Apple pie a-plenty
The Stokenham Parish group of orchards includes Beeson, Chillington and Stokenham Community Orchards
Stokenham Parish Orchard Cluster Group was formed to share volunteer ideas and skills and support all three orchards in the parish by working together to ensure that the areas are well managed, regularly maintained and that they are promoted as an asset for the community to use and enjoy.
An Apple Press day has been held every year since the inception of this orchard group, and very successful they are too!! One of the most inclusive, family fun, thoroughly enjoyable days of the year. The Apple Press days have been held in both Stokenham and Chillington, with Chillington being an ideal site. There have also been activity days/evenings in all the sites, with sign carving events, moth and butterfly hunts, apple collection romps et al.
Volunteer helpers are most welcome at all three orchards. Anyone interested should contact Gill Claydon, Parish Council Clerk, clerk@stokenham-pc.gov.uk, 01548 581185.
You can read more about the Stokenham Parish Orchard Cluster Group in the “Case Study” section at the bottom of the Growing Orchard Communities project page.
Chillington Community Orchard is a Woodland Trust Orchard at Great Hill Wood, planted out in 1998 on a well-sheltered edge of the village. 28 local and heritage varieties of apple tree were planted, including Billy Down Pippin, Blue Sweet, Colemans Seedling, Fair Maid of Devon, Kingston Bitter, King of the Pippins, Langworthy, Longstem, Lucombes Pine, Major, Northcott Superb, Oaken Pin, Paignton Marigold, Pigs Nose (Type 3), Plympton Pippin, Spotted Dick, Sugar Bush, Sugar Loaf, Sweet Bay, Sweet Cleave, Sweet Coppin, Tom Putt, Town Farm No.59, Tremletts Bitter, White Alphington, White Close Pippin, Winter Stubbard and Woolbrook Pippin.
There are also plum and cherry trees in the smaller orchard area.
Chillington has a Woodland Voles group that works with the Woodland Trust in the main part of the wood and also carries out pruning of the orchard.
The orchard is bordered by both species-rich hedgerows-with-standards forming the former field boundary, and the secondary woodland area.
