Restoring a little bit of lost history to North Hampshire

On the 1st June 2021 The Elvetham Hotel, working in partnership with The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, officially opened The Elvetham Fruit Orchard with a celebratory planting ceremony.  This wonderful addition to the landscape of The Elvetham will consist of a variety of apple, plum and pear trees, and can be enjoyed by visitors as well as the local wildlife. Currently consisting of 10 trees The Elvetham Fruit Orchard is planned to grow to a total of 50 fruit bearing trees by April 2022.

This magnificent project, which had been many months in the planning, has been the vision of the Matharu family - owners of The Elvetham Hotel - to restore part of The Elvetham’s forgotten history. During the ownership of the Calthorpe family, Elvetham Hall boasted a wealth of fruit bearing trees which would sustain the occupants of the house. The creation of this new fruit orchard perfectly complements The Elvetham's vision of combining the sites traditional English heritage with the experiences, comforts and style of modern hospitality.

With help from The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, the creation of The Elvetham Fruit Orchard began on 15th April with the planting of its first 9 apple trees. On the 1st of June, The Elvetham Hotel hosted the official opening of its new fruit orchard with the planting of its 10th young apple tree. This ceremonial tree had the honour of being jointly planted by Master of the Worshipful company of Fruiterers, Laurence Olins, and Taran Matharu of the Matharu Family.

The ceremonial event was attended by the Matharu family, key members of The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, local councillors, and partners of The Elvetham hotel. Blessed with glorious sunshine throughout the day, the event commenced with a special celebratory breakfast in The Elvetham’s formal garden squares, followed by the planting of the ceremonial apple tree.

Speeches were then given from Taran Matharu and Laurence Olins to mark the momentous occasion, and the day was finished off with a guided tour of The Elvetham grounds, highlighting the various aspects of the sites 1000 year long history. All of which took place under the latest Covid-19 government safety guidelines.

Now open to the public, the orchard is located in a small field to the north-west of The Elvetham’s main house. Sitting just next to the River Hart which flows through hotels grounds, the orchard is visible to all visitors on the left-hand side of the hotels entrance driveway. The orchard blends elegantly into the surrounding landscape, making a treat for guest’s eyes upon arrival. Visitors can easily access the orchard on the grounds of The Elvetham by way of their feature 19th century ornate bridge which spans across the River Hart.

To discover more about the History & Gardens of The Elvetham Hotel here.

To discover more about The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers visit: www.fruiterers.org.uk