News
May 25th 2010
......'A time to say Goodbye'......
A service of remembrance for John Sapsford (1922 -2010) was held at the Harlow Crematorium on Tuesday, 25 May, 2010. His interesting and far-flung family came together to honour him as did his devoted neighbours on Sayesbury Rd, Sawbridgeworth, and representatives of the local historical organisations he was involved with. The Rivers Group was represented by Joseph Fitzgerald, Susan Clark and Elizabeth Waugh, who presented a short tribute that recalled John's important contributions to the Rivers orchard restoration as part of the service. We will miss his quiet steadfast support as well as his cheerful presence at all our gatherings.
Below is Elizabeth's tribute to John:
As a member of the group working at Rivers Nursery Orchard in Sawbridgeworth, I wish to speak about John’s crucial, enduring contribution to all aspects of this long-term project of transforming a derelict orchard into a fruitful and historic community treasure.
He was, due to his clear historic understanding of our area and his admirable organisation, a one man reference library. He produced information on request with much grace. He had preserved all the materials that were handed down from the time of his father’s being a Rivers manager and cultivated them and his own memories with a due regard for the importance of knowledge - and having established his own archive, he shared most generously: accurate, dated maps, photos of disappeared places and lost people and lost technologies, the stock of beautiful May Rivers watercolours of fruits and much else, all reproduced for us to use on his own high quality machines.
He took a lively interest in the orchard itself and our efforts and went up there often, from the period of the first work with Diana Richards and Susan Clark on up to now. His view of community service meant preserving community history so he was always there talking to all comers at the Rivers Open Days at Church House. More recently he helped me enormously in writing the Rivers saga, providing an article of his own which was well received by the reviewers, and proof-reading chapter by chapter as I produced them for accuracy and, somewhat to my chagrin, for my use of English. We spent many interesting hours together doing this work.
I am sure there will be for a person like him so many ways in which he will be remembered but the Orchard, as long as it survives, will always be a memorial to his efforts - and if it disappears the Rivers Archive is based on his contribution to it and there he is always present. For me he was an affectionate friend and very intelligent companion who never lost his good-humoured connection to the world about him. I and we the Rivers Group will miss him and if the Orchard is saved, regret that he is not here to celebrate.
Elizabeth Waugh, May 2010
May 2010
John Sapsford 1922 – 2010
It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of one of our central figures in the volunteer group that looks after the Rivers Nursery Site & Orchard.
John Sapsford was, until his death on Sunday 16th May 2010, a living legacy and reliable link with the heyday of that great enterprise Thomas Rivers & Son Ltd. Although John was never employed by the firm, his late father Arthur, was General Manager there from 1936 – 1952 and this gave John, in his formative years, unbridled access to the extensive nurseries.
John was one of our most regular volunteers since the Rivers Nursery Site restoration project began, and was with us for every event until recent failing health prevented him from doing so.
He was a solid rock of knowledge, had a great eye for detail and could recall with great accuracy, information from any decade. He shared his knowledge, his great collection of photographs and other Rivers memorabilia very generously. This was invaluable to the Rivers orchard restoration project as we were left with few records and he filled all the great gaps in the knowledge.
He has provided key pieces of evidence contributing to our campaign to raise the profile of the Rivers Nursery Site and secure its future. He was always ready to speak with great authority and clarity on these matters, becoming our absolute reference whenever questions on maps, boundaries or structures cropped up.
John was very approachable and easy to get on with, as was evidenced by the excellent session when interviewed by the children of Mandeville Primary School only last year for the Rivers Oral History Project.
He was very willing to explain any and every detail to all who were interested in our Archive Collection as it steadily grew.
He was a gentleman in every definition of the word and his mental acuity was with him to his last days when he enquired of us of the blossom and buttercups in the orchard. His ilk we will not see again.
John Sapsford – Rest in Peace, all your good work here is done.
J.Fitzgerald
John Sapsford 1922 - 2010
March 2010 General News
The Annual Winter and Spring Maintenance continues on the site . We are very grateful for the regular band of volunteers who turn out hail,rain or shine to keep the orchard in a good condition.
Increased activity by badgers and other protected species noted around the site.
Recent Regional Orchard Conference has helped us promote the importance of this site.
We are delighted to report that a book review has been completed by Joan Morgan and appears now on the Fruit Forum website under Fruit Books.
http://www.fruitforum.net/the-rivers-nursery-of-sawbridgeworth.htm
Jan 10th 2010
Wassailing Rivers Nursery Orchard
Thanks to everyone who came to the Wassail last night 9th Jan.
We had a very good crowd, we had a roaring bonfire with lots of apple related products available to eat and drink!
The evil spirits were driven away,Wassail songs were the best so far as everyone was in fine voice. As always the event was attended by families old and young and their pets who all enjoyed this real community event.
