Detectorist finds ‘lost’ apple varieties at Gordonstoun
PRINCE Philip enthusiastically extolled the delights of the apple juice from his old Scottish boarding school.
But now several “lost” varieties of apple trees that went into his perfectly squeezed cordial have been rediscovered at an old orchard at Gordonstoun thanks to an amateur metal detectorist.
Brass plaques bearing the names of three varieties of apple tree were discovered by a member of staff at the Moray school who scans the campus with a metal detector in his spare time.
Software and IT specialist John Campbell said: “Gordonstoun is located in a historic estate with an orchard which would have once been an important source of fruit for the Laird and his family, as well as staff.
“As far as we know, nobody has ever scanned the grounds with a metal detector before and I found these three labels on the outer edge of the orchard.
“Unfortunately, one seems to have been run over by a mower but the others are in good condition. Given that the trees are covered in lichen and are very old, it is likely that these are the original labels and, perhaps, give us the missing names of some of the trees in this ancient orchard.”
In 2006, the Royal Horticultural Society analysed apples from the orchard and confirmed that it contained several historic varieties, some of which dated back as far as the 1700s.
However, scientists were unable to identify five out of the 19 apple trees. It is believed three of the labels belong to the missing famous five.
Mr Campbell added: “I have found labels for Lord Derby, Mr Gladstone and Charles Ross which are all varieties not identified by the Royal Horticultural Society.
“The school gardener is very excited by these labels and now wants me to detect in other areas of Gordonstoun’s formal garden to see what else I can find. In particular, I will search an area where there was once a glasshouse which was used to grow pineapples and other exotic fruit.
“It is possible that the school could replant lost varieties of fruit and flowers.”
Principal of Gordonstoun, Lisa Kerr, said:“The orchard is a much-loved part of the school. Every year our students make juice from its apples and all proceeds go to charity.
“In fact, we once sent a bottle to His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and were told that he had enjoyed it over breakfast.
“So this orchard has a long and distinguished history and it is fascinating to think that the original apple tree labels have been lying just under the lawn all this time.”
Other varieties of apple growing in the orchard and identified by the Royal Horticultural Society include Lane’s Prince Albert, Rosemary Russet, Emneth Early, Ashmead’s Kernel, Siddington Russet, Ribston’s Pippin and Bramley’s Seedling.
Gordonstoun has educated three generations of the UK royal family, including Prince Philip who attended from the age of 13.
The £40,000-per-year school in Moray – which has also featured in the hit series The Crown on Netflix – was founded by Dr Kurt Hahn, who fled Nazi Germany and became an inspiring mentor to Philip.
Philip became only the tenth pupil at Gordonstoun.
He regularly visited the school, most recently for a private visit in 2014 to mark the school’s 80th anniversary, when he insisted on joining students in the queue for lunch, rather than having it brought to him.