The Ashmeadow Community Orchards
Ashmeadow Community Orchards are a small remnant orchard of about 60 trees within the 5 acre Ashmeadow Woodlands at Arnside.
They are owned by the Barnes Charitable Trust, which was set up in 1990 to manage the Ashmeadow estate in the interests of the environment,
the local community and visitors. Visitors are encouraged to pick the fruit in season.
The trees are maintained and pruned by The Barnes trustees, with volunteers and support from professionals.
The orchard is mostly apples, with a few pear, cherry plum, damson and walnut trees of ages ranging from 12 yrs to over 50yrs old.
The orchard floor is grass with a rich ground flora including wild daffodils, blue bells and lesser celandine.
Orchards have been grown at Ashmeadow for over two centuries. It was described as “a remarkable orchard for bearing well”
in the 1770 Beetham Repository, while the Cumberland & Westmorland Gazeteer of 1829 said
“the plantations about Ashmeadow are in a thriving condition and the fruit trees extremely luxuriant”.
Like many of the orchards in Arnside, this one has gone through periods of decline.
It was restored and replanted by James Barnes, founder of Earnseat School, around 1918.
It was neglected for many years after WW2 but then revived by the Barnes Trust. Some of the trees now growing were
grafted from ancient local orchards which since have disappeared.
Northern varieties of apple include: Lord Derby, Arthur Turner, Cockpit, Hazelslack Striped and Annie Elizabeth.
New trees are planted from time to time to replace the ones that die. Mistletoe has been introduced too.
This plant, dependent on other trees used to be very common in the orchards of this area but is now very rare.
Access is via a public footpath from Silverdale Road which runs through the orchard and continues through the entire woodland area.
Beyond the orchard is a substantial walled garden. The far end contains some allotments but most of it is managed as a wildflower meadow,
containing orchids, poppies, cranesbill, knapweed, ox-eye daisy & self-heal.
Lower down the hill is another old orchard of about 8 trees.
The woodlands can also be entered by public footpaths from the western end of the Promenade which lead to the orchard.
Entry is free at all times.
