The Pink Lady was ‘born’ in Steyning
Saturday 1st February
Well, like most headlines, it’s there to attract your attention rather than being totally accurate. The Pink Lady in question is not the cocktail, but an apple variety. So, what has Steyning got to do with this apple? Read on…In 1939 the Government produced a Register of the civilian population in England and Wales, in preparation for producing ID Cards and ration books to use during WW2.
A young 12yr old boy called John Cripps was listed in the Register as a schoolboy living in Steyning with his parents. After the war, he went to Reading University and graduated around 1950 with a degree in horticulture.
In 1955 he emigrated to Perth in Australia, married in 1958 and had 2 daughters. He worked for the Western Australia Department of Agriculture, as an apple breeder.
As part of his work, he crossed a Golden Delicious apple with a Lady Williams (an Australian apple) and in 1973 from 110,000 resultant seedling apple trees, he selected a few as being of particular merit. One of these he called Cripps Pink, due the unusual pink colouration of the skin. By 1984 it was being grown in trials across Australia. These showed it was a first-class apple with good keeping qualities.
It was then picked up commercially, and in 1991 renamed and marketed under the brand name ‘Pink Lady’©.
Pink Lady is now grown all over the world where warm summers allow the fruit to fully ripen, and is the most successful high value global apple.
Due to our warming climate, we can even grow it here now. The first English-grown Pink Lady apples have been available in supermarkets since December 2022.
In 2015 John was made an ‘Officer of the Order of Australia’ (OA). This is second highest honour a civilian can receive in Australia.
'For distinguished service to primary industry through internationally renowned, innovative contributions to the agriculture and food sectors, and to the community.'
John died in Perth on 12th May 2022 aged 95.
The Cripps’ were a well known family of solicitors in Steyning for many years. In 1881 John’s grandfather and 2 yr old father were living in Jarvis, the very impressive house in Jarvis Lane. In 1939 John’s father and family were living in Sunnyridge in College Hill.
Many of the Cripps family including John’s great grandfather, grandfather and father are buried in our Churchyard.
Perhaps we ought to have a Cripps Pink apple tree in our Community Orchard to recognise this ‘Son of Steyning’s’ legacy to the fruit world?
The ‘Pink Lady© apple.
Roger Brown. Steyning Community Orchard
With thanks to Lois Quartz from Steyning Museum for assisting with the Cripps family tree.