The only fruit we inherited on the site was this avenue of pears, including two old Belgian varieties, "Beurre Diel" and "Soldat laboreur" - the only known example of this variety in northern Britain.
Remedial pruning - removing some of each tree's crown to stimulate new growth and encourage stability and easier picking of fruit.
Most of the pears were choked with ivy, making the trees top heavy and unstable.
Pears in blossom, wild cherry in background
Crown-reduced pear a year on and heavy with fruit.
We have put over a part of the site to creating an apple orchard. Half planted, we are hoping to complete with a range of heritage Yorkshire varieties at the end of 2007.
Two years on - first phase of plantings beginning to bear fruit. Foreground is "Jester", behind "Hargreaves's Greensweet".
Young apples receiving a mulch after producing their first fruits.