Lord Lambourne apple
Popular garden variety, many uses, good balance of sweet and sharp
Lord Lambourne was introduced in 1907 and is very much in the tradition of classic English high-quality dessert apples. It has the pleasing uniform shape - round, and not too flattened - and typical orange flush over green, with a hint of russet. On biting into a Lord Lambourne the first thing that strikes you is the juice and acidity. The flesh is creamy-white and quite crisp, and the flavour is pleasantly strong.
It is a fair bet that such a high-quality aromatic apple will have Cox's Orange Pippin somewhere in its ancestry but the link is not certain. The immediate parentage is James Grieve and Worcester Pearmain, and the parentage of James Grieve is not known although Cox is a contender. If so, then the aromatic flavour of Cox is rather more apparent in Lord Lambourne than in James Grieve, although the James Grieve acidity is still prominent.
Lord Lambourne has two siblings which share the same parentage - Katy and Elton Beauty. However Lord Lambourne is the odd one out of the three, since Katy and Elton Beauty both have the sharp zing of James Grieve and the up-front summery strawberry flavours of Worcester Pearmain. Lord Lambourne offers quite a different taste experience, with more depth and subtlety.
Another interesting comparison is with Topaz, a very modern variety and distantly related to Lord Lambourne. Topaz arrives much later in the season but like Lord Lambourne it has some of the classic English aromatic flavour, overlaid with plenty of juicy acidity. Despite being developed nearly a century apart, both these varieties are (arguably) much better apples than their common ancestor James Grieve.
Like many of the James Grieve offspring, Lord Lambourne is an easy apple variety to grow in the garden, and produces good crops. It is also (like Katy) fairly easy to find in the UK at farmers markets, and occasionally in supermarkets.
Lord Lambourne is, along with Ellisons Orange, one of the earliest of the aromatic English-style apples, and whilst it does not have the complexity of the later-arriving varieties it is nonetheless a pleasing apple in its own right.
Summary
- Species: Malus domestica
- Parentage: James Grieve x Worcester Pearmain
- Origin: England, United Kingdom
- Introduced: 1907
- Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 104100
Identification
- Bultitude apple group: 7. Flushed / striped, some russeting, sweet
Using
- Good for eating fresh
- Good for juice
- Flavour quality: Good
- Flavour style: Aromatic
- Ripening period: Mid season
- Use / keeping: 2-3 weeks
Growing
- Cropping: Good
- Flowering group: 2
- Fertility: Partially self-fertile
- Triploid: No
- Vigour: Average growth
- Gardening skill: Very easy
- Fruit bearing: Partial tip-bearer
- General disease resistance: Average
Climate
- Suitable for warm climates
- Suitable for temperate climates
- Tolerates cold winters Blossom has some frost-resistance
- Suitable for N. England?: Yes
Other qualities
- RHS Award of Garden Merit 1993
Relationships to other varieties
Parents and other ancestors of this variety:
- James Grieve (parent)
- Worcester Pearmain (parent)
Offspring of this variety:
Siblings of this variety (same parentage):
Lord Lambourne identification photos from official fruit collections
Lord Lambourne identification photos from website visitors
Fruit tree register
Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please register the details here and contribute to our international register of fruit trees.
The following Lord Lambourne trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree.
You can also view these trees on a map.
United States
- Dave Liezen in SPOKANE, WA
United Kingdom
- A Elsbury in CHIPPENHAM, WILTSHIRE
- Andrew Guille in St Saviour, GUERNSEY
- Anne Thomas in Liverpool, Merseyside
- Diana Barnes in HEYWOOD, LANCASHIRE
- Elizabeth Hodge in EVESHAM, Worcestershire
- Gemma Sturges in ILFORD, ESSEX
- Graham Charles Schofield in NEWMARKET, Sufflok
- Graham Hinchliffe in EASTBOURNE, EAST SUSSEX
- John Dench in ETCHINGHAM, EAST SUSSEX
- Liz Finlay in ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND
- Lorna Kirk in ely,cambs, cambridgeshire
- Malcolm Whitmore in loughborough, leics
- Mandy Russell in BEDFORD, BEDS
- Margaret Brooker in Ellerker, East Yorkshire
- Marian Fitch in STREET, SOMERSET
- Martin Hawkins in COLCHESTER, ESSEX
- N. Buck in Haverhill, Suffolk
