Winter 2026Order now for delivery from week commencing 23rd February onwards.
01759 392007

Black Worcester pear trees

£38.25 - £64.50
Black Worcester pear pears
Check pollinators >
Black Worcester is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Very late
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 3

The oldest true English pear, 16th century or earlier. Ideal for stewed pears.

See our full description ...

Black Worcester pear trees for sale

Choose a size - pot-grown

All our pot-grown trees are grown for us to our specification by the Frank P Matthews nursery.

  • PG1Premium half-standard 12L pot-grown tree, Quince A rootstock£64.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)

Choose a size - bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root tree,Pyrus c. Kirchensaller rootstock£38.25
    Very large tree (4m-7m after 10 years)
  • BR22-year (1.75m) bare-root tree,Pyrus c. Kirchensaller rootstock£49.00
    Very large tree (4m-7m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
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Need help?

Ask our fruit tree experts on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.

Tree specification

Photos of trees as supplied | Tree sizes and forms

Next deliveries

Delivery from week commencing 23rd February 2026 onwards.

Delivery charges

Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.

All about Black Worcester pear trees

Black Worcester is probably the oldest English pear still in use. It can be traced back to the early 16th century, and is probably much older than that.

Black Worcester pre-dates the trend towards the Continental sweet buttery-fleshed pears that became popular in Victorian England. Instead the flesh remains hard, more like an apple, and is interspersed with gritty flecks. It sounds somewhat off-putting, but don't worry - this is not a pear you eat fresh, but rather one for the kitchen. Slow cooking transforms the fruits, and this is the definitive choice for traditional English stewed pears.

Black Worcester is also quite widely known as the Warden pear, although this is probably an old English term used to describe any long-keeping culinary pear.

Growing and Training

Like many ancient fruit varieties, Black Worcester is easy to grow and relatively untroubled by the usual pear diseases.

Pick the pears in the middle / end of October, and store in a cold garage or fridge. Unlike more modern pears, they will readily keep for a couple of months.

Recommended pollinators for Black Worcester pear trees

Black Worcester is not self-fertile and is also a poor pollinator of other varieties. Ideally you need two other different but compatible varieties planted nearby in order to produce fruit, or one compatible self-fertile variety. The following varieties are good pollinators for Black Worcester. If you are not sure about pollination requirements just ask us.

  • Pollinator Williams
    Williams
    Williams is a classic self-fertile English pear, with good flavour, heavy-cropping, and quite easy to grow.
  • Pollinator Conference
    Conference
    Conference is a popular and reliable English pear, well-suited to the UK climate.
  • Pollinator Sensation
    Sensation
    A red-coloured sport of the popular Williams pear, with a similar good flavour.
  • Pollinator Moonglow
    Moonglow
    A high quality early season dessert and culinary pear, very resistant to fireblight.
  • Pollinator Beth
    Beth
    An easy and reliable early-season pear, with a very good melting flavour.
  • Pollinator Winnals Longdon
    Winnals Longdon
    A traditional Herefordshire perry pear variety, produces a low tannin perry.
  • Pollinator Gin
    Gin
    A rare English perry pear variety with good disease resistance and medium acid and tannins.
  • Pollinator Thorn
    Thorn
    An ancient pear variety from Gloucestershire, now used mainly for perry production.
  • More pollinators >

History

The origins of Black Worcester are not certain, but it was known in the early 16th century, and famously appears on the coat of arms of the city of Worcester.

Coat of Arms of the city of Worcester, showing the Black Worcester pears


Black Worcester characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Pollinating othersPoor
  • Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climatesWarm climates

Using

  • Picking seasonVery late
  • CroppingHeavy
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-2 months
  • Food usesCulinary

Problems

  • Disease resistanceGood
  • Scab (Apple and Pear)Some resistance

Identification

  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1550 - 1599
  • Blossom colourWhite
  • Fruit colourRed - dark

Similar varieties

  • See also Cornishgold
    Cornishgold
    An unusual and ancient juicing and culinary pear discovered in a garden in Cornwall, also known as the Treburrow Pear. Self-fertile and tolerant of difficult climates.

British-grown trees Trees grown in the UK.

Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK. Find out more.

All our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance. Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. Find out more.

Guaranteed fruit trees

When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden while it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund, subject to some conditions. Find out more.


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