'Paradise is an Orchard'

The Rivers 300 Celebration Study Day.

April 26th 2025

With this phrase, written by John Trevisa in the fourteenth century, Kate Harwood of the Hertfordshire Garden Trust, began to speak in the first talk of three given on this day. She ranged over historical precedents from the Egyptians to the twentieth century in which written records, art and science all confirmed that growing fruit does more than provide nutrition - fruit stimulates and satisfies the need for beauty and sensuous delight and the idea of earthly perfection. Rivers Nursery, particularly during its greatest creative period in the nineteenth century, succeeded in that ambitious horticultural age. Directed by Thomas Rivers, 1798 -1877, in the search for new and yet more wonderful varieties, the Nursery produced 43 new cultivars now still found in the present day Heritage Orchard.



The title page on the screen behind Kate Harwood, the first speaker and Elizabeth Waugh, the Organiser. Louise Ellis and Gemma Sturges speak of the Audley End Connection.

The head gardener from Audley End, Louise Ellis, continued the story, describing how in 1861 the fifth Lord Braybrooke, found described in one of Rivers’ handbooks a technique for extending the season of fruit bearing. He had built an Orchard House in the walled garden now in the care of Gemma Sturges, the supervisor - who must balance tradition with climate change. As well as a balmy winter promenade, the Orchard House provided fine fruit for the Baron and his household while Rivers’ books and bare-rooted trees sold in thousands to those also growing fruit in their own small gardens. The RHSO team is pleased that the Audley End Connection with Rivers Nursery has been strongly supported by English Heritage. Their Orchard House gives a real life 19th century experience here and now and demonstrates the value of the Rivers Nursery’s innovations. See Gemma’s article on our 300 website for April.

The last event of the day was a walk through the Rivers Heritage Orchard guided by our volunteers Eugene Keddy, Rob Richardson, Colin Gill and Hazel Mead. Just before setting off, we listened to Peter Laws’ talk - ‘Why are there so many varieties of apples and pears’ which prepared the eye for the fruit to come on the blossoming trees. That every apple pip which survives in nature is, as a person is, an individual, an expression of inherited traits from two sources of DNA; that it takes skill to limit the fruit to desired traits to suit climate, transport, eating qualities and more, and then to reproduce these traits - was what Peter discussed, making a complex subject understandable. As he is always on hand at Rivers Apple Day when people come in with odd and unknown fruit they have found, we see how through study and supported by the FruitID system he has worked on, Peter has become adept at fruit identification.



Ruth Buckmaster, Chair of the RHSO committee, is also chief lunch cook! Rob Richardson leads a group around the Orchard.

We had a great turnout of enthusiastic and attentive people who have been very appreciative of all the good results from the Rivers 300 teams (Elizabeth Waugh, Lanier Pole, Colin Gill, Adrienne Richardson, Hazel Mead and Eugene Keddy) at work - a tasty lunch (from our catering team, led by RHSO Chair Ruth Buckmaster), faultless IT, a light friendly High Wych Memorial Hall, interesting background given by guides in the Orchard. Maybe it was the Orchard itself at its most beautiful, fully in bloom, underlaid with cowslips, glowing with sunshine, echoing with birdcalls. Maybe it was the atmosphere in the Hall where there was a peaceful optimistic feeling of good fellowship and good learning. Paradise?



Pear blossom 'smelling divine' in the Orchard. A marbled white butterfly gathering nectar from wildflowers in the grass.

A perceptive comment by Zoe Dedman, our chief wassail musician, sums up the day:
‘I really enjoyed the informative talks and thought they were well delivered and perfectly pitched. It made me realise how important the work that goes on to preserve the Rivers Orchard is. The lunch was a real treat! The Orchard looked amazing and the smell was divine - far cry from the cold, dark wintry scene that I see in January. Thank you as organisers and the volunteers for all the work you do. I feel privileged to play a small part in the continuing success of this venture.’

Elizabeth Waugh - April 2025