- Pat Shakespeare in friockheim, angus
- Paul Dean in BERKELEY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
- Pete Boddington in NORTHAMPTON, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
- Peter Evans in NORTHWICH, Cheshire
- Robert Mchattie in AYR, Ayrshire
- Robert@Ankeow.Freeserve.Co.Uk in Newquay, Cornwall
- Ron Mason in East Grinstead, West Sussex
- Roy Stephenson in NORTH SHIELDS, TYNE AND WEAR
- Sarah Peskett in LEATHERHEAD, SURREY
- Steve Wilde in Colchester, Essex
- Tim Hucker in LONDON,
- Trevor Poulter in CHATHAM, KENT
- Victoria Birkett in ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND
Ireland
- James Melady in Dublin, Dublin
Australia
- Jenny in MELBOURNE, VICTORIA,
- Steve Kilburn in Garden Island Creek, TASMANIA AUSTRALIA
Latest Spring blossom records for this variety
2011 season
- 27th April 2011 - tree owned by Peter in NORTHWICH, United Kingdom
- 25th April 2011 - tree owned by Malcolm in loughborough, United Kingdom
- 22nd April 2011 - tree owned by Martin in COLCHESTER, United Kingdom
- 18th April 2011 - tree owned by Ron in East Grinstead, United Kingdom
- 16th April 2011 - tree owned by A in CHIPPENHAM, United Kingdom
- April 2011 - tree owned by Roy in NORTH SHIELDS, United Kingdom
- March 2011 - tree owned by Trevor in CHATHAM, United Kingdom
2010 season
- 3rd May 2010 - tree owned by Robert@Ankeow.Freeserve.Co.Uk in Newquay, United Kingdom
- 29th April 2010 - tree owned by Elizabeth in EVESHAM, United Kingdom
- 26th April 2010 - tree owned by Marian in STREET, United Kingdom
2009 season
- 18th April 2009 - tree owned by James in Dublin, Ireland
- 18th April 2009 - tree owned by N. in Haverhill, United Kingdom
- April 2009 - tree owned by Malcolm in loughborough, United Kingdom
Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.
Latest harvest records for this variety
2011 season
- 2nd week September 2011 - tree owned by Gemma in ILFORD, United Kingdom
- September 2011 - tree owned by Trevor in CHATHAM, United Kingdom
2010 season
2009 season
Mature heights for Lord Lambourne trees
This table shows the likely mature height for a Lord Lambourne tree taking into account the vigor of the variety, the rootstock, and soil conditions.
| Rootstock | Soil quality | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor | Below average | Average | Above average | Very good | |
| P22 | 2.5 ft 0.8 m |
3.1 ft 0.9 m |
3.7 ft 1.1 m |
4.3 ft 1.3 m |
4.9 ft 1.5 m |
| M27 | 2.8 ft 0.9 m |
3.5 ft 1.1 m |
4.2 ft 1.3 m |
4.9 ft 1.5 m |
5.6 ft 1.7 m |
| M9 | 4.2 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
| Bud.9 | 4.2 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
| Geneva 16 | 4.2 ft 1.3 m |
5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
| Geneva 11 | 4.9 ft 1.5 m |
6.1 ft 1.9 m |
7.4 ft 2.3 m |
8.6 ft 2.6 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
| M26 | 5.3 ft 1.6 m |
6.6 ft 2.0 m |
7.9 ft 2.4 m |
9.2 ft 2.8 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
| Geneva 30 | 5.6 ft 1.7 m |
7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
11.2 ft 3.4 m |
| MM102 | 5.6 ft 1.7 m |
7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.4 ft 2.6 m |
9.8 ft 3.0 m |
11.2 ft 3.4 m |
| M7 | 6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.9 ft 2.4 m |
9.5 ft 2.9 m |
11.0 ft 3.4 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
| M116 | 6.3 ft 1.9 m |
7.9 ft 2.4 m |
9.5 ft 2.9 m |
11.0 ft 3.4 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
| MM106 | 7.0 ft 2.1 m |
8.8 ft 2.7 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
12.3 ft 3.8 m |
14.0 ft 4.3 m |
| MM111 | 8.4 ft 2.6 m |
10.5 ft 3.2 m |
12.6 ft 3.9 m |
14.7 ft 4.5 m |
16.8 ft 5.2 m |
| Bud.118 | 9.1 ft 2.8 m |
11.4 ft 3.5 m |
13.7 ft 4.2 m |
15.9 ft 4.9 m |
18.2 ft 5.6 m |
| M25 | 10.5 ft 3.2 m |
13.1 ft 4.0 m |
15.8 ft 4.8 m |
18.4 ft 5.6 m |
21.0 ft 6.4 m |
From an idea by N. Buck - more details.
Where to buy apple trees
The following fruit tree nurseries offer Lord Lambourne apple trees for sale:
-
Orange Pippin Fruit Trees (USA)
United States Supplier's website >> -
Orange Pippin Fruit Trees (UK)
United Kingdom Supplier's website >>
Where to buy apples
The following orchards and suppliers offer Lord Lambourne apples for sale. map >
United Kingdommap >
-
England - midlandsmap >
-
England - south-eastmap >
- Home Cottage Farm, Iver
- a'Beckett's, Devizes
-
England - south-westmap >
- Charlton Orchards, Taunton
Rate this variety for flavor