All About Essex

34 apples and 3 pears with Essex origins exist today, with 10 of the apple varieties bred by Seabrook’s. The county list includes some well-known varieties including Discovery, D’Arcy Spice and Sturmer Pippin, as well as one of the earliest recorded from our region, Dr Harvey, which was first mentioned in 1629. There are a further 40-plus lost varieties from the county

Apples – dessert varieties

Acme                          
Boreham 1944
Pick mid Sept. Use Nov – Jan
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook and Sons. (Worcester Pearmain x Rival cross) x ? Cox’s Orange Pippin.  A long keeping medium-sized red-flushed variety. Crisp and juicy flesh.  Resistant to scab.

Amber                                     
Boreham 1936
Pick mid Sept. Use Oct – Nov
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook & Sons before 1936.  A medium sized tall yellow apple with a slight orange flush. Some russet. Firm sweet fleshed.

Braintree Seedling
Braintree 1930
Pick early/mid Sept. Use Oct – Jan
Pollination group C
Raised by Mrs. Humphreys. Yellow skinned with a bright orange flush and scarlet streaks. Quite russeted. Firm crisp, aromatic tasting flesh.

D’Arcy Spice   
Tolleshunt D’Arcy 1785
Pick late Oct. Use Jan – May
Pollination group D
Found in the grounds of the Hall and originally sold as ‘Baddow Pippin’.  When stored will develop a complex spice-like flavour. Scruffy in appearance with irregular russeting over greenish golden skin. Sometimes has a dull red flush. Quite angular and ribbed in shape. Has good resistance to scab, canker and mildew.

Discovery
Langham 1949
Pick mid Aug. Use Aug – Sept
Pollination group C
Raised by Mr. Dummer of Langham.  One parent was a Worcester Pearmain. The variety was only named in 1962.   Pale yellowish skin which can be almost totally covered with a bright red flush. Very juicy crisp flesh but the apple does not keep long after picking. Has good resistance to scab and mildew.

Edith Hopwood                       
Hornchurch 1925         
Pick late Sept. Use Sept – Oct
Pollination group D
Raised by Mr. Thorrington as a Cox’s Orange Pippin seedling. Golden yellow and medium sized. Best picked early and allowed to ripen in store. Sharp, complex, spicy flavour.

Eros                            
Boreham 1947
Pick mid Sept. Use Sept – Oct
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook & Sons. Worcester Pearmain x Charles Ross cross. A large apple with a bright reddish orange flush and firm, crisp and juicy flesh.

Flame
Boreham 1925
Pick late Aug. Use Aug – Sept
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook & Sons. A Worcester Pearmain x Rival cross.  A medium sized juicy apple with a slightly spicy taste. Can be quite red flushed.

Francis
Hornchurch 1925
Pick mid Oct. Use Nov – Jan
Pollination group D
Raised by Mr. Thorrington as a Cox’s Orange Pippin seedling. A firm fleshed medium sized Cox-like apple. Not particularly sweet tasting but when stored can be more complex.

Garnet                                 
Boreham 1936
Pick early Sept. Use Sept – Oct
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook & Sons. A Worcester Pearmain or Rival cross. Bright red flushed skin. Crisp and juicy flesh.

George Cave
Dovercourt 1923
Pick and use early/mid Aug
Pollination group C
Raised by George Cave and marketed by Seabrook & Sons, of Boreham, from 1945. Medium sized with greenish yellow skin, a red flush and some bright red stripes.  A very early variety which is best eaten straight from the tree when it is crisp fleshed and fruity tasting.  It is self-fertile so will set fruit without the need of another apple tree to pollinate it.

Jewel  
Boreham 1936
Pick late Sept.  Use Oct – Nov
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook & Sons. Parentage unknown. A medium sized slightly ribbed, conical apple with a yellow skin flushed bright red with some faint darker red stripes. Firm, crisp sweet flesh.

Maldon Wonder           
Heybridge 1900
Pick mid Sept. Use Oct – Nov
Pollination group B
Raised by Mr. Mynard.  Introduced 1933. A medium sized yellow skinned apple with a red flush and red stripes. Flavour is disappointing but the flesh is crisp and juicy.

