The Wessington Pomona
Find out about our heritage orchards and the varieties we curate
What is a Pomona? Named after the ancient Roman Goddess of fruitfulness, abundance and plenty, it's nowadays used to describe a list or a book that describes apple varieties.
As of early 2026 we now have two orchards. In our half-acre Back Lane orchard we have 49 trees, including two morello cherry trees and a couple of pear trees (William and Comice). The vast majority of our apple trees are on MM106 rootstocks, which give a tree that is known as a half-standard size. So making a nice tree of a maximum height of around 3m to 4m tall and in spread. This makes them very manageable and yet still capable of cropping at up to 50KGs per tree.
In our newly planted (as of winter 2025/26) we have 180 trees, on a mixture of MM106 and M25 rootstocks, which is a full standard sized one. We will managed these vigorous trees be roughly around the same size of our half-standard trees. It is mostly the cider apple trees on theses larger rootstocks. We also have 6 perry pear trees in this orchard, which are also on large full-standard rootstocks.
We believe that we are the only orchards anywhere outside the National Collection in Kent and Chatsworth House , just down the road, that has all the Derbyshire varieties of apple trees. Some grafted trees were kindly supplied by Chatsworth Estate, reinforcing a local connection and shaping grafted trees, which ensures the survival of rare varieties. These are the Derbyshire varieties:
Beeley Pippin A variety with a strong local connection being from the nearby village of Beeley, once very much in the heart of the Chatsworth Estate. Dates to 1880 and raised by the Rev. C. Scunthorpe of Beeley. A creamy yellow coloured, juicy flesh aromatic with a good flavour but do not apparently keep very well, which may well explain their demise with other better keepers available out there.
Belledge Pippin Another local variety from Derby and dating to 1818, which I am researching in more detail. Apparently well suited to dessert or culinary uses and a good keeper and described as 'An excellent but not first rate apple' in Hoggs (1851), 'The British Pomology'.
Newton Wonder A South Derbyshire variety, an excellent cooker and consequently not as rare as the two above. Apparently raised by Mr Taylor of King's Newton, Melbourne in the 1880s from Blenheim Orange X Dumelow's Seedling and received a RHS First Class Certificate in 1887. Has a good acid flavour and holds its shape when cooked. It's a good doer locally and we've added two more trees in 2016.
New Bess Pool A special local (Derbyshire) variant of Bess Pool, a Nottinghamshire variety. Raised by J. Stevens of Stanton-by-dale sometime before 1850.
Lambs Seedling Planted in 2014 this is the last of the Derbyshire varieties to complete our collection and specially grafted by the National Collection at Brogdale, Kent. Raised around 1866 by the Head gardener at Meynell Langley, Derby - seat of the Meynell family, Mr Joseph Lamb.
Lord Derby We added this tree in 2016 because it may be a local variety, or is a variety that certainly has links with this County. Apparently from Cheshire, so perhaps close enough to be able to claim some genesis in Derbyshire. This Victorian variety is a sharp cooking apple that purees nicely.
Other important local varieties include:
Bess Pool We have a couple of these important East Midlands varieties too. Both Bess Pool and New Bess Pool are dessert apples. Supposedly named after their discoverer, the daughter of a local inn keeper Bess Pool, in a wood in Nottinghamshire and later introduced as a variety by a Chilwell nurseryman, Mr J R Pearson and first recorded in 1824. Sweet flavoured dessert apple that has a dry mouth feel that keeps reasonably well. Apparently late to flower.
Isaac Newton Tree Cuttings from the one and only world famous apple tree from Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire, that gave us gravity. Actually a Flower of Kent. Sourced via the National Collection Brogdale, Kent. The only authorised source for cuttings from the original tree, which still stands at Woolsthorpe.
Duke of Devonshire Sounds like this should be a local apple tree but it is in fact from Holker Hall, Cumbria, a branch of the Devnoshire family and the tree was created by the Head gardener Wilson, to honour The Duke around 1835. A russeted sweet apple believed to be related to Ashmead's Kernel.
Egremont Russet From Surrey, this is the quintessential English russet with a beautifully balanced flavour developed by the Victorians. Despite russets being largely frowned upon because of their rough looking skins this is still considered one of the finest eating apples and has a loyal following.
Cider Varieties:
Northwood also known as Woodbine a Vintage sweet cider variety
Red Stoke Bittersharp variety
Black Dabinett Bittersweet variety.
Kingston Black mid-season Bittersweet variety.
And the delightfully named Slack Ma Girdle, which is a sweet variety. Related to Northwood but so called because of its affect on ones digestive tract… I need say no more!
The birds are particularly keen on the cherry trees and we rarely see a cherry from them!
In Our Agroforestry Orchard...