Have a look at the short video clip from the event on Jan 9th courtesy of Herts and Essex Newspaper
http://www.hertsandessexobserver.co.uk/hertsandessexobserver/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=475992
What is Wassail?
Wassailing - an ancient practice of blessing Apple Orchards to ensure that there is a plentiful crop of wonderful apples the following year.
Wassail comes from the Anglo Saxon greeting "wes hal" that means 'be whole' or 'be of good health'. To Wassail something (such as an orchard) was to drink to their health, bring good luck to the trees. This ancient rite has been adapted as 'warding off of evil spirits that may be lurking in the orchard waiting to cause ill health to the trees and ruin the crop!
We light up some of the orchard rows, gather around a tree and the blazing bonfire, sing Wassail songs consume apple related beverages and apple cakes, drive out the evil spirits with empty can and drum noises, attach some apple cakes and bread to the trees, pour cider around the base of the tree as a present to the tree. And that is ceremony of Wassail.
Dec 09
Winter 2009/2010 at Rivers Orchard
Vantorts Road Sawbridgeworth - Home to the Rivers Archive New Beech hedge by the orchard meadow
Photos courtesy of Alison Hedger, and Eugene Keddy.
Nov 09
The Rescued Orchard and the Rivers Heritage
A paper by Paul Read
First published as article in.
Rivers Nursery of Sawbridgeworth:
The Art of Practical Pomology
by Elizabeth Waugh
Is now published in its entirety with all 3 previously unpublished fruit cultivars lists and tables on our Articles page, follow link on left pane
Nov 09
Rivers Nursery - New Book - a quick peek inside!
Traditional orchards, community green spaces, capturing voices from the past as oral history, social fabric, economic rise and fall and the history of an internationally famous horticulture enterprise are all neatly encapsulated in this well researched book.
This new publication covers the hows and whys of Rivers Nursery’s decline and the rescue of what has now become a thriving traditional community orchard. It features centuries of fruit development and is a major contribution to our orchard, garden, landscape heritage.
For local people this book will help many make sense of the history of some famous local landscapes. It is a valuable resource for those who seek to understand social and economic trends and for vital insight into the lives of those who pioneered the fruits we take for granted in our shops today, such as the Conference Pear.
The book is part of a joint effort to truly consider the contribution of the nursery, conserve its legacy and provide a living link to our heritage with a site that must be accessible to all in our community.
This book will make an excellent Xmas present for those near and far who have association with this area, our town or an interest in history,heritage and horticulture
204 pages, 59 illustrations. ISBN 987-1-904851-32-5
Price £10, postage extra
HOW TO GET YOUR COPY
Download an order form here
Free local delivery in Sawbridgeworth
Also available at:
Full of Beans - Health Food Shop, Church St, Sawbridgeworth.
Boardman's Booksellers – Bishop’s Stortford.
Waterstone's Booksellers – Bishop’s Stortford.
Hertfordshire County Archives - County Hall.
Harlow Garden Centre. M11/A414 Intersection
Other outlets coming soon.
Read a recent review of the book here
Oct 09
Report on Apple Day & Book Launch
Saturday, Oct. 17th 2009, Church House, Sawbridgeworth
Our Apple Day was the major event for our group in 2009. We had a good crop of excellent quality apples this year,all organically produced.
We had a wide range of varieties on offer and we kept prices at 2007 level to reflect the times. The book launch preceded the Apple sales and competitions and we had a super turnout of local residents, celebrities from the fruit world and supporters of the orchard who travelled long distances especially for the event. After a short fanfare the launch was underway, Elizabeth Waugh introduced her book surrounded by some wonderful artefacts from the former Rivers Nursery site and she paid tribute to all those who contributed articles and worked behind the scenes in getting the book published and ready on time. The book launch took place surrounded by a display of this year's apple crop and a presentation of Hertfordshire heritage varieties kindly loaned to us by EEAOP. Afterwards guests were treated to complimentary beverages and the crowds poured in for the rest of the afternoon. Children attending enjoyed the longest apple peel competition with some adults also having a go.
We are grateful to our friends from EEAOP for attending and all their support with displays and to the Gibberd Garden and St Elizabeth's Orchard Project of Much Hadham for all their mutual support.
The Rivers Oral History Project culminates with the publication of a book about Rivers Nursery and its heritage, incorporating first-hand knowledge from those interviewed for the project
Rivers Nursery of Sawbridgeworth:
The Art of Practical Pomology
by Elizabeth Waugh
Download your book order form here
Apple Day at Church House
17th of October 1.30 - 4pm
An opportunity to take part in apple day activities and to enjoy tasting and purchasing delicious organic apples picked previously on Community picking day, Sunday 4th October, in Rivers Nursery Orchard
See our special display of Hertfordshire Heritage Apple varieties.
