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Did England's first pineapple ripen at this Thames-side manor?
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Dorney Court is a family home that takes group tours by appointment and has public open days in May, June and August 2027 (12.30pm to 4pm); there is a charge. Check before you go.
Dorney Court claims an unusual royal first: the first pineapple ever grown in England, handed to King Charles II himself.
Dorney Court, a rambling Tudor manor near the Thames, has been the Palmer family's home for centuries. Family tradition claims the first pineapple grown in England was raised here and presented to Charles II. In one telling, the king ate one of the first pineapples shipped from Barbados and gave its spiky top to Roger Palmer, husband of his mistress Barbara Villiers. Palmer planted it at Dorney, where it fruited, and the fresh pineapple went back to the king. An older version credits a gardener named Rose. A carved pineapple stands in the Great Hall, and a village pub is called The Pineapple.