21 members were present. Apologies were received from Iris Copper. Mr J G woodhouse, the former owner of Banfield Farm had hoped to attend: he will try to do so in the autumn
The meeting was mainly devoted to a fascinating talk by Mr Charles Lowe on the history of the family rose growing and nursery business over the 100 years of its existence until 1977. Among the many interesting facts was that:
- The success of rose growing in the area was due to the sulphur from Stanton and Staveley Iron works
- In its heyday 50 people were employed on piece work
- the firm was present on Nottingham and Derby Markets and many shows
Catalogues and photos going back many years and the deeds of the land generated much interest.
See also the book by Peter d’Auvergne, “Beeston Characters in the 20’s and 30’s”
Notices
- Corrections to the notes on John Appleton’s talk about birds were distributed. Apologies!
- Bramble Thinning on 26 March. Meet 10:30 at the top of Sandy Lane
- Monday 3 April Geoff Fewkes will lead a walk to look at the flora and grasses on the Ridge
- Geoff hopes to organise a visit to Tresswell Woods on 9th April (see Project Newsleter No2). More details at the next meeting
The Friends are always looking for extra pairs of hands to help out or to simply support their work, so...
- to find out when the next work session will take place, click here, or
- to find out about becoming a member please contact us here, or
- to discover what goes into managing the sites click here.
