Urban Growing
By Hannah Shepherd
The National Trust reported an 81% decline in traditional orchards in 2022, with the most significant losses in the South West. Yet, urban orchards remain an integral part of Bristol’s landscape and cultural fabric. Volunteer Hannah Shepherd speaks to Totterdown, Woodcroft, and Metford Road Community Orchards to uncover how these spaces provide more than “just” fruit.
Each orchard I visited reveals a unique story of resilience, flourishing on the city’s marginal land. “I guess it has survived because it is on a slope,” Metford Road Community Orchard volunteer Karen tells me as we take in its winding paths, leafy terraces and bustling volunteers. Perched on the allotments’ steepest plots, the orchard was originally founded in the 90s to revive the neglected site. Today, thanks to the dedication of its volunteers, it also features a full fruit cage, social spaces, and dedicated wildlife areas.
Across the city in Totterdown, along the steep side of a residential road, plants grow between old stone walls and up the verges. Anne, a Totterdown Community Orchard volunteer, explains that the land opposite was historically paddocks, “so it’s just conjecture, but we think these [walled areas] were pigsties”. Anne’s research reveals a history of orchards, long before the area was absorbed into Bristol. As it stands today, the orchard formally took root in 2011, when residents planted a handful of fruit trees.
A year later in 2012, Woodcroft Community Orchard was founded on a grazing paddock in St Annes. The council agreed that the space could be put to better use and a local group lost no time planting soft fruits and trees. “We found early support from curious neighbours and locals looking for an outdoor activity”, Woodcroft volunteer Andy tells me. “We wanted… to do something positive”. When I visit in October, I am struck by how mature and vibrant the orchard has become in just over a decade.
From purpose-built ponds to beehives, nature is a priority, not least at Woodcroft. “We’ve seen empirically, a massive increase in biodiversity… the species we’ve introduced have become habitat to countless amphibians, invertebrates and more recently, larger mammals,” Andy explains.
In Totterdown, the orchard offers a green corridor that connects local gardens with Arnos Vale, and insect-friendly trees have been planted amongst the typical fruit trees. With insects, come birds and bats “We’ve got both sorts of Pipistrelles [bats]… We’ve got loads of wildlife here”.
However, urban orchards are also faced with increasing environmental challenges. On my Metford Road visit, the volunteers were deliberating over which plant species could handle both “apocalyptic rain” and long drought periods. Leaning towards more drought-resistant trees, they are still in the process of working out what climate adaptation will look like on their site.
Each orchard boasts fruit varieties that you are unlikely to encounter on a supermarket shelf. From quince to mulberries, the groups have meticulously mapped the varieties on their sites. Along the way, they have made some intriguing discoveries. Towering over the Totterdown orchard is a singular apple tree affectionately known as the ‘Totterdown Seedling’. Anne sent off the apples and leaves to Brogdale Collections, the world’s largest fruit collection. “They said it is not a known variety [which] suggests it has grown from a seedling. It’s a cooking apple, and has a lovely flavour.”
At Metford Road, there is a similar mystery tree, called ‘Apple 16’. Another original seedling and “a nice eater”, Apple 16 was (un)identified during the University of Bristol’s genome project when the researchers were unable to find a match in their database. It begs the question; what other unknown varieties exist in our city, and what might they tell us about the history of Bristol?
Each orchard has evolved into a space that is appreciated by locals in different ways. In Totterdown, the orchard offers greenery and a place for children to play, in an area where many do not have gardens. Anne hopes that the space remains an asset “that the community can adapt according to their needs”. This sentiment is mirrored at Woodcroft, “the idea was to be grassroots and let the site become what the community wanted it to be,” Andy tells me. In 2024, that has evolved into an additional kitchen garden, “which has been a real success providing food for charity”.
When I ask Lorna and Karen at Metford Road what they enjoy about being involved with a community orchard, the food is almost incidental. “To be honest I don’t just come for the food, it’s about the space and knowing it always does you good.” says Lorna. Karen agrees and adds, “You know the quality and you’ve enjoyed harvesting it with your friends.”
Find out more about the community orchards below:
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