Campaigners are raising funds to prevent the sale of a historic cottage in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, which is the home of what is described as the “mother tree” of the Bramley apple. Multiple reports say the original tree is planted in the garden of the cottage and is associated with the origin of the Bramley apple, one of the UK’s best-known cooking varieties.
The cottage, along with the tree, is being offered for private sale. The owners, Nottingham Trent University, list the property on the market. Campaigners have launched an appeal to buy the cottage and protect the site for public heritage use. Their proposal is to secure the property and develop it into a heritage centre connected to the Bramley apple’s history.
The Independent and The Guardian both frame the campaign as an effort to safeguard a historically significant planting and its setting, rather than to promote a specific commercial outcome. The reports describe the Bramley apple as widely used for cooking, emphasizing the cultural and agricultural value attributed to the original tree and its location.
