At Horton Country Park there is a young orchard called Lamberts Mead, and two veteran apple and pear orchards called Lambert and Longrove Orchard, which have some unusual varieties and rare biodiversity value.
Where can I find it: Horton Country Park, Horton Lane, Epsom KT19 8PL
Can I visit: Yes
Nearest station: Ewell East or Ewell West
What can you find there?
Lambert’s Orchard has 32 veteran standard trees (13 pears and 19 apples), planted around 1910. Pears include old French varieties Souvenir du Congrès and Bellissime d’Hiver.
Longrove has 21 veteran apple trees, planted around 1930, mainly cooking apples (Bramley, Lord Derby, and Grenadier).
Lambert’s Mead has 34 younger trees (4 plums, 9 pears, 21 apples), planted 2013.
Orchard History
Lambert’s and Longrove orchards were once within the grounds of Long Grove Hospital and likely planted around the same time the hospital was built in 1905-7. Before that, it was farmland (also with orchards). The younger Lambert’s Mead was planted in 2013.
Biodiversity highlights & habitat
This orchard is home to the very rare Orchard Toothcrust fungus (Sarcodontia crocea) which only grows on veteran apple trees, and is in decline nationally. The orchard also has two ponds and lots of bird life.
Working together
The Orchard Project worked with Epsom and Ewell’s Countryside Team and their regular conservation volunteers in 2017/18 to prune the three orchards, and to run a Bioblitz Picnic and an Apple Day. We identified and labelled the apple and pear trees, and ran a grafting workshop where volunteers propagated some of the rare varieties. We also ran a workshop for pupils from Southfield Park Primary school
Learn more about our restoration work and Celebration of Orchards project here.
To the best of our knowledge, the information on this webpage is correct, but it is possible that some of it is out-of-date.