Below are listed the varieties in our new Agroforestry Orchard, added in the winter of 2025/26. The first ones are described above also and are the local and regional varieties that we have:
Beeley Pippin
Belledge Pippin
Newton Wonder
New Bess Pool
Lamb’s Seedling
Isaac Newton (Flower of Kent)
Other Heritage & Traditional Apples
Lord Derby
A Victorian-era cooking apple with links to Cheshire and the wider Midlands. Sharp and reliable, producing a good purée.
Cox’s Orange Pippin
Raised in 1825 in Buckinghamshire by Richard Cox. Widely regarded as one of England’s finest dessert apples; the name combines the breeder’s surname with skin colour and pippin (seedling).
Egremont Russet
Introduced in 1872 by Thomas Rivers of Hertfordshire, named after the Earl of Egremont. A classic English russet with rich, balanced flavour.
Worcester Pearmain
Raised in 1874 by Edward Holmes of Worcestershire. An early dessert apple with strawberry-like aromas; Pearmainderives from Old French parmain (“excellent”).
James Grieve
Raised in 1893 by James Grieve of Edinburgh. A versatile apple suitable for dessert, cooking and juicing, especially in cooler climates.
Lord Lambourne
Bred in 1907 by Laxton Bros in Bedfordshire, named in honour of Lord Lambourne. A well-balanced dessert apple of Edwardian origin.
Fiesta (Red Pippin)
Bred in 1972 at East Malling Research Station, Kent. Originally called Red Pippin; renamed Fiesta for commercial appeal.
Spartan
Developed in 1936 in Canada from McIntosh parentage. A reliable dessert apple with dark red fruit and sweet flavour.
Sunset
A late 20th-century English apple bred as a Cox-style dessert apple with improved reliability. Rich flavour and good cropping.
Discovery
Raised in 1949 in Essex by Mr D. Clarke. An early-season dessert apple with fresh, strawberry notes.
Katy (Katja)
Bred in Sweden in the mid-20th century and widely adopted in the UK. A bright, juicy early apple; Katja anglicised to Katy.
Adam’s Pearmain
An early 19th-century English dessert apple, probably from Norfolk. The name Pearmain comes from Old French parmain, meaning “of enduring quality”.
Laxton’s Superb
Bred in 1902 by the Laxton Brothers in Bedfordshire. A Cox improvement noted for reliability and balanced flavour.
Winter Gem
A modern English dessert apple bred in the late 20th century for disease resistance and consistency.
Tickled Pink
A modern English apple named for its pink-blushed skin. Adds visual diversity to the orchard.
Crispin
A 20th-century British apple valued for large fruit and cooking quality. Named for its firm flesh.
Bramley’s Seedling
Raised in 1809 in Nottinghamshire by Mary Ann Brailsford. Named after Matthew Bramley, who allowed commercial propagation.
Tom Putt
A traditional Devon apple dating back to at least the 18th century. Named after a local landowner or miller; used for cooking and cider.
Brown’s Apple
An old English cider apple of uncertain origin, likely 18th–19th century. Named descriptively rather than geographically.
Nicks Costard
A very old English apple of the costard group, a term used from the medieval period to describe large, often locally selected apples rather than fixed cultivars. Likely origins of Costard apples date to between the 13th and 15th centuries. This tree is recorded as originating from West Barns, Patrington (East Riding of Yorkshire), suggesting it was a valued farm apple maintained locally rather than a commercial nursery variety. The name Nick almost certainly refers to a former grower or custodian, reflecting the informal naming traditions of early orchard culture. Its presence within the Chatsworth collections points to the historic exchange of notable local fruit trees between Yorkshire farms and great estates, preserving apples that might otherwise have been lost.
Bred in 1929 by H.M. Tydeman at East Malling Research Station, Kent. Named for its breeder and early ripening habit.
Cider Apples
Sweet Alford
A 19th-century Somerset sweet cider apple. High sugar and low acidity; Alford likely refers to a place or family name.
Yarlington Mill
A celebrated 19th-century Somerset cider apple named after a local mill. Noted for tannins, colour and aromatic depth.
Kingston Black
Raised in early 19th-century Somerset. Kingston refers to the parish; Black to the dark skin. Capable of producing a balanced single-varietal cider.
Dabinett
Discovered in early 20th-century Somerset by Edwin Dabinett. A bittersweet apple forming the backbone of many traditional cider blends.
Black Dabinett
A closely related bittersweet form of Dabinett, valued for body and tannin in cider.
Porter’s Perfection
A Herefordshire cider apple from the early 20th century, named by the Porter family. Used to add tannic structure.
Red Stoke
A 19th-century Herefordshire bittersharp apple. Stoke derives from Old English stoc, meaning farm or settlement.
Perry Pears
Barnet
A historic English perry pear, likely 18th–19th century, named after a place or family. Moderate vigour.
Moorcroft
An old English perry pear, probably from the West Midlands. Named after a moorland croft or farm.
Oldfield
A very old perry pear, likely 18th century or earlier, traditionally grown as a full standard.
Thorn
A traditional English perry pear, dating to at least the 19th century, possibly named for thorny growth or a field name.