Cherries of Prestwood

Frogmore, Early Rivers, Napoleons, Black & White Hearts, Caroons, Prestwood Blacks (the last two also known as Merries or Cherry Pies), Goblins, Bigarreaus, were all familiar names to the last generation of Prestwoodians.

It is said that Alfred Rothschild considered Prestwood cherries the best for his Cherry Brandy.

People came from London on a charabanc trip at cherry blossom time to enjoy the sight.

Birds had to be kept away from the fruit – at Hampden Farm young boys would bang corrugated iron sheets hanging from the trees with stout sticks – from dawn to dusk banging, rattling and shooting could be heard at cherry time.

For the largest trees sixty-rung ladders would be needed. Pickers needed a good head for heights and be able to loop a leg or foot through the rungs in order to leave two hands free for picking. Full baskets were tipped into sieves (round wicker baskets concave at the base for easy stacking). Each sieve held 24lbs of cherries, covered with paper and crossed hazel sticks to prevent the fruit from being crushed.