Darmouth Community Orchard
There are three acres of land to roam with beautiful views, sweet smelling flowers and apples a plenty, but not enough people are paying a visit. Dartmouth Community Orchard is perched on the hillside over looking the Royal Naval College. The hidden gem is home to 130 apple trees and a whole host of animals including the greater horseshoe bat. Steph Woolvin went for stomp with chairman Peter Shaw….
The first thing you notice when you get through the big wooden gates is the peace and quiet. It’s only a short walk up Ridge Hill, but it feels miles from the hustle and bustle of the town. The site has been an orchard since at least 1840 and originally belonged to the Naval College. Back then it was a connected part of the college grounds as there was no College Way; the road was built in the 1970s and split the estate in two. In 1993 the MOD decided to sell it to the Town Council for a mere 15 thousand pounds. To discourage development the MoD insisted on a covenant saying if any houses were built the MOD would take a huge cut. “25 years later, the orchard still stands strong. There was talk of a housing project last year but it met such strong resistance I don’t think any proposals will happen again anytime soon,” says chairman Peter Shaw who is determined to keep the orchard open to all. “It was declared a ‘community asset’ in 2016 - that gives it some protection from development, but the Friends of the Orchard are working to get it labeled as an official ‘green space’ on the Neighborhood Plan .”
The Town Council is responsible for securing the paths and making sure the trees are safe, but it’s the Friends who tend to the site on a day-to-day basis. The group was formed in 2014 and has some 160 members with differing levels of participation. “Some roll up their sleeves and regularly prune trees, others come along to various working days and social events. Our committee has several aims. We want to conserve and enhance the orchard as a green community space, encouraging people to use it for quiet recreation and education. We want to ensure it’s kept safe and litter free. We also spend a lot of time looking after the wildlife.”
Peter Shaw
This final element that is close st to Peter’s heart. He grew up on the edge of a market town in Yorkshire, and during the school holidays worked on a local farm. “I can’t actually remember a time when I wasn’t interested in wildlife. I could name all the birds in the trees from a really young age. I used to collect nettles with caterpillars on and watch them grow into butterflies.” There are bird and bat boxes in the orchard with 10 different types of bat sighted including the rare greater horseshoe. “Most of the animals here are nocturnal, unfortunately, so we don’t see many! Plenty of owls visit to scoop up the voles, wood mice and toads . We also have foxes and badgers who forage for the fallen apples.” Daytime visitors include birds, butterflies, soldier beetles and bees.
There are 130 trees in the orchard and every one is mapped and numbered. There are at least 50 varieties of apple including eaters, cider and cooking. The space can be used by anyone at anytime; for picnics, dog walking or quiet reflection, and we’re all encouraged to come and pick the fruit. But Peter says few visit and some don’t even know that it’s there: “It’s such a unique place with a rich history and outstanding views, it’s like a listed building – only natural. You would think it would be busier. We try and encourage people onto the site with yearly events like the Autumn Apple Pressing. That usually attracts 70 to 80.” Peter says it’s quite hard work getting ready for the event. They have to collect apples in advance, then on the day wash and chop them and create the pulp, which is then pressed. The juice is put into bottles and handed out for donations; they also give some to the food bank. In an effort to drum up more support and attention the team has had a stall at the food festival these past two years. Children are invited to press apples and taste the results.
Peter, who has a weakness for 1960s and 70s pop and country music, lives so close to the orchard he can almost keep an eye on it from his bedroom window. “It helps that I can just pop across the road, but it does make it hard to switch off from it. My wife would say I’m too involved! There is quite a bit to do though, coordinating the efforts of the group. We hold meetings every two months, help organise community events and working parties, and try very hard to get more people actively involved.” Peter’s past job may have helped with his personnel skills as he’s a retired management consultant and spent years helping organisations manage their people. He still worked part time when he and wife Mary moved to Dartmouth 12 years ago. Mary took on the role of chair of governors at the academy and Peter joined the Dartmouth and Kingswear Society and the Rotary Club before taking an interest in the orchard.
The orchard took a bit of a beating during the recent storms. The winds caused a few trees to topple. Unfortunately one or two were beyond help but the team is recycling wood from trees that were cut down last year to make props to keep the other casualties upright. Peter says some of these trees are 60 or 70 years old so they find it hard to give up on them. The Friends try and plant new saplings every year on a rolling programme. 12 went in over the winter. A lot of the work is paid for by the Town Council, but donations and grants from organisations like the Lottery all help . R ecent grants paid for the new shelter, which now has information boards about the orchard and its history.
If you want to help ring 01803 833204
First published By The Dart May 2018 Issue