Orchards — a brief history from the Garden of Eden till today

Hertfordshire Gardens Trust are delighted to be holding our first talk of the season jointly with Bedfordshire Gardens Trust at Luton Hoo.  This richly illustrated talk is presented by Kate Harwood and will be free to all members and friends of the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Gardens Trusts. Book now using the link to Eventbrite below.

From the Garden of Eden and the earliest evidence of orchards at Pasargadae (6th century BC) to the development of community orchards of today, fruit trees have exercised a hold over people. Not only  are they an essential to a good diet, they also were believed to have mystical properties and a great deal of religious significance. By the time of the Puritans in the 17th century, the idea of profit plus pleasure, as exemplified by orchards, was being promoted. This talk will  cover this history with  diversions to  jam factories and development of cider orchards, the explosion of varieties in the 19th century, and the government interventions which  reversed this.