ICON
inside ICON:
THE STORY OF BROGDALE COLLECTIONS
A FASCINATING HISTORY ROOTED IN KENT
BY SOPHIE SHORTER
© Brogdale Collections
For an area once coined the‘ Faversham Fruit Belt’, few places feel more fitting as the home of the National Fruit Collection than Brogdale. Surrounded by fertile Kent countryside and centuries of fruit-growing heritage, the site has become one of the county’ s most remarkable horticultural landmarks.
First established in 1922 as a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Royal Horticultural Society, the National Fruit Collection was created to trial fruit varieties and support the future of British fruit growing following the First World War.
Today, it is recognised as one of the most extensive collections of fruit trees and plants in the world, safeguarding thousands of varieties of fruit that might otherwise have disappeared from cultivation.
Set across more than 150 acres of farmland, Brogdale is home to almost 3,500 varieties of fruit trees including apples, pears, quinces, plums and cherries. Officially managed by the University of Reading, the National Fruit Collection serves an important scientific purpose, while Brogdale Collections works as a charity to ensure the orchards remain accessible to the wider community through education, events and hands-on experiences.
Unlike many national plant collections, the trees at Brogdale are actively cultivated and continue to bear fruit, allowing visitors to experience varieties that are rarely seen outside of specialist orchards.
A new chapter began in 2024 when East Malling Trust took ownership of the site. With a shared commitment to horticultural research and preservation, the move aimed to safeguard the collection, protect the farm’ s unique heritage and strengthen its role as a centre for learning and discovery.
For guests exploring the site today, Brogdale offers a fruit identification service led by field experts, self-guided and guided walks through the orchards and a range of pick-your-own experiences, all alongside seasonal fruit sales and pick-your-own event days.
Visitors can also expect to discover an unexpected connection to astronomy as
Brogdale was the recipient of one of eight young trees from the pips of Sir Isaac Newton’ s apple trees; seeds that were carried into space by British ESA astronaut Tim Peake during his 2015 Principia mission.
This month, the Apple Fair returns to Brogdale on 3 and 4 October, offering a rare opportunity to sample the farm’ s heritage and unusual fruit varieties seldom found beyond the orchards themselves. As autumn arrives, pick-your-own pumpkin experiences and seasonal workshops also form part of the farm’ s events programme.
In a county long associated with orchards and fruit growing, Brogdale feels perfectly at home. Nearly 75 years after the National Fruit Collection arrived in Faversham, the site continues to preserve and share a remarkable part of Kent’ s story, doing so with a quiet appreciation for the county it calls home.
brogdalecollections. org brogdale _ collections
88 • www. insidekent. co. uk