SNITTERFIELD GARDEN CLUB 3rd DECEMBER 2024 MEETING

 

Our December meeting is the annual Christmas buffet. Members bring food, we provide mulled wine and it is a great beginning to the “Christmas season”. This year 60 members and friends joined us to hear our speakers Carole & John Matthews, owners of “The Vintage Garden Store”.

 

Carole and John brought with them a huge range of vintage garden tools (many for sale) and John’s talk explained some of the history of these tools. John also said that many people prefer these old tools to modern ones.  The tactile feel of the wooden handles, the balance of their design, as well as the strength and durability of the British steel – this is proven by the fact that many of them have lasted for over 100 years, maybe a little worn but not broken. As he said – “Not too soft to bend or too hard to break”. And there are many different variations for different tasks.  Would you have guessed that there were over ten types of garden fork!

 

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                A wide range of vintage tools on display at the talk

 

In the 18th to early 20th centuries there were 2 main areas of steel making – Sheffield and The Black Country. Companies like Albion, Elwell, Brades and Spear and Jackson.  Most are now gone,  there is some assembly but there is no manufacturing in the UK, with much steelmaking now in India.  Blades of Oldbury started manufacturing in 1796, in 1960 they were acquired by Spear and Jackson and by th1980s gone from the area.

 

Spear & Jackson had been selling hand, garden, contractors, agriculture and landscaping tools since 1760. More than 260 years later, the company is still headquartered in Sheffield, but the manufacturing is now abroad. So these old tools are an important part of our history.

 

We ended the evening with a quiz, and it was a real brain teaser trying to identify the 6 tools that John showed us. Can you identify these 3 garden objects? (Answers at the end)

 

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                                   QUIZ 1                                      QUIZ 2

 

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                                                             QUIZ 3

 

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 7th January, 7:30 in Snitterfield Village Hall when our speaker will be Philip Aubury talking about “Labour saving gardening”. Old friends and guests plus new members are always welcome. The full list of speakers and garden visits for 2024-2025 is posted on our web site Page: Programme

 

Jean Harris

Chairman

 

 

 

QUIZ:

  1. A portable boot scraper
  2. A lawn edger (made by German company Wolf)
  3. A boot protector – worn on the foot that is used to push a spade or fork into the ground to protect the boot from wear.

 

 

 

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