"Feeding London" at Guildhall Library

Fifty people assembled yesterday at the Guildhall Library for the launch of "Feeding London: the forgotten market gardens" at its first showing in central London. Juliana Vandegrift, Heritage Project Manager, introduced Jam Yesterday, Jam Tomorrow, the Environment Trust project that organised dozens of volunteers to research and produce the exhibition with financial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. David Lawrie, historian, chose William Poupart (b 1847) as the focus for his talk about the changing landscape, economy and characters of market gardening in Middlesex in the later nineteenth and twentieth centuries. At its current venue the exhibition includes documents from the Guildhall Library including sheet music to street cries of London, a proclamation from King James to prevent the sale of poor quality plants and seeds and a selection of historical maps (pictures on flickr). The City of London venue has made the exhibition accessible to new audiences. One of the visitors yesterday is a member of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, with personal memories of Brentford Market, as featured on an exhibition panel. The evening was rounded off with wine and animated discussion about the history of market gardening. With thanks to Amy Randall and Jeanie Smith, librarians at the Guildhall Library, for hosting the event and curating the exhibition at this illustrious venue. The exhibition runs at the Guildhall Library until 24 June.

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See full size pics on flickr.