The National Fruit Collection

It has been a few years since I last visited the National Fruit Collection in Brogdale, Kent.

I found myself there today taking a quick detour from setting up my Blackdog DNA trade stand a few miles away at the Kent County Showground.  Acres and acres of fruit trees, thousands of different varieties.

Just the right time of year for apples, but there are also national collections of nut trees, plums, cherries, pears as well as soft fruit.

A small railway exists around the site to transport picked fruit in boxes into the warehouses and shops.  The real purpose of the site is to research and preserve old varieties from extinction, so the actual production of fruit is secondary here.

and tucked away in a few acres in the corner of the site is the National collection of Quince trees!

Such a beautiful fruit to look at, less common nowadays but lots of different varieties come in all shapes and colours.

and in a corner of the quince orchard was the medlar orchard.  Heaven on earth!