This is a neat, compact tree that is suitable for small gardens. Claygate Pearmain is a heavy cropper with good disease resistance; it is especially scab resistant. Genetic analysis has confirmed that this variety is triploid. It should not be used as a pollenizer, and two other varieties will be needed for full pollination.

In 1929, Edward Bunyard wrote that the Claygate Pearmain is "fully deserving of a place in the best dozen dessert apples." The fruit is medium to large with an irregular, lopsided shape. It is blushed orange-red and russeted on a green background. The russeting has a beautiful silvery-pink tinge to it. The flesh is firm, coarse, and crisp, very juicy, and sweet, and the flavor is aromatic and complex, with citrus, spice, and tropical notes. This apple will achieve full flavor in storage.

Discovered at Claygate, Surrey, England by John Braddock, and presented to the Royal Horticultural Society in 1921, Claygate Pearmain received an Award of Merit in 1901 and a First Class Certificate in 1921. It was a very popular dessert apple in the Victorian era.