AS a 91-year-old Pershore man I have experienced and learned a lot about our town.
We now have the Plum Festival, with the wrong plum being emphasised again.
The Pershore plum is yellow and not purple.
In 1828 George Crooks, the landlord of the Butcher’s Arms in Church Street (where we now have the library), found a wild plum in Tiddesley Wood.
From this 1833 he was selling scions of the Pershore Yellow Egg Plum to be grafted on to the stock of the Warwickshire Drooper.
This plum was then grown all over the county.
Some years later Walter Martin of Drakes Broughton crossed the Yellow with another variety to produce the purple. From this the Red Egg and Evesham Wonder were developed.
In the past if you were asked, “Where do you come from” the reply would be “Pershore, where do you think" when there was a good plum crop. But if the plum crop failed it would be “Pershore, God help ss”.
These two sayings are in Pershore Abbey’s stained glass windows.
Captain Sykes of the Croft in Station Road introduced the Marjorie Seedling named after his wife.
The Apricot Seedling was the pride and joy of Mr Panter of Drakes Broughton.
The Burbank and the President came from America.
The newest varieties are the Emblem and the Vera Seedling.
Ern Fuller
Pershore
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