APPLE-lovers from Japan have flown thousands of miles to visit the original Bramley apple tree, and to see its depiction in a stained-glass window.

Members of the Bramley Apple Fan Club, from Obuse, in Nagano, visited the commemorative window in Southwell Minster last week, and also the original tree.

The Dean, the Very Revd John Guille, showed them the window, installed in 2009 to mark 200 years of the Bramley apple. "They went on to see the original tree, in a cottage near the Minster, which is owned by a 92-year-old, before touring some apple orchards," he said. In 1809, a tree was planted in Southwell which produced the apple, and it is still producing fruit.

The fan club began when a Japanese visitor came to the area almost 20 years ago, fell in love with Bramley apple pie, and went on to create the first Bramley apple orchards in Japan. The visit was arranged so that Japanese apple producers could find out about the history of the Bramley, and learn about the latest growing techniques.