Welcome to Pear House!

image of track to pear house (Pear House field is outlined in blue at the upper central part of the picture)Pear House is a derelict house and field above the village of Gunnerside in Swaledale, North Yorkshire. The field has been traditionally grazed for sheep and is categorised as “unimproved grassland” habitat at the lower limit of the uplands moorland. We acquired the house and field in 2009/10 and in November 2010 we planted (with the help of children from the local primary school, and friends and relatives) around 250 native broadleaved trees in a fenced off area of around 1 acre at the eastern part of the field (the whole field is 1.28 hectares, around 3 acres). In March 2012 we planted (again with help from the local school children) 20 mixed fruit trees as a traditional orchard in an area below the house at the western end of the field. This website is a record of the planting, survival and growth of these trees, and a record of renovations to the house and observations on the local farm activity and wildlife.