Montfort          
Woodford Green 1928
Pick mid Oct. Use Jan – Mar
Pollination group C
Raised by Mr. Sadler of Woodford Green. A long keeping apple. Sharp and crisp early in the season mellowing with storage.

Nolan Pippin   
Colchester 1920
Pick late Oct. Use Nov – Mar
Pollination group D
A small golden yellow skinned russetted apple. Not unlike the variety Nonpareil. Very intense and complex taste which diminishes with storage.

Opal
Boreham 1936
Pick early Sept. Use Sept – Oct
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook & Sons. Like the variety Flame it is a Worcester Pearmain x Rival cross.  A medium sized apple with a juicy, crisp, fruity taste. Yellow skinned with a red flush and a few broken red stripes.

Pearl                           

Boreham 1938
Pick early Oct. Use Oct – Nov
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook & Sons. Worcester Pearmain x Rival cross.  A medium sized apple with a slightly spicy flavour. A useful long keeping dessert variety.

Rosy                           
Bulphan 1986      
Pick late Sept. Use Oct – Nov
Pollination group C
Discovered growing in the orchard of Robert Powell at Bulphan. A medium sized red flushed apple resembling a juicier, larger and longer-keeping Beauty of Bath. Unusual for developing red stained flesh when fully ripe

Rosy Blenheim           
Hornchurch 1925 
Pick early Oct. Use Nov – Jan
Pollination group D
Raised by Mr. Thorrington as a Cox’s Orange Pippin cross. A large firm fleshed Blenheim Orange–like apple. Not particularly sweet. Course fleshed. Resistant to mildew.

Ruby (Seabrook)
Boreham 1936
Pick early Sept. Use Sept -Oct
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook & Sons. Probably a Worcester Pearmain x Rival cross.  A medium sized apple with a fruity taste and bright red flushed skin.

Ruby (Thorrington)
Hornchurch 1925
Pick early Sept. Use Sept -Oct
Pollination group C
Raised by Mr. Thorrington as a Cox’s Orange Pippin cross. A medium sized Cox-like tasting apple with firm flesh.

Seabrook’s Red          
Boreham 1925
Pick mid Sept. Use Sept – Oct
Pollination group D
Raised by Seabrook & Sons. Parentage not known.  A medium-sized juicy and crisp fleshed apple. Greenish yellow skinned with an reddish orange flush.

Sturmer Pippin           
Sturmer c.1800  
Pick late Oct. Use Jan/Feb – Apr/Jun
Pollination group C
Arose in the garden of Mr. Dillistone at Rectory House.  Probably a Nonpareil or Ribston Pippin cross. First sold in 1831. A medium sized ribbed and occasionally oblong apple with a dull green skin and brownish orange flush.  A very long keeping variety, crisp and sharp in January becoming less sharp with storage

Sunburn                      
Hornchurch 1925
Pick early Oct. Use Nov -Feb
Pollination group C
Raised by Mr. Thorrington as a Cox’s Orange Pippin seedling. A medium sized Cox-like looking and tasting apple with firm but juicy aromatic tasting flesh. A useful long keeping apple

Topaz
Boreham 1936
Pick mid Sept. Use Oct – Nov
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook & Sons before 1936. A medium sized slightly ribbed pale yellow apple with scarlet flush. Some russet and a slightly greasy skin.  Crisp, yellowish-white sweet flesh.

Tun Apple
Place of origin unknown 1850
Pick mid Oct. Use Oct – Dec
Pollination group C
Known in Essex since at least the mid-1800s.  A tall, lemon yellow skinned apple with a carmine flush, a few red stripes and some russet. Flesh is coarse and floury but flavour can be slightly aromatic.

Twining’s Pippin                     
Fordham pre 1872
Pick late Sept.  Use Oct – Nov
Pollination group D
Raised by Rev. Thomas Twining, probably between 1763 and 1804, when he was the rector of the parish of Fordham, near Colchester. First mentioned in 1872. Parentage unknown. Green, slightly angular with an orange flush, it resembles a medium sized Blenheim Orange but with a sweet, slightly nutty flavour.

