Our History

The story of St Ives Community Orchard began with a community project created by the Penwith Environmental Network (PEN). Stephanie Hirtenstein and Dylan Keating had established Penwith Edible Forest, funded through a local food grant, with the aim of bringing fruit growing and edible landscapes into the community.

Around 150 fruit trees were originally planted across two sites in Penzance. Half were planted at Love Lane Wildlife Garden, a community site managed by Stephanie and Dylan, where many of those trees remain today. The remaining trees were planted at Castlegate, but when Dylan moved to the United States, the new landowner did not want the trees and a new home had to be found for them.

Members of the Steeple Woodland group suggested the land alongside the Palemon Best Recreation Ground in St Ives as a possible new location.

Gavin Nicol and Tim Andrewes were instrumental in securing the donation of the trees and organising their move to St Ives. With the support of St Ives Town Council and the Palemon Best Charitable Trust, PEN & Steeple Woodland group approximately 150 trees were moved to what would become St Ives Community Orchard.

At the same time, Dr Rupert Manley had already been working for several years to protect this land. Since 2008, he had been in discussions with Penwith District Council and St Ives Town Council about protecting the area and planting trees, helping to lay the foundations for what would become the Community Orchard and Nature Reserve.

Planting the Orchard

Gavin Nicol from Steeple Woodland, Stephanie Hirtenstein from PEN, Rachael from Cornwall Council and Dan Richardson from Duchy College began clearing parts of the site in preparation for community planting days.

During the winter of 2012–2013, a variety of apple, pear, cherry, plum, quince and nut trees were planted throughout the orchard area and around the wider recreation ground.

Further native trees, donated by Steeple Woodland group and originally donated by E-Forests, were planted along the borders of the orchard in 2014. Rupert Manley also contributed trees he had grown himself from seed.

Joshua Quick volunteered to become the orchard project coordinator. He produced a management plan based on the principles of forest gardening and organised several large work parties to clear around the young trees.

Growing the Community Project

In 2015, Elise Langley took over as orchard project coordinator when Joshua became involved with a new project, Wild St Ives. Together with a small group of keen local volunteers, Elise helped form the St Ives Community Orchard & Nature Reserve Group.

The early years were hard work. The fruit trees had been planted into land that was largely covered in brambles and bracken, and keeping the young trees clear was a constant battle. With years of volunteer effort, the orchard has developed into a much more established landscape, with the fruit trees now surrounded by grass, wild grasses and wildflowers.

The project continued to grow, with weekly volunteer work parties, community events and the planting of many more fruit and native woodland trees.

Rupert Manley continued to champion the vision of protecting the wider Penbeagle Hill landscape as a nature reserve, helping to ensure that its wild and natural character would be protected for future generations.

In September 2016, the orchard received its first official lease from Cornwall Council, for a period of six years.

In 2021, the group became a Community Interest Company, taking on responsibility for managing both the Community Orchard and the wider Nature Reserve.

In 2023, the lease was renewed for a further 30 years and an additional area of land was included for the development of a Community Learning Centre.

 The site is cared for by volunteers through regular work parties, with new fruit and native woodland trees continuing to be planted and established. We also hold community events throughout the year, including Apple Day, Wassail, seasonal celebrations and other activities.

You can explore more of the project's story through our Timeline Gallery.

The History of the Land

The Community Orchard and Penbeagle Nature Reserve sit on around 30 acres of land leased from Cornwall Council. The land rising towards the top of Penbeagle Hill covers approximately 26 acres and forms part of a County Wildlife Site (CWS) and the Orchard is split into 2 areas aprox 2 acres each.

The Best Family

The land has a long history connected with the Best family and Penbeagle Farm.

Dr Palemon Best died in 1927 and bequeathed part of his land to St Ives Town Council, to be preserved as an open space for the benefit of the community. This land became the Palemon Best Recreation Ground, which now sits alongside the Community Orchard and includes the skatepark, playground and football pitch.

Palemon's brother, Ernest Harris Best, inherited the farm and much of the surrounding land. In 1943, Ernest bequeathed land to St Ives Town Council for the benefit of the community. Around 15 acres, including the area where the Community Orchard now stands, forms part of this historic bequest.

