Did you know?
There were at least 44 varieties of apples specific to Stamford in Victorian times. These were introduced by three people: Richard Gilbert, head gardener at Burghley; and two nurserymen, Robert Brown and Thomas Laxton.
The only Stamford apples currently available from specialist nurseries in this country are
It was the Peasgood Nonsuch which turned Richard Keeble (one of the founders of the group) into a real apple enthusiast when he heard of a Stamfordian who reported seeing a mysterious ‘Stamford Apple’ in France. Using the description given Richard finally discovered that the apple was the Peasgood’s Nonsuch. This apple was originally grown from a pip by a Mrs Peasgood when she was a child in Grantham. She later brought it with her when she moved to Stamford and Thomas Laxton introduced it to the public in 1872. Richard now has one in his own orchard.
We believe that there could be many of the ‘lost’ apples still surviving in town gardens and orchards around Stamford. If you know of an old tree or orchard whose variety is unknown, please contact us – it could be one of our ‘lost’ apples.