Restoring London's lost orchards
Thursday 12 May 2011
VIEW GALLERY
There was a time when London and its suburbs were crammed with orchards providing fresh fruit for the population
Thanks to a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, The London Orchard Project has a two year plan to restore some of the surviving trees and sites to produce fruit for the future.
Using old maps of London before its growth into an overcrowded, built-up and industrialised city, 18 hectares of former orchards, especially around the River Lea and in West London, have been identified.
Around 400 green fingered Londoners will be targeting these sites for restoration to assess their biodiversity value, condition and the fruit varieties to be found.
Head of Heritage Lottery Fund London Sue Bowers said: “Traditional orchards are equally important for London’s biodiversity and its history. This project brings together both aspects and gives local communities quite literally a taste for their heritage.”
Carina Millstone from the London Orchard Project, said: “We are very excited with our new ‘Rediscovering London’s Lost Orchard Heritage programme.’ Over the coming months, we will be calling on Londoners to help us identify and restore orchards in their local area, so drop us a line if you would like to be kept updated and get involved.”
A range of special events including traditional juicing and fruit preserving and even cider making workshops will be held along with special fruit exhibitions of native London varieties.
To contact the London Orchard Project, email heritage@thelondonorchardproject.org
- 1 How I built my house for £4,000
- 2 Gorilla areas bombed by Congo rebels
- 3 Falcon chicks nabbed from nest
- 4 Clash of the fiercest predators as shark eats polar bear
- 5 The 10 best commuter bikes
- 6 Greens warn of a return to era of 'dirty coal'
- 7 The 10 best folding bikes
- 8 Street lighting is changing insect ecosystems, study claims
- 9 The world's rubbish dump: a tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan
- 10 10 best hiking boots
- 1 Brazil rocked by abortion for 9-year-old rape victim
- 2 Hardcore, hard-wired: How the prevalence of porn is changing our everyday lives
- 3 Fat? Really? Olympic hope laughs off official’s jibe – but others aren’t amused
- 4 Leading article: Ten questions for Jeremy Hunt
- 5 Is Ridley Scott the most macho man in movies?
- 6 'Hello mum, this is going to be hard for you to read ...'
- 7 Postgraduate students are being used as 'slave labour'
- 8 Exclusive dispatch: Assad blamed for massacre of the innocents
- 9 Coke reveals its secret: It may need to carry a cancer warning
- 10 French in uproar over oral sex anti-smoking posters
Experience the Heineken Hub
Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.
Can you imagine a career in teaching?
Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.
Playing a game-changing role during the Games
Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
The secret life of the red carpet
Up and away – how '7 Up' went global




Comments