Bristol Cross

A good heavy cropping dessert variety suitable for wet regions.

Origin: Avon UK, 1920

Pollination: Bristol Cross is self-sterile and would require a pollinator to produce a crop.Find pollination partners >

British-grown All our bare-root trees are personally hand-grafted by our Nursery Manager and grown on at our nursery in Kent. We have Defra and Plant Healthy certification. More ...

Bristol Cross pear trees produced to order

Closing date for custom graft orders: 14 Jul 2025

We do not stock this variety, but we can produce custom-graft trees for you. Trees can be grafted on any of the following rootstocks:

Form	Rootstock	Price	Quantity
Maiden	OHxF87Semi-vigorous	£39.00
Maiden	PyrusVery vigorous	£39.00

Custom graft trees would be supplied in December 2026. More details of our custom grafting service here.

History and description of Bristol Cross

Raised by Spinks at Long Ashton Research Station, Bristol, UK 1920 and introduced in 1931. Grown commercially on a small scale in the past.

Medium sized, oval pyriform to calabasse shaped fruit. Yellowish green skin. Variable amounts of green or brown russet with some fruit almost entirely covered and some almost entirely clean. Yellowish white, slightly granular, juicy flesh. Sweet fine flavour.

Very heavy cropping variety. Good in wet areas and on heavy soils. Very poor pollinator of other varieties.

Characteristics of Bristol Cross pear trees

Use	Dessert
Colour
Flavour
Fruit size	Medium
Picking time	Mid/Late Sep
Season of use	Sep-Oct
Tree vigour	Moderate
Tree habit	Upright-spreading
Fruit-bearing	Spur-bearer
Cropping	Heavy
Disease resistance	Scab - Very resistant
Suitable for	Wet Regions
Pollination date	22
Pollination group	D
Self-fertility	Self-sterile
Incompatibility group	20
Pollinators	Pollination partners
Parentage	Conference Williams Bon Chretien