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LMGLM:2009.86.22

Summary: photograph, black and white, scanned, strawberry pickers at Ferndene Farm, BashleyIdentification note: In the late 19th century, nurseries sprang up in the area, in addition to the small holdings and farms. These supplied fruit and vegetables to local shops, markets and the growing town of Bournemouth. Before mechanization, nurseries were labour intensive, employing fairly...

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Summary: photograph, black and white, scanned, strawberry pickers at Ferndene Farm, Bashley

Identification note: In the late 19th century, nurseries sprang up in the area, in addition to the small holdings and farms. These supplied fruit and vegetables to local shops, markets and the growing town of Bournemouth. Before mechanization, nurseries were labour intensive, employing fairly large numbers of people, both locals and itinerant workers. A 1914 Sales brochure for land near New Milton owned by Winchester College Estate stated: ‘The Small Holdings and Accommodation Lands are suitable for Grazing, Dairying, Poultry Farming, Market or Nursery Gardening, all of which industries are carried on by the thrifty small holders, who are so numerous in this district’. However, the market for these small nurseries gradually declined as local shops closed and supermarkets took over. As agriculture and horticulture have become industrialized large-scale operations, most of these small-scale nurseries closed and the land has been developed or used for recreational purposes. However, others diversified into plant nurseries, such as Double H which had its origins in Ashley, but now has some of the largest green-houses in Europe on its Gore Road site and grows orchids and exotic flowers for all the major supermarkets.

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