|
Suttons Seeds
John Sutton first started business in Reading in 1807 as a corn and
seed merchant. In the 1830’s his son, Martin Hope Sutton started
experimenting with different seeds and successfully improved different
kinds of seed and bulbs. He persuaded his father to set up the business
of John Sutton and Son in 1837 in new buildings on the eastern side
of Market Place. This was a particularly good site, as the market place
was crowded with farmer on market days who could come into the shop.
Behind the shop was a garden, originally part of the garden of the abbey.
Martin Hope Sutton quickly saw how two new technologies, rail
transport and the penny post, could help his business. In 1840 he
began to send out free catalogues, not only listing the different types
of seed but also giving advice on how to grow the different plants.
Orders quickly came in and were all sent out efficiently using the railways,
with Suttons paying for the cost of the transport.
Suttons also paid close attention to the quality of their seeds. While
similar firms were mixing their best seed with the less good, Suttons
always sent out top quality seeds. This meant that farmers who used
Suttons Seeds could see that