The remainder of Penbeagle Farm had belonged to the Bolitho Estate and was sold, together with the farm, to St Ives Town Council in 1943. Following the reorganisation of local government, ownership of the Community Orchard and Nature Reserve area eventually passed to Cornwall Council.

The Palemon Best Charitable Trust was established to make decisions about the use of the land gifted by Dr Palemon Best. The Palemon Best Recreation Ground remains owned and maintained by St Ives Town Council.

Ernest Best & Kitty in the 1930’s. Photo given to us by Ken Rogers a descendant of the Best family.

Penbeagle Farm

The land that is now the orchard and nature reserve was originally part of Penbeagle Farm. The farm was worked by Ned Wearne at the start of the war, followed by John Major and then the Stratton family, who farmed there from around 1950 until 1980.

John Major planted the daffodils in the land below the zipline in the park, many of which still appear every spring.

Viv Stratton, who grew up on Penbeagle Farm, has shared many stories about the land and its wildlife with us. He told us that he planted numerous trees on the hill over the years, including oak, sycamore, rhododendron, ash, holly, beech and birch. Viv also recorded the wildlife of Penbeagle Hill for many years.

You can read Viv's fascinating Natural History of Penbeagle Hill & Farmland and his history of Penbeagle Farm.

Viv has walked the hill with us, showing us where the Best family's summer house and garden once stood, as well as the granite rocks at the top of the hill where he and his friends played as children. They called these rocks “The Shoe” and “The Sphinx”.

He has always hoped that the area would become a recognised nature reserve and has been a strong supporter of the project.

Viv Stratton on the field above the skatepark where they grew hay. He worked hard on this farm from age 8.

Viv’s Mum

Viv’s Dad

Viv planted aprox 1000 trees on Penbeagle hill

The Bramble Field

The community orchard sits on what was known on the 1840 Tithe Map as the Bramble Field – an especially appropriate name, as the land was completely covered in brambles when we began planting the orchard.

Below is an extract from the Tithe Map of 1840, annotated with the field names.

The land has remained largely untouched since around 1980. It has been enjoyed by local people, particularly dog walkers, while also providing a haven for wildlife. Over the years it became increasingly overgrown with brambles and bracken, but this also allowed the area to naturally rewild and develop into an important wildlife habitat.

Boundary Stones

In 2018, we were excited to discover several granite boundary stones at the very top of the hill, providing another fascinating glimpse into the history of the land.

The inscriptions read:

"Boundary Stones E & P Best 1922" 

and "Boundary Stones EH Best JP. Dr P Best 1926"

We are not certain what the dates refer to. Dr Palemon Best died in 1927, while Ernest Harris Best left 15 acres of this land to the town in 1943. Ernest died in 1957.

March 2018 in the Times & Echo

We were up close to the top of the hill planting trees and clearing parts of the stone walls and discovered these boundary stones.

Hidden deep under growth on Penbeagle hill we discovered the remains of the ‘Best’s’ Summer house.

The Nature Reserve

From the earliest days of the orchard project, there has been a vision for protecting the much larger wild landscape surrounding it.

Rupert Manley had been campaigning for many years for Penbeagle Hill, extending towards Carnstabba Hill, to be recognised and protected as a nature reserve. The aim has always been to ensure that this beautiful area remains wild and natural, providing a safe haven for wildlife as well as a place for people to enjoy and connect with nature.

The name Penbeagle is thought to come from the Cornish words Penn, meaning head or top, and begel, meaning hillock or tump – essentially, "top of the hill".

The Nature Reserve is now an important part of the wider Community Orchard project, with volunteers continuing to plant and care for native woodland trees, manage habitats and protect the biodiversity of the site.

Learn more about the Nature Reserve

Today

What began with around 150 rescued fruit trees has grown into a much larger community project.

Today, volunteers care for a diverse collection of fruit trees, hundreds of fruit bushes and thousands of native woodland trees across the site. We run regular weekly work parties and community events, including Apple Day, Wassail and seasonal celebrations.

The orchard and nature reserve continue to evolve, guided by the original vision of creating a place where food, nature, community and people can grow together.

Find out how to get involved