West View Seedling
Billericay 1932
Pick late Oct. Use Dec – Mar
Pollination group D
Found by Mr. Rainbird.  Parentage unknown. A medium sized greenish yellow apple with a dull orange flush and a few broken red stripes.  Not particularly sweet or crisp.

Apples – culinary varieties

Chelmsford Wonder   
Chelmsford 1870
Pick late Oct. Use Nov – Mar
Pollination group D
Raised at Chelmsford. Introduced in 1890 by the nurseryman William Saltmarsh. A large long-keeping yellow skinned apple. Some orange-red flush and a few broken red stripes. Very acidic when cooked.

Dr. Harvey                               
Place of origin unknown 1629
Pick late Sept. Use Sept – Dec
Pollination group D
First recorded in Essex and believed to be named after Dr. Gabriel Harvey, a former Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, who retired to Saffron Walden. A large and handsome golden- yellow apple with some scruffy russeting. Cooks to a sweet puree with only a little acidity. Has good mildew resistance.

Excelsior                    
Boreham 1921
Pick late Aug. Use Sept – Oct
Pollination group C
Raised by Seabrook & Sons. A large dull yellow skinned apple with some russet and a dark red flush and some red stripes. Cooks to a slightly acidic soft puree. It is a triploid variety so requires another two different apple varieties nearby for successful pollination.

Monarch                                 
Boreham 1888  
Pick early Oct. Use Nov – Jan
Pollination group D
Raised by Seabrook & Sons. A Peasgood Nonsuch x Dumelow’s Seedling cross. Introduced 1918. A large yellow skinned apple with a faint red flush and a few stripes of orange. Skin is slightly greasy. Is only slightly acidic when cooked. Does not hold shape when cooked. It is partially self-fertile so will set some fruit by itself. Having another same or different apple variety with the same or adjacent pollination group nearby will help cropping.

Queen                         
Billericay 1858
Pick early Sept. Use Sept – Dec
Pollination group C
Raised by Mr. Bull but parentage unknown.  A large flat-round shaped apple, also known as ‘Essex Queen’ and was first sold as ‘The Claimant’. Became popular after 1880. Yellow in colour with an orange flush and red broken stripes in varying amounts. Skin turns greasy. Cooks to a pleasant slightly acidic puree.

Stanway Seedling       
Colchester 1899
Pick late Oct. Use Oct – Nov
Pollination group E
First recorded in Essex. A large, tall, yellow skinned apple that can have a ribbed body. The skin is often greasy to touch. The flesh cooks to a grainy slightly acidic puree.

PEARS – DESSERT VARIETIES

Improved Fertility       
Colchester 1768   
Pick mid Oct. Use Oct – Nov
Pollination group C
Believed to have been raised at Donneland Hall (now Donyland Park), Colchester in 1768 by Lt. Gen. Gansel, possibly from a seed of Autumn Bergamot. A medium sized, greenish, round-shaped russeted pear with firm flesh. It can be cooked.

Gansel’s Bergamot       
Boreham 1921   
Pick late Sept. Use late Sept – Oct
Pollination group D
Found at Seabrook’s Nursery. A very russetted sport of the pear Fertility, which was raised in 1875 by Rivers’ Nursery in Sawbridgeworth, Herts. A medium sized, sweet, juicy pear. It is a triploid variety so requires another two different pear varieties nearby for successful pollination.

Johnny Mount Pear    
Colchester pre1900
Pick mid Oct. Use Nov – Dec
Pollination group C
Known locally around Colchester but exact origin not known. A russeted, golden-brown coloured small to medium-sized dessert pear. A heavy cropper, best eaten near Christmas.

Plums – dessert varieties

Burrell’s Red Myrobalan         
Littlebury 1800s 
Pick and use late July – Aug
Pollination group C

First noted in 1875 in a garden at Littlebury, near Saffron Walden, and first sold by Burrell’s of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. A medium sized carmine red skinned, yellow fleshed cooking plum. Smaller than the wild myrobalan