England’s second most deprived borough is not where you might expect to find an award-winning orchard. And yet here is the Meadow Park community orchard, in Knowsley, growing beneath twin leviathan multi-storey buildings.
The orchard was the brainchild of the Knowsley town councillor, Neil Joseph and it became a reality after a generous headteacher released a parcel of land for the project in 2020. Guiding me around the orchard, Neil introduces the trees as if they were friends: Ashmead’s kernel, red pippin, Doyenné du Comice and the delightful slack-ma-girdle. As we pause by a quince, he relates his childhood memories of Edward Lear’s nonsense poem The Owl and the Pussycat, composed only a mile away at Knowsley Hall. Such grand estates feel a long way from this area, formerly known as Cantril Farm, which once had a reputation for crime and deprivation.
The orchard has two staple volunteers, Annie and Brian, though others are encouraged to visit, especially those who struggle with their mental health. And from an original five trees, 200 heritage species now grow: cherry, plum, apple, pear, quince and spindle. An orange-tip butterfly explores their blooms as we chat. In autumn, at harvest time, the fruits of the trees are offered free to the local community. A man on a bike stops to ask if Neil could use some pea and tomato plants, grown from seed on his balcony. “It’s that white one,” he says, pointing to his 13th floor “allotment”. A polytunnel at the edge of the orchard duly becomes the home for his gift.
Meadow Park’s most unique feature, however, is not something I can see from down here, instead its full impact is best viewed from those towering flats. Thanks to some clever planting and solar lights, some of the smaller trees form the shape of “97” – a tribute to those who died during the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. The orchard’s motto is “Planting hope”.
With 90% of traditional orchards in England and Wales lost since the 1950s, a new orchard is something to celebrate. Like this one, they can be a thriving habitat for biodiversity, a place to grow sustainable food and a much-loved community asset. As I prepare to leave, a blackcap flutes its melody, sending me on my way.
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