Nick Powell writes

Thanks for all your comments ...

With regards to the question of fruit, the tree did have a lot of fruit
last year but unfortunately they were all quite small apples, probably
no bigger than a plum.

I'd been interested to know why people think the tree is so old?

I assummed it was not too old because it wasn't very tall, although it
could be me being naive

Not *so* old - somewhere around 10-15 years from the diameter of the
trunk. But it's a lot of years to lose if it's any good.

If you want to give it a try next year, try thinning out the fruit after
June so that it's not carrying more than it can cope with (this will
help stop it bearing biennially too). And if you're in the SE rather
than the NW of the country, make sure it has a stable water supply over
the summer.
--
Kay