One of the most sought after British plums is the Victoria which is now available to pick, but here is some interesting history for you:
- The plums grown in Britain are derived from fruits originally from Damascus, Syria and Persia
- The plums were initially brought to Britain by the Romans
- The modern plum was found by nurseryman Mr Denyer in a garden in Alderton in Sussex.
- Prior to the plum being sold to Mr Denyer the plum was named “Sharp’s Emperor” or “Alderton”
- Mr Denyer sold these plums as “Denyer’s Victoria” after Queen Victoria who was crowned in 1837.
The problem with these is that there is no place named Alderton in Sussex, so where could this have come from? Some people believe that Alderton is a typo and should really be Walderton. A second theory is that the name Alderton is actually that of the person who found it rather than the name of the place. The third theory is that the plums come from Alderton in Suffolk which is home to the Gage family who were involved in the development of a number of other plums.