Did you know…?

Did you know…

…the Pleasaunce used to be an orchard until the mid-19th Century?

We were really pleased to learn from this history of the Pleasaunce that before the Pleasaunce was sold to Greenwich Hospital in 1856, the then tenant, William Miles, had been using the land “primarily as an orchard of fruit trees”. Miles “was paid £100 for giving up possession of the land and £366 -15s-10d for the loss of his fruit trees … The trees and other crops were to be sold for Hospital benefit, except any trees too large to remove save by felling.”

We’re proud to have revived this aspect of the park’s history, while at the same time paying tribute to the naval personnel buried in the Pleasaunce by planting the orchard in their memory.

…why the grass is not mown around the fruit trees?

You may have noticed areas around the fruit trees and against fences where the grass and other vegetation has been allowed to grow during spring and summer. This isn’t Parks being lazy, it’s deliberate. We’ve asked them to do this in order to attract pollinating insects – bees and butterflies, and we’re really pleased that they are enthusiastic about the idea. Not only does the butterflies and other bugs look beautiful, they also eat predatory insects like aphids, thereby helping us avoid the need for pesticides to protect our new fruit trees.