Richard Cox (horticulturist)
Richard Cox (c. 1766 – 20 May 1845) was an English
Cox operated the Black Eagle Brewery located at 27 White's Grounds, Bermondsey, London[1] until 1820, when he retired with his wife Ann to The Lawns (later Colnbrook Lawn)[2] in Colnbrook, Slough, Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire), England, to pursue his hobby of horticulture. The house sat on two acres of land in the vicinity of Rodney Way and Daventry Close on the north side of the old Bath Road (now the High Street),[3] about a mile west of the modern-day boundary of Heathrow Airport.
In 1830 he planted
Cox died in 1845 without seeing the success of the apple varieties to which he gave his name.
By 2007, Cox's Orange Pippin, grown worldwide, was Britain's most popular apple, accounting for over 50% of UK orchard acreage, and 48% of sales.[8] Ownership of the brewery passed to Noakes & Company after Cox's death and would continue operation under different owners, ultimately Courage, until 1930.[9] The original Cox's Orange Pippin tree in Colnbrook was blown down in a storm in 1911,[7] but two trees, grafted from the original, were still standing in the orchard as of 1933. The site is currently occupied by a block of low-rise flats also called The Lawns.[10]
Richard Cox outlived his wife by eight years and died in 1845, aged 79; both are buried in the churchyard at St.Mary's in Harmondsworth. A memorial orchard stands near the site of The Lawns in Colnbrook, consisting of Cox's Orange Pippin, Cox's Pomona, Ribston Pippin, and Blenheim Orange with metallic benches in the shapes of the letters C, O and X.[11]
References
- ^ "Noakes and Company: Property Records 1718-1947: Context". King's College London Archives/AIM25. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ISBN 9781860772696.
- ^ "This Apple Fair, rediscover the secrets of 1835 at The Lawns, Bath Road". Colnbrook Views. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ISBN 9781860772696.
- ISBN 92-9043-376-0.
- ^ "Berkshire - Orchards". Richard Cox and the Cox's Orange Pippin. Common Ground and Colne Valley Groundwork Trust / Thames Valley Groundwork. 1992. Archived from the original (Leaflet) on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Green Fields of Slough an Apple a Day". Slough History Online. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- ^ Apple facts
- ISBN 0-7190-3032-3.
- ISBN 9780099514749.
- ^ "Cox Benches". Richard Cox and the Cox's Orange Pippin. Common Ground and Colne Valley Groundwork Trust / Thames Valley Groundwork. 1992. Archived from the original (Leaflet) on 23 July 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2013.