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HISTORY OF THE ECKFORD SWEET PEA SOCIETY OF WEM
Local man, John Good was very interested in growing sweet peas and entered many shows around the country. One day when he was driving through Wem in 1987 he noticed Eckford Park, a newhousing estate being built. He made the connection with the street name and Henry Eckford who, as John found out, had a sweet pea seed business in Wem in 1888. So in 1988 it would be 100 years since Henry Eckford brought the sweet pea to Wem.
John was already Shropshire representative of the National Sweet Pea Society and suggested to the committee that their national show be held in Wem in July 1988 to celebrate Henry Eckford bringing the sweet pea to Wem 100 years earlier.
The committee agreed and John was Show Manager.It was held in the Old Town Hall and supported by the townsfolk and traders of Wem.The members of the National Sweet Pea Society supported the Show greatly with exhibits and advice and travelled from such places as Derbyshire, Lancashire, Dumfries, Rhuddlan and the Isle of Wight to enter.
After the success of the first Show the Eckford Sweet Pea Society of Wem was formed and included enthusiastic people from the locality plus Barrie and Peter Eckford, great grandsons of Henry Eckford. They were nominated co-presidents and were profoundly honoured to accept.
The Eckford Sweet Pea Show attracted thousands of visitors to the town during its 31-year tenure, firmly securing Wem on the map as the birthplace of the Modern Sweet Pea and looks forward to supporting future Wem Sweet Pea shows with Wem Town Hall.
Thomas Eckford with Thomas Eckford Sweet Pea
Sweet peas are one of the glories of the garden. Relatively easy to grow and loved by everybody for their heady scent and delicate colouring, it’s hard to believe that the vast range of varieties we grow all descend from a plant in a monastery garden in Sicily, collected and cultivated by a Franciscan monk, Francisco Cupani at the end of the 17thc. It was Cupani who sent seeds to botanic friends and correspondents all over Europe including Robert Uvedale, an Enfield schoolmaster in 1699 or 1700 who is responsible for introducing this garden favourite to Britain.
That original plant, now known as Cupani, was small, with dark blue, purple-hooded flowers and an intense fragrance, but very little hybridizing was done until Shropshire gardener Henry Eckford cross-bred and developed the modern form of the sweet pea, and turned it from a rather insignificant if sweetly scented flower into one of floral sensations of the late 19thc.
Lathyrus odorata Cupani available from seed purveyors found on Grown in the UK
Find out more about the History of Sweet Peas (Click image )
