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"Orchards of East Anglia" by Gerry Barnes 19:30 4th February at Stowupland URC church hall

In 1552 John Randall was paying rent in Stowupland for “one acre of land lyinge at the ende of his orchard”. There were many small orchards in the village and a large number of small orchards was still the norm in 1839 when about 30 are listed. Large scale commercial fruit farming took off around 1850 with several national companies becoming established in East Anglia including Wilkins Jam, Gaymers cider, Chivers and more locally Aspal Cyder. There was a fruit packing station in Mill Street run by Mid-Suffolk Growers Ltd. Today many of the old orchards have been grubbed up but we still have the remnants of a few in Saxham Street and off Mill Lane.