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Crawley Beauty apple

Primarily a culinary variety, cooks to a puree with a delicate apple flavour - but can be eaten fresh after storing. Good disease resistance and tolerates a wide range of soil types.

USDA identification images for Crawley Beauty

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

    Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

    Visitor reviews

    • 14 Jan 2015  SURREY, United Kingdom
      Agree with the comment from N.Buck - the flavour of this apple is unremarkable. Its an OK cooker and a not terribly good eater, though on the plus side, the fruit is quite beautiful and free of blemishes. Also with regards to the self-fertility - I have nothing growing nearby that flowers at even close to the same time as Crawley Beauty, yet its produced a crop for the last two years with no problems
    • 25 Jul 2010  CAMBRIDGESHIRE, United Kingdom
      Fruit flavour is average, but nothing special - many other cookers will produce more flavoursome dishes, while the fruits need quite a lot of "mellowing" in storage to be satisfactory eaters (but still nothing special). Another problem with Crawley Beauty, is finding a suitable very-late-flowering pollination partner. I grow Court Pendu Plat nearby, as pollinator, but their flowering times don't always coincide perfectly, due to seasonal variation. Pollination doesn't usually seem to be a problem though. There seems to be controversy over whether Crawley Beauty is self-fertile or self-sterile. From my experiences of this variety, I'd guess that it's probably partially-self-fertile, with the huge quantities of blossom that this variety produces helping contribute towards an adequate crop in most seasons. But despite the drawbacks, Crawley Beauty has some very good points that makes it a "must-have" among my apple trees....... Crawley Beauty's main benefits are for those who want a regular crop of clean and healthy fruit, from a healthy and relatively compact tree that will grow almost anywhere without much attention. Crawley Beauty has good natural resistance to the major apple diseases, meaning that spraying is unlikely to be necessary in most locations, most seasons. It is also not particularly troubled by pest damage. In summary - easy to grow, but nothing special in terms of flavour.

    Tree register

    United Kingdom

    Spring blossom records for this variety

    2022 season

    • 19th April  2022  - tree owned by c in Kettering, United Kingdom

    2012 season

    • May  2012  - tree owned by Graham in Coldstream, United Kingdom

    2011 season

    • 26th April  2011  - tree owned by Rachel in Downham Market, United Kingdom

    2010 season

    • 21st May  2010  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom
    • 18th May  2010  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom
    • 16th May  2010  - tree owned by Rachel in Downham Market, United Kingdom

    2009 season

    • 9th May  2009  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom
    • 4th May  2009  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.


    Harvest records for this variety

    2012 season

    • 1st week October  2012  - tree owned by Andrew in Eastleigh, United Kingdom
    • October  2012  - tree owned by Graham in Coldstream, United Kingdom

    2011 season

    • 4th week September  2011  - tree owned by Andrew in Eastleigh, United Kingdom
    • 1st week September  2011  - tree owned by Tom in Sheffield, United Kingdom

    2010 season

    • 3rd week September  2010  - tree owned by Andrew in Eastleigh, United Kingdom

    2009 season

    • 3rd week October  2009  - tree owned by Rachel in Downham Market, United Kingdom
    • October  2009  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Origins

    • Species: Malus domestica - Apple
    • Parentage: Unknown
    • Originates from: Crawley, Sussex, England, United Kingdom
    • Introduced: 1870
    • UK National Fruit Collection accession: 1973-170
    • Some historical details taken with kind permission from 'The New Book of Apples' by Joan Morgan and Alison Richards , illustrated by Elisabeth Dowle, published by Ebury Press, 2002.

    Identification

    • Country of origin: United Kingdom

    Using

    • Picking season: Late
    • Keeping (of fruit): 1-2 months
    • Flavour quality: Good
    • Flavour style (apples): Sharper
    • Cooking result: Puree
    • Cropping: Heavy
    • Food uses: Culinary

    Growing

    • Gardening skill: Beginner
    • Flowering group: 6
    • Ploidy: Diploid
    • Vigour: Slightly small
    • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    Climate

    • Frost resistance of blossom: Good resistance

    Where to buy fresh fruit

    No orchards have registered as growing this variety. If you grow this and want to register please go to our Orchard Registration form.



    References

    • Apples of England (1948)
      Author: Taylor

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