(Loaned courtesy of EEAOP)
Greeting cards
Competitions for children
Taste, eat ,buy our best organic local grown apples.
See our own display of locally grown varieties
Oct 4th
Community Apple Picking Day Sunday 4th Oct 09.
Today was the one and only day that we have the opportunity to gather the apple crop of 2009. Widely advertised locally, the Community Apple Picking day brings out the old stalwarts and the new faces year on year and this season was no exception, especially after the rain drenching we got on Apple Picking Day 2008.
This year could not have been more of a contrast, the wind which shook the trees at up to 26mph on Saturday was reduced to a sheepish 5 mph on Sunday morning and the autumn sun shone brightly with temps up to 17.5 degrees at lunchtime. We could not have had a more perfect day for Community Apple Picking and the Community delivered! We had young and old families of all sizes and visitors from far and wide. We had an excellent wide ranging crop pick for our Apple Day on Oct 17th and we are really pleased with the range of apple varieties we will have to offer.
This year, as well as the gold standards like the Cox’s Orange Pippin and the Bramley Seedling we will have the Crawley Beauty, Blenheim Orange, King of Pippin, Charles Ross and Ellison Orange to name but a few. How many of these wonderful and delicious heritage varieties will you find in any of our 4 big supermarkets at the moment? Go ask them why not?
We are very grateful to the people of Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford, and Sawbridgeworth and surrounds who came to help us pick our 2009 crop today. This was community spirit at its obvious best.
Sept 1st
Working in Partnership
Rivers - Shop Window Display
The Sawbridgeworth Town Partnership has commenced an important and innovative project to
restore and utilise empty shop premises in the town during the recession. We were fortunate to
hear about the project and be one of the first groups to secure a space.
The Town Partnership arranged and set up the display in the empty shop on London Road,
Sawbridgeworth in August 2009.We appreciate that a lot of effort and ‘behind the scenes’
negotiations went into getting permissions and dealing with the red tape associated with retail
shop use.The display was well put together and represented our cause appropriately.
The Rivers Nursery Site & Orchard Group think this an excellent use of an otherwise empty shop,
as well as the real benefit to us, which was the chance to raise our profile as a group and have an
opportunity to show some of the important pictorial aspects of the Rivers Nursery Site. It also
highlighted the current campaign to save this famous historic orchard for the community.
We received some very positive remarks from passers by and this does much to help our cause.
We thank Jennifer Rolph and the Sawbridgeworth Town Partnership very much and we hope that we can work with them again in the future if a suitable opportunity arises.
Summary list of events we took part in during 2009 Click here
Local Orchard News- St Elizabeth's Much Hadham.
July 11 2009
We are pleased to hear that the wonderful traditional orchard, neighbouring us at Much Hadham has just been awarded Social Enterprise status.
New Social Enterprise Opportunity
The Orchard Project is now a Social Enterprise providing a realistic working environment for people with Epilepsy and other complex needs.
The Enterprise is based within 3 acres of parkland at St.Elizabeth’s Centre, Hertfordshire. Working in the Orchard provides adults with Epilepsy a range of vocational, educational and social opportunities, in a diverse and stimulating environment.
The Orchard Project has proved to be a popular choice for service users and is well supported by a network of specialist volunteers.
The project is one of Thrive’s Quality Champions and the site is registered with the Soil Association.
The aims of the Orchard project are to:
Provide individuals with vocational training & supported employment.
Support individual transition towards independence and community living
The Orchard’s programme of work offers opportunities to learn horticultural & basic coppice skills through renovating the trees and site. Marketing and retail opportunities are available through harvesting & selling apples, juice and organising an annual apple day event.
For more info contact the project on
01279 843451 or e-mail enquiries@stelizabeths.org.uk
Sawbridgeworth May Fayre Report 2009 Click here
PRESS RELEASE
Sawbridgeworth 26th April 2009
Saving Traditional Local Orchards
A nationwide scheme to reverse the decline of traditional orchards was announced this weekend. The National Trust and Natural England have joined forces to protect whatever remains of traditional orchards. As nearly two-thirds of these orchards have disappeared since the 1950’s the fight-back has now started to reverse this trend.
This national announcement is most welcome news to the Rivers Nursery Site and Orchard Group who are actively trying to preserve and re-vitalise what remains of the very famous Thomas Rivers Nursery and Orchard in Sawbridgeworth.
The group’s work to date has been to conserve what remains of this historic horticultural site for the benefit of all, which is now even more important than ever as the leasehold for this site, held by East Herts District Council, ends this year. The group currently work to preserve and revitalise the nursery and orchard site in line with best management practice of traditional orchards.
Kate Yarnold, Chair of Rivers Nursery Site and Orchard stated, ‘Community orchards are an environmental treasure and they play an important role in our cultural and natural heritage not only for local people but for the rich and varied habitats they provide for many plants and animals.