Orchards – Feature Fridays

June 19 2020 | Garden History

ORCHARDS – FEATURE FRIDAYS

The theme for this week’s #FeatureFridays with Historic Houses is orchards.

On this Feature Friday, we take a look at Anne Boleyn’s Orchard which can be seen as you approach the Castle. The Orchard is often overlooked as it is partially concealed by Topiary Walk, and sits in the shadow of the Castle.  

In Anne Boleyn’s Orchard, a wide variety of apples and pears grow; many of which are old English varieties. Some of the varieties include: the Crab Apple Golden Hornet, the Flower of Kent which is supposedly the type of apple which sparked Newton’s theory of gravity, and the cooking variety, the Encore Apple.

Whilst many of the fruits are left for decoration, some are put to good use in the Castle’s kitchen by Head Chef, Les. 

There are fruit trees dotted all over the gardens. Look out for the apple tree in the Winter Garden, and the abundance of Citrus trees along the Pompeiian Wall in the Italian Garden.  

The accommodation in the Anne Boleyn Wing offers a unique perspective overlooking the Orchard and Castle. The ground floor breakfast room gives a truly stunning view through the lead windows, and the front facing bedrooms overlooking the Orchard offer undisturbed views of the flourishing fruit trees.

If you enjoyed this item on Anne Boleyn’s Orchard, then why not discover the previous #FeatureFridays news items:

• Weapons
• Follies
• Priest Holes

Discover more about the gardens at Hever Castle here.

Discover more about staying at Hever Castle here.