Gloucestershire Orchard Group

Conserves, promotes and celebrates traditional orchards in Gloucestershire

GLOUCESTERSHIRE APPLES

The list and information below are the product of a number of years research to locate the indigenous apple varieties of Gloucestershire. All varieties listed here have either been found growing in Gloucestershire, are unrecorded in literature and are thought to be indigenous varieties, or are recorded in literature as Gloucestershire varieties.

UPDATE: 29/4/2008 Charles Martell's book, Native Apples of Gloucestershire is now available! Download (Word, 10MB) (PDF, 8MB)

See also:

• A handlist of Gloucestershire apple names, including some for which there are not as yet any identified specimens.
• An interactive map showing the sources of Gloucestershire apple varieties.

Status codes

• n not endangered, more than 20 sites currently known
• e endangered, 10 to 20 sites
• c critical, 10 sites or fewer

Name	Status		Description
Ampney Red	c		A dessert variety from Ampney Crucis where it is well known to older villagers. It hasn't spread far from its place of origin.
Ansell	c		An old cider variety from the Oldbury-on-Severn district
Arlingham Schoolboys	c		A general purpose variety from the village of its name. The last tree in Arlingham died in the late 1990's
Ashmead's Kernel	n		An excellent dessert apple. Gloucestershire's most famous apple started in 1700 but not recognised much outside the county for nearly 300 years after its birth.
Ballast Apple	c		A cider apple from Shepperdine but known from elsewhere in the county.
Barnet's Beauty	c		A dessert variety possibly originating at the `Ring o'Bells' Inn mentioned in Dickens's Pickwick Papers.
Ben Lans	c		A curiously named general purpose apple from Minsterworth
Berkeley Pippin	c		This once well regarded dessert apple was thought to be extinct until located and rescued for the Gloucestershire Apple Collection.
Blood Royal	c		A general purpose variety from Minsterworth which lives up to its name.
Box Kernel	c		A general purpose variety believed to have originated at Box Farm, Awre. It is still well regarded in Awre to-day but hasn't spread much from the village.
Brown French	c		A rare bittersweet cider variety from the slopes of May Hill.
Bunch Apple	c		A pretty little cider apple which grows in bunches from the Vale of Berkeley. There is also a variety known as Bunch Apple which is a synonym of Jelly, but this is not the same variety.
Bushy French	c		A rare bittersweet cider variety from Minsterworth.
Cambridge Queening	c		A general purpose variety from the village of its name south of Gloucester. Queening implies it is angular from the French `coin'
Chaceley Kernel	c		A beautiful dessert apple from the village of its name
Chaxhill Red	n		A 19th Century general purpose apple from the village of its name. Best known for cider production.
Corse Hill	n		Started at Corse Hill Farm in the 19th Century. General purpose but best known for cider. Widely spread in Gloucestershire.
Councillor	c		An old cider variety from the Berkeley district
Dent's Favourite	c		A general purpose variety from Minsterworth. Nothing is known of its history.
Dymock Red	n		A very old vintage cider variety from the village of its name. Also useful for dessert and culinary purposes.
Eden	n		Started 1948 at Falfield. A dessert variety, it is also known as Fon's Spring.
Elmore Pippin	c		From the village of its name. A dessert variety still to be found in its home area.
Evans' Kernel	c		A general purpose variety found in Ruardean.
Fawke's Kernel	c		Started in the 19th Century at Dymock by the Fawke family. Well known in Dymock until recently. General purpose.
Fletcher	c		A cider variety, possible very local to Shepperdine.
Flower of the West	c		A keeping dessert from Minsterworth where it was well known. Unrecorded outside its area.
Foxwhelp	n		A classic old cider variety whose fame and use has spread into Herefordshire.
Gilliflower of Gloucester	c		Collected in Saul. A beautiful dessert variety of poor quality. Its appeal may just lie in its appearance and name.
Gloucester Royal	e		A dessert variety raised at Dursley in about 1930.
Gloucestershire Costard	c		An old variety. General purpose. There is much argument about the classification of the various costards. `Costard' comes from the costermongers who would sell these apples.
Gloucestershire Underleaf	c		A much loved and previously widespread general purpose variety. Curiously in the 1880s it was hardly known.
Green Two Year Old	c		A general purpose variety so-named because it was reputed to keep a long time - but not 2 years!
Green Underleaf	c		One of the family of `underleaves'. General purpose
Gypsy Red	c		A distinctive bittersharp cider variety from Oldbury-on-Severn.
Hagloe Crab	c		A highly regarded vintage cider variety possibly started as early as 1620 in the hamlet of its name near Awre. Years ago its cider could be `exchanged barrel for barrel for spiritous liquor'. Also a good cooking apple.
Hard Knock	c		A general purpose variety from Oxenton. The apple is indeed hard especially when it falls on your head!
Hens' Turds	c		A cider variety from Rodley. How it earned its disparaging name is a mystery.
Holbrooke	c		A general purpose variety from the Berkeley district.
