Apple Day at Spilsby’s Gunby Hall
This month, when some gardens might be looking past their best, Spilsby’s Gunby Hall is looking exceptional. The National Trust property is also hosting its annual Apple Day, with over 50 heritage varieties within its walled gardens and plenty to entertain visitors…
As autumn takes hold in Lincolnshire, there are few better places to enjoy the season than Gunby Hall and Gardens. On Sunday 28th September, the National Trust estate near Spilsby invites visitors to celebrate Apple Day, a highlight of the autumn calendar that pays tribute to heritage fruit, thriving gardens, and the hardworking team who keep them looking at their very best.
This year, over 50 varieties of apple will be displayed from Gunby’s own gardens and orchards, including some grown on trees that date back centuries. From the oldest, the Catshead of 1629, to the relatively modern Winter Gem of 1985, each apple tells a story of horticultural heritage and flavour. Volunteers will be on hand to explain the history of the fruit and its uses in the kitchen, from pies and chutneys to cider and juice.
Visitors can also look forward to craft and trade stalls spread across the gardens and courtyard, each offering seasonal delights. Among the most popular elements of the day is the chance to meet experts like Trevor Rogers, founder of the Northern Fruit Group, who has attended previous events to identify apples: always sought-after expertise!
Produce from the kitchen garden will also be available, with every effort made to ensure nothing goes to waste. Apples too damaged for human consumption are left for wildlife, supporting fieldfares, redwings, and blackbirds through the colder months.
The apple is as much a part of Britain’s cultural fabric as its gardens. Introduced by the Romans, they improved with Norman varieties, and were championed by Henry VIII, becoming embedded in daily life.
Grown in the gardens at Gunby Hall are Lincolnshire’s Ellison’s Orange variety; Hawthornden apple – which is sometimes referred to as the Lincolnshire Pippin – and Penny Loaf which is quite a unusual and rare variety.
It was during the Victorian era, however, that apples truly flourished. Thousands of varieties were developed, each bred for specific qualities, keeping well through the winter, juicing sweetly, or cooking into frothy softness.
At a time when exploration, science, and industry were celebrated, the humble apple was also enjoying its golden age. Gunby’s orchards reflect this heritage, and Apple Day brings the story vividly to life.
Each fruit variety, with their evocative name and distinctive taste, connect today’s visitors to centuries of careful cultivation and pride in local produce.
While the apples rightly take centre stage, the gardens at Gunby are a spectacle in their own right during October.
Senior Gardener Natasha Johnson and her team of two full-time gardeners, a part time gardener and eight dedicated volunteers, ensure that every corner of the walled gardens continues to flourish well into autumn. The team will also expand this month with a new apprentice starting work.
The eastern garden heaves with kitchen produce, flowers, and herbs, while the western garden bursts with cut flowers, culinary herbs, and more than 50 varieties of rose. Lawns, maintained with ruler-straight precision, remain lush well into autumn, and the borders glow with dahlias, asters, and late perennials.
By the end of the month, the team will begin dividing the herbaceous borders and preparing the glasshouses for winter, but in late October the gardens are still brimming with colour and life.
As Natasha reflects: “Every single day yields the sight of something new and beautiful. October is a wonderful time here: many gardens are fading, but Gunby feels at its best.”
Gunby has long inspired writers and poets, among them Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Lincolnshire’s most celebrated literary son. Born in Somersby and educated in Louth, Tennyson visited Gunby Hall and described it as a ‘Haunt of Ancient Peace.’
It is easy to imagine him finding comfort and inspiration in its orchards and mellow autumn light. Gunby’s orchard is not only productive, but also a haven for wildlife. Apple blossom provides nectar for bees in spring; bark offers shelter for mosses and lichens; and wildflowers beneath the trees enrich the ground layer. When fruit falls, it is left to sustain birds and small mammals through the leaner months.
This balance between cultivation and conservation is central to the ethos of Gunby’s gardeners, who take pride in ensuring that the estate’s bounty is enjoyed by both people and wildlife. On Apple Day, a selection of produce will be available to purchase, giving visitors a taste of the estate’s abundance to take home.
The combination of Gunby Hall’s heritage orchards in October, its colourful borders, and the dedication of its team makes it an unmissable destination at this time of year. Apple Day captures the spirit of autumn perfectly: rich in flavour, full of history, and alive with community.
Apple Day at Gunby Hall takes place on Sunday 28th September from 10am-4pm. The National Trust’s Gunby Hall Estate is located between Spilsby and Skegness just off the A158, PE23 5SS, call 01754 890102 or see www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Read our full feature in the October edition of Lincolnshire Pride at https://www.pridemagazines.co.uk/lincolnshire/view-magazines?magazine=October-2025