Landscape change in the Vale of Evesham revisited: mapping orchard cover 1880–1950

Driven by local tenancy conventions, government policy and new transport networks, the growth of orchards played a key role in the development of the Vale of Evesham’s horticultural economy from the 1880s onwards. By transforming the landscape from one focused on larger-scale arable and livestock production to a landscape dominated by smaller-scale horticulture in a relatively short space of time, the Vale of Evesham was able to respond to the pressures of the agricultural depression of the later-nineteenth century. In doing so, the Vale of Evesham drew upon already existing skills, work practices and knowledges to create a new spatial organisation, focused on smaller, intensively cultivated, labour intensive holdings. Using a series of GIS-created visualisations this paper demonstrates how orchards developed to form an integral part of the landscape, influencing not just the local economy but also transforming the spatial organisation and work practices of rural society.