Hunt's Duke of Gloucester	c		An excellent little dessert apple. Said to have been grown from a seed of the old Nonpareil which is now lost.
Jenny Lind	c		A dessert variety. Jenny Lind was a famous Swedish opera singer who died locally in 1887.
Kenchy Pippin	c		A cider variety from Halmore near Berkeley. It was planted to make cider for the Apple Tree cider house at Halmore.
Kernel Underleaf	c		A general purpose variety. Another member of the `underleaf' family.
Kill-Boys	c		An old variety from the Oldbury-on-Severn district. A hard cider variety which was reputed to have killed a boy.
King Apple	c		A general purpose variety from Bollow near Westbury-on-Severn.
Leathercoat			An ancient general purpose variety mentioned by Shakespeare. The example in the Gloucestershire Apple Collection is no longer believed to be true, so this is now believed to be lost.
Lemon Pippin of Gloucestershire	c		A pleasant eating apple widely known in Gloucestershire.
Lemon Roy	c		A curiously named general purpose variety from Minsterworth.
Lodgemore Nonpareil	e		A quality dessert apple raised in 1808 by Mr Cook of Lodgemore, Stroud.
Longney Russet	c		An old general purpose variety from the village of its name. Mentioned in 18th Century literature.
Longstalk	c		A local cider variety from both sides of the river at Minsterworth.
Martin's Kernel	e		A dessert variety first recorded in 1953 but believed to be older.
Molly Kernel	c		A general purpose variety from Oldbury-on-Severn
Newpools	c		A general purpose variety discovered at Minsterworth. It is prone to producing twin or even triplet apples with one stem and extra eyes.
Nine of Diamonds	c		A cider variety. Curiously named as it has 10 red spots in the flesh and not 9 as may be expected.
Nine Square	c		A general purpose variety recorded from Gloucestershire in the early 19th Century. Its name refers to its sides which form squares.
Norman Pippin	c		A general purpose variety from the lower Berkeley Vale.
Northland Seedling	e		A dessert variety founded at Tetbury before 1930.
Old Tankard	c		A sharp cider variety. There are a number of `Tankard' apples. This one is believed to be unique to Gloucestershire.
Over Apple	c		Cider apple. Assumed to come from Over near Gloucester. Found growing at Minsterworth.
Overleaf	c		Named in contrast to the `underleaf' varieties. A cider variety only known from the Minsterworth and Westbury-on-Severn area.
Overton Red	c		General purpose. Found growing in Tirley but may have originated at Overton above Maisemore.
Parlour Door	c		General purpose. Found growing in the Apperley area and nearer Gloucester in the past.
Pear Box	c		A curiously named general purpose variety from Oldbury-on-Severn.
Pedington Brandy	c		A cider variety first recorded in the early 1900s. Found growing near Oldbury-on-Severn.
Phelps' Favourite	c		A general purpose variety found at Minsterworth. Phelps is a common name in farming circles in Gloucestershire.
Port Wine Pippin	c		A beautiful general purpose variety found at Chaxhill.
Pretty Beds	c		A local general purpose variety from the Arlingham peninsula. Previously thought to be extinct.
Princess Pippin	c		A dessert variety. There is much confusion over apples of this name, but this variety is believed to be unique to Gloucestershire.
Puckrupp Pippin	c		A dessert variety which is asssumed to have originated at the village of its name.
Red Styre	c		A cider variety believed to be from Gloucestershire from the evidence of its name.
Red Two Year Old	c		A general purpose variety similar to the Green Two Year Old except for its colour. A very long keeper.
Reynold's Kernel	c		A general purpose apple which cooks well. Is best known for cider production.
Rhead's Reinette	c		A dessert apple similar to a Cox.
Rock Kernel	c		A cider variety from Dymock.
Royal Turk	c		A culinary variety from Churchdown
Severn Bank	e		An old and well known early general purpose variety.
Shepperdine Silt	c		A cider variety from Shepperdine.
Shilling	c		A dessert variety from Dymock. Recorded in the early 1900s.
Shopground Kernel	c		A general purpose variety from Minsterworth.
Siddington Russet	e		A dessert variety started at Siddington in 1923.
Stantway Kernel	c		A general purpose variety from the hamlet of Stantway. It has never moved far from its home area.
Sugar Pippin	c		A general purpose variety of particular appeal to children on account of its sweet taste and small size.
Taynton Codlin	c		A general purpose variety from Taynton or Tibberton. Has spread outside its home area.
Tewkesbury Baron	c		A general purpose variety still found growing to the west of Tewkesbury.
Tippetts	c		General purpose. Sometimes produces `twin' fruits with a single stem and 2 eyes. Found growing at Tirley.
Transparent Codlin	c		An early dessert and cooking apple. There are a number of `Transparent Codlins' This one appears to be unique to Gloucestershire.
Upright French	c		A well known cider variety from the Gorsley district.
Upright Styre	c		A cider variety believed to have originated in Gloucestershire.
Vallis	c		A distinctively coloured variety from the south of the county.
Welsh Druid	c		A general purpose variety from the south of the Forest of Dean.
Wheeler's Russet	e		A dessert variety recorded in 1884.
Wick White Styre			A well-known cider apple from the Vale of Berkeley
Yellow Styre			An old cider variety from North Gloucestershire