Ravensworth Nurseries

Ravensworth Nurseries Ltd, (historically trading as Bradbrook & Hannah) was an English horticultural business and garden centre located in Ravensworth, North Yorkshire.

It supplied garden centres and retailers across the United Kingdom as well as its own on-site sales.[1]

History

Brothers-in-law Douglas Bradbrook and William Hannah established the business in 1966 and initially grew tomatoes and lettuces.[1]

Increased competition from the Common Market and rising heating costs necessitated a move into bedding plants and later pot plants such as poinsettias.[2] They are one of only two businesses that grow poinsettias in the United Kingdom, producing around 18,000 plants in 2012.[3][4]

In 1996 they erected the world's largest hanging basket.[5] The basket weighed 5 long tons (5.1 tonnes), was 23 feet (7 metres) across and 9 feet (2.7 metres) high and contained 1,000 plants of one hundred different varieties.[5]

By 2006, the business had a £1.8 million annual turnover, six acres of glasshouses and employed around 35 people.[6] Since 2006 the business had used an eco-friendly woodchip burner to heat three of its glasshouses.[2]

The business announced its closure in 2023.[7]

References
  1. "Finding alternative to oil after price rise cuts bill by 85pc". The Northern Echo. 1 December 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  2. "Medal for eco-friendly nurseryman". The Northern Echo. 16 July 2008.
  3. Douglas, Andrew (12 November 2012). "Ravensworth Nursery, near Richmond, preparing 12,000 Christmas poinsettias". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  4. "Gardener Sue Dale inspects poinsettia plants prior to their shipment from the Ravensworth nursery near Richmond, northern England". AlertNet (Reuters). 13 November 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  5. "THIS WILL TAKE SOME WATERING". The Northern Echo. 17 June 1996. p. 1.
  6. Bradbrook, Doug. "Seeds of success" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  7. "Ravensworth Nurseries in Richmond announces sudden closure". The Northern Echo. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.