Projects
Traditional Orchards
Orchards have long been a feature for many communities around Britain. They can play an important part in the cultural and social life of communities, but also have significant roles as biodiversity hotspots and local economic actors.
Traditional orchards - those that are well established and mature - are an ongoing strand of the work in which we have experience and expertise.
****PROJECT LIVE *****
Mapping Orchards in Central Scotland
We have been successful in securing funding to carry out an ambitious orchard mapping project in the whole of central Scotland. The project has a dedicated website at
The project is designed to collate existing and new sources of data, in order to provide a firmer foundation for the regeneration of orchards in Scotland.
Orchards of Fife's Tay Coast
Although north east Fife is not known for orchards, there have been large numbers of orchards at the numerous comfortable rural properties. The survey found a surprisingly large number of walled garden in the area. The grander walled gardens are predicatably dated from the 19th century, but there were many walled gardens containing fruit trees that pre-date this.
This survey does not duplicate any sites surveyed in the Newburgh Survey of 2003 (below), and so for a full picture of north eath Fife, both surveys should be considered.
The full report for Orchards of Fife's Tay Coast is available here for download.
Full report (2Mb)
Survey of Traditional Orchards in the Forth Valley 2009
The Forth Valley including Falkirk, Clackmannanshire and Stirlingshire has had a rich orchard history - particularly those areas that have ecclesiastical connections. This is particularly true of the Carse of Stirlingshire which was noted for its pear orchards on lands originally farmed by the Monks of Cambusnethan.
The full report for Survey of Traditional Orchards in the Forth Valley is available here for download.
Full report (2Mb)
Ancient Orchards beside the River Tay
The history and current circumstances of orchards on both banks of the Tay has been brought together in a paper by
Dr Crispin W. Hayes published in September 2008. The paper summarises the work carried out in Newburgh and the Carse of Gowrie, and puts that work in the wider historical context.
The paper was presented at the Orchards and Groves Conference at Sheffield. It is published in
Landscape Archaeology and Ecology (Vol 7: 2008)
and is available here for download;
Ancient Orcards Paper (900kb)
Carse of Gowrie Orchards
In 2007, we conducted a benchmark survey on the Carse of Gowrie - between Perth and Dundee - to determine what remained of the historic orchards there. The survey found that most orchards had been lost, and of those that remained there were only 9 with significant numbers of trees remaining. The client, Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust, embarked on awareness-raising activity, and we were able to assist them by facilitating the formation of a local orchard organisation.
The Carse of Gowrie survey report is available
for download;
Full report (1.8Mb) and Summary Sheet (280kb)
The Fruit Town of Newburgh in Fife 
Newburgh lies on the south bank of the River Tay. This ancient place is a town of fruit trees. Long gardens radiate from High Street, and these gardens contain mature trees - apples, pears and plums - numbering approximately 1000 in the town itself.
In 2003 we set out to conduct an exhaustive survey of mature fruit trees in the Town, working with and on behalf of Newburgh Orchard Group (NOG). The survey intended to create a historical snapshot of the orchards and also form the foundation for further development work.
The survey recorded data about individual trees, about orchards and their keepers. Anecdotal and personal accounts were an important part of the survey.
The Newburgh survey report is available for free download;
Full report (940kb) and Summary Sheet (330kb)