Lots of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers were grown in the Vale of Evesham, but where were they sold? And how did they get there?
Click on each box to find out more.
Markets across the country
An old list has survived of all the places where a large market garden in Evesham, Oxstalls Farm, sold their crops. We’re not sure what year the list is from, but it’s probably the 1920s or 1930s.
Zoom in to the map below to see where their crops were sent – each colour on the map shows what fruit and vegetables were sent to that place: blue = any fruit & veg, yellow = summer fruit & veg, purple = plums and green = asparagus
Want to see the list written down? Explore the full list by opening a link below.
What to send?
How did market gardeners know what fruit or vegetables to send to each place? Baskets of food could to be taken to a market, where anyone or any shop could buy them. There were two markets in Evesham, two in Pershore and lots across the country. Another option was to talk to each buyer and agree how much they would pay for what they wanted – buyers were usually fruit and veg shops, jam makers or canning factories.
Geoff’s family used to help market gardeners sell their crops. Listen to this clip to hear how buyers would tell Geoff and his father what they wanted.
Use the side arrows to scroll left and right through the images.
Local memories
At the age of 13, Sidney helped to take baskets of fruit and vegetables to Evesham market. Here is part of a letter he wrote in 1933 – 6 years before the start of World War II. Have a go at reading Sidney’s note – to see a clearer copy, use the side arrows to scroll to the next image.
Fruit and vegetables were often taken to a local market, in Pershore or Evesham, where they were sold. However, they could be bought by a greengrocers (fruit and vegetable shop) or another market anywhere in the country, who would want their food to arrive as soon as possible. Francis explains how the fruit and vegetables he sent arrived so quickly.
There were different ways to travel, as Geoff describes in the recording below.
Change over time
