You may know that Kingston has an apple market but did you know that there are at least two local heritage varieties of apple:

Mitchelson's seedling grown by Alexander Mitchelson, a former market gardener from Norbiton; and W.H. Divers of Hook, who founded the 'Colonel Yate'.

Both varieties are returning to the boroughs schools and the university.

Originally Norbiton and Coombe were covered in orchards, as were Hook, parts of Tolworth and Old Malden as far as Plough Pond.

Tolworth still has an old apple store or barn (c1856) that is in desperate need of repair, as it has lost many tiles around its pagoda style roof. The building could make a perfect mini apple museum with features installed around the eaves to encourage bat and house martins.

A leaflet will:

Weave you through the Orchard Gardens, Apple Groves and Cox Lanes - to tell Kingston's apple story so that you can walk it's pomological trail.

Indicate where you may leave your own metaphorical pieces of toast- as a celebratory wassail -in recognition of orchards that once bound local communities together.

Inform future fundraising efforts, so that the Tolworth apple store -will be protected- as part of a landscape scale farmland restoration project in a neglected part of the borough.

If you want to know more please contact me 07867507086

Contributions of £60 or more will be credited on the leaflet.

Thank you