant
Victoria Black cherry in 1938.
Was this a record?
Orchard
Footpath
Bridleway
Dungate
To the south of the Mid
Kent Downs lies Leeds
Castle, once a palace of
Henry VIII and home of the
Culpepper family who
studiously stitched
beautiful tapestries
of fruit (left).
M20
Milstead
Matching
Wood
Hollybanks Orchard
Milstead
Kingsdown
Wood
Lynsted
A village with a pioneering community orchard
he Faversham fruit belt landscape, although now divided by the motorway, is linked by the
establishment of community orchards in Milstead and Lynsted. Park Farm Community Orchard,
Lynsted was set up with Heritage Lottery funding to focus on the value of their traditionally
managed, established cherry orchard as part of the cultural and
Lynsted
landscape heritage of Kent.
T
Our traditional cherry
orchards are hidden within
Kent’s scenic beauty, their
stones a legacy of fruit today!
Local schools and groups are studying the
management of Park Farm Community
Orchard and the ecology of the wildlife that
flourishes in it.
Park Farm Orchard
Lynsted
Kingsdown
English Nature commissioned a report on
the extent of biodiversity found in this
traditional orchard. This information
will help the villagers when they are
thinking about how to manage the
orchard for wildlife.
Erriottwood
M20
Celebrations are a big
feature of Park Farm
Orchard, Lynsted, with
Blossom Day, Cherry Day,
Halloween events and with
the school participating in
maypole dancing.
Stockbury
A village with an orchard at its heart
tockbury, a village high on the Kent Downs, was once surrounded by traditional orchards until the
nearby motorway was built. Next to the church is the site of Stockbury Castle. All that remains are the
earthworks of a motte and bailey surrounded by old cherry trees, once an orchard. It originally formed part
of the defences of the valley until the castle fell into disrepair after 1460.
S
This huge majestic traditional orchard, Church
Lane Orchard is now being managed and
restored by the community.
The Shrubsall families, the name a derivative of
Shrubsole, have lived in Hartlip, the neighbouring
village, since the 1700s. Their coat of arms,
granted by James I in 1612, displays three cherry
trees with fruit on them.
Cradles Road
Orchard
Cowstead
Footpath
Hill
Green
Church Lane
Cherry Orchard
Churc
h Lan
Stockbury
‘
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
AE Housman
’
e
Management of a traditional
orchard
The trees in the traditional
orchard in Stockbury were
beginning to deteriorate and
required restoration. The villagers
are beginning to restore the
orchard by planting new cherry
trees where there are gaps,
grafting on new rootstocks using
traditional varieties and
techniques, and pruning to bring
it back into a manageable
condition. A certain amount of
wood decay should be left as it is
a valuable component of the
orchard habitat supporting a wide
variety of wildlife.
Grafting
During the Middles Ages about 800
years ago and in Tudor times,
farmers tried to improve their trees
by grafting: the practice of taking
cuttings (scions) from existing fruit
trees which are then whipped onto
an interlocking cut on the rootstock
tree. The picture shows a Tudor
farmer grafting a new shoot onto an
old trunk.
Picking fruit in a traditional
orchard
Ladders, new and old, stand
waiting for the kibsey baskets
later brimming full of traditional
cherry varieties.
Beyond the chestnut fence
The Mid Kent Downs Orchards
Project has replaced the broken
fence with sustainable stock
proof chestnut cleft and morticed
timber sourced from Bredhurst
Woods.
The management of the orchard will help to conserve old local varieties
of cherry by using those already growing in the orchard. There is a
predominance of cherries grown in the Mid Kent Downs including
varieties such as Napoleon Bigarreau (known as Naps), Amber Heart,
Kent Bigarreau, Early Rivers, Roundel, Noir De Guben, Gaucher
Bigarreau and Bradbourne Black. The newly planted trees will become
the veteran trees of the future.
If you look carefully at the old trees
in Church Lane Orchard, Stockbury,
you can see where the trees were
grafted at the top of the trunk. Some
of the new trees planted by the
community are grafted at different
levels.
Lenham
Growing the pips of the past in the present
herry Downs was once the site of an old chest hospital but is now a picnic site with a difference.
Standard Morello cherry trees as a traditional orchard and a cobnut platt have been planted by the
community, with some apple, pear, plum and sweet cherry for scrumping on Cherry Downs, Rayners Hill.
This is a site high on the scarp of the Kent Downs above Lenham. The Morellos were planted to celebrate
the heritage of Lenham’s Cherry Brandy history (Late 1800s – 1960s).
C
The planting of this new traditional orchard has now established a community orchard for Lenham which
will be seen by all as a great opportunity for Lenham Parish to celebrate and appreciate its heritage.
A veritable feast of fruits grow at Cherry Downs
with the help of Lenham community.
Lenham Heath – a fruity hamlet
Morello cherry, plum, damson and sheep.
Strawberry, gooseberry and
pigs. Apple, blackcurrant, and
chickens, all these could be
found growing and grazing
on every acre of land
surrounding the hamlet,
yet almost nothing today
A20
has survived!
War
Memorial
Lenham
‘
In the county of Kent, nuts are
better managed than in any other
part of England, and their produce
is not only greater, but of
superior quality
George Lindley, 1831
’
East
Lenham
Cherry Downs – a heritage walk away from the village of Lenham
Take a walk along the North Downs Way from Lenham, past the chalk
cross constructed in 1922 as a memorial to casualties in both wars, until
you reach Hubbard’s Hill Road. On your left you will find Lenham Chalk
Cliffs, a geological SSSI site important for its unusual geological feature,
the Lenham Beds, sand overlying and trickling down into the chalk. Peer
through the spy holes on the bench and discover the layering landscape.
Rejoin the North Downs Way and follow to Rayners Hill…
Grant’s Morella
Cherry Brandy
… and on to Cherry Downs
Diagonally opposite your exit
onto Rayners Hill you will notice
a gate at the top of a mown
bank. Enter Cherry Downs site
and explore the flower-rich chalk
grassland with a profusion of
insect life in May and June.
Behind the tall privet hedge a
cobnut platt stands planted in
rows, together with the cherry
orchard for the villagers.
Lenham
Chalk Cliffs
Lenham and the
20,000 cherry trees
The production of this famous Kent
liqueur took place at one time in the
centre of Lenham. The surrounding
fields were filled with 20,000 Morello
cherry trees grown for the production
of this drink. These trees have gone,
yet with the new Morello cherry trees
planted at Cherry Downs the industry
could be revived. Fancy a tipple?
Cherry Downs
North Do
wn
s
W
ay
Highbourne
A20
Orchard
Footpath
Take a look at the view from the picnic site;
Lenham Heath stands in the distance
where many of the Morello cherries were
grown. Imagine the huge number of trees,
intermingled with soft fruit, sheep and pigs!
Alan Major
Visit Cherry Downs
by foot, just off the
North Downs Way
Reflections on the Fruit Year
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
And ladders leaning against cherry trees,
And idle spades beside old garden walls,
And empty orchards and wide open fields,
And robin solos in deserted fruit trees,
And buds do burst their winter coats, with richness
The gambling lambs too have their fling
The grandest of trees, the cherry now bursts forth
A profusion of petals bedecking its bough,
The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;
White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;
And sun drenched dawns, with humming bees
Fluttering moths, a glint of moonsilver, deep scents
And luscious cherries as sweet as lips,
The sun kissed fruit in kibsey’s lie,
And baskets wet with dew, waist deep in grass,
And bearded hedges, rich blackberries at last,
And spider webs against half open gates …
Half-dressed trees … And ruddy haws hang,
And dew-logged thistledown … And crackling hazelnuts
And plump matt mushrooms, beggars’ harvest, white
And mists swirl gnarled cherry trees … silence drips
And bonfire incense, and bracken gold as beech,
And harsh cold, cherry stones, fallen and forgotten,
And cherry brandy, warmed only by community spirits
Based on a poem by Frank Kendon from ‘The Cherry Minder’, J M Dent, 1935.
How to use the maps
The maps show public bridleways,
byways and footpaths around the
traditional orchards. Discover the
orchards for yourself, whether by foot,
bike, train or car. OS Explorer Maps
148 (Maidstone & Medway Towns)
and 149 (Sittingbourne & Faversham)
cover this area.
Safety
Beware of roads and other users of
the public rights of way as well as the
varying surfaces of the paths.
Faversham Tourist Information
www.faversham.org
01795 534542
National Fruit Collections
Brogdale Road
Faversham, ME13 8XZ
www.brogdalecollections.co.uk
01795 536250
Public Transport Information
0870 6082608
www.traveline.org.uk
National Rail 08457 484950
Public Rights of Way
0845 3450210
www.kent.gov.uk/explorekent
Mid Kent Downs Project
West Barn, Penstock Hall Farm
East Brabourne, Ashford
Kent TN25 5LL
01303 815170
www.kentdowns.org.uk
European Agriculture
Guidance and Guarantee Fund
The Mid Kent Downs Orchards Project is supported by Heritage Lottery Fund, Leader + (part
funded by the EAGGF of the EU, DEFRA and SEEDA) Kent Downs AONB Sustainable
Development Fund and Kent County Council. The project is managed by the Mid Kent Downs
Project accommodated by Kent Downs AONB Unit.
Produced by the Mid Kent Downs Project – Linking People, Land and Nature