Plum Harvest In Evesham (1937): British Pathé (YouTube)
This newsreel films nomadic families working as plum pickers at Evesham in 1937.
Although the narrator says it is a couple of centuries since the Yellow Egg plum was found growing in the Worcestershire countryside, it was 1827 when George Crooke from the Butcher's Arms pub made his momentous discovery in Tiddesley Wood.
But by 1937, the domesticated tree variety covered 50,000 acres and produced a million pounds of fruit a year.
The history of Evesham is, quite literally, rooted in its soil. While the town is famous for its medieval abbey and its pivotal role in the Barons' War, its true enduring legacy is found in the orchards that once blanketed the Vale of Evesham in a sea of white blossom every spring. At the heart of this horticultural empire was the plum. For over a century, the Evesham plum was not just a fruit; it was a global commodity, a seasonal obsession, and the primary architect of the town’s social and economic structure.
The Rise of the Plum Empire
The Vale of Evesham possesses a unique microclimate and a rich, heavy lias clay soil that is particularly conducive to stone fruit. While the monks of the Abbey had certainly cultivated fruit trees centuries earlier, the commercial "Plum Boom" began in earnest during the mid-19th century. The arrival of the railway in 1852 was the catalyst, transforming Evesham from a local market town into the "pantry of England." Suddenly, fruit picked in a Worcestershire orchard at dawn could be sold in the markets of London, Manchester, or Birmingham by the following morning.
Growers began to specialize, and none became more famous than the Purple Pershore (or the "Evesham Berry"). Discovered growing wild in Tiddesley Wood in the 1820s, this hardy, versatile plum became the backbone of the industry. It was followed by the Yellow Pershore (the "Egg Plum"), the Victoria, and the Damascene. By the early 20th century, the Vale was estimated to contain nearly a million plum trees. The town’s economy moved to the rhythm of the harvest, and the "Plum Forecast" was the most important news of the year.
The Social Fabric of the Harvest
The plum harvest was a gargantuan logistical undertaking that required a massive influx of seasonal labor. While the local "Market Gardeners" and their families formed the core of the workforce, they were insufficient for the sheer volume of fruit that ripened simultaneously during the "Plum Weeks" of August and September.
This necessity gave rise to a unique social phenomenon: the annual migration of the plum pickers. From the late Victorian era until the mid-20th century, thousands of people descended upon Evesham. They came from the industrial heartlands of the Black Country, the backstreets of Birmingham, and the nomadic communities of Romany Gypsies. For many city dwellers, "going down the Vale" for the plum picking was their only holiday—a working vacation where they could trade the soot of the factories for the fresh air of the Worcestershire countryside.
The life of a plum picker was grueling. The day began at sunrise, navigating the "long ladders" (often 20 to 30 feet high) to reach the fruit at the top of the canopy. The work was paid by "piece-work"—meaning you were paid by the pot or the basket—so speed and stamina were essential. Families worked together; children would gather the "drops" (fruit that had fallen) while the men and women handled the ladders and the delicate "bloomed" fruit destined for the dessert markets.
The Orchard Camps and "The Digs"
Because the influx of workers was so large, Evesham’s housing capacity was stretched to its limit. This led to the creation of orchard camps. Many pickers lived in "hop-shacks" or repurposed railway carriages, while others stayed in the barns and outbuildings of the local growers. The Romany communities brought their traditional vardoes (caravans), creating colorful, temporary villages on the outskirts of town.
For the permanent residents of Evesham, the picking season was a time of both economic bounty and social friction. The town’s pubs, such as the Trumpet and the Northwick Arms, would be packed with pickers spending their earnings. The atmosphere was one of boisterous, sun-baked energy. Despite the hard work, there was a sense of camaraderie; the harvest was a "leveler," bringing together people from vastly different backgrounds under the shade of the plum trees.
The Technical Evolution of the Trade
Picking plums was a skilled endeavor. Dessert plums had to be picked with the stalks intact and the waxy "bloom" on the skin undisturbed, as this was a sign of freshness. Culinary plums, intended for the massive jam factories and canneries that sprang up around the Evesham railway sidings, were handled with slightly less ceremony but in far greater volumes.
The 1920s and 30s represented the peak of this industry. Evesham was home to innovators who developed specialized grading machines and packaging techniques to ensure the fruit survived the journey to the northern industrial cities. The "Evesham Custom"—the unique local system of land tenure—encouraged smallholders to invest in their orchards, ensuring a patchwork of diverse varieties that extended the picking season as long as possible.
The Decline and the Modern Legacy
The decline of the great Evesham plum industry began after the Second World War. Several factors contributed to its wane: the rise of refrigerated global shipping (allowing for cheap imports from warmer climates), the centralization of supermarkets which demanded year-round consistency, and the labor shortages of the post-war years. Gradually, the great orchards were grubbed up to make way for housing or converted into more profitable vegetable "grounds."
However, the history of the plum picker is not forgotten. In recent decades, Evesham has fought to reclaim this heritage. The Evesham Plum Festival, held annually in August, is now one of the largest horticultural events in the UK. The town turns purple for the month; shop windows are decorated, and the "Pershore Patty" and "Purple Plum" characters celebrate the fruit that built the town.
The "Blossom Trail," a signposted route through the Vale, continues to draw thousands of visitors every spring, proving that the aesthetic beauty of the orchards remains a potent draw, even if the industrial scale of the harvest has diminished. The descendants of the original plum pickers still live in the town, and many Evesham families can trace their local roots back to a great-grandparent who first arrived in the Vale with a picking bag over their shoulder.
A Heritage Preserved
To understand Evesham today, one must look past the modern retail parks and bypasses to the remaining "ribbons" of old orchards that still dot the landscape. The history of the plums and the people who picked them is a story of human endurance and the bounty of the earth. It is a reminder of a time when the entire nation looked toward this small corner of Worcestershire to mark the height of summer.
The plum was more than just a crop; it was the catalyst for Evesham’s growth, its infrastructure, and its unique social character. While the "long ladders" are now mostly a museum curiosity, the spirit of the plum harvest—the hard work, the communal joy, and the celebration of local produce—remains the true heart of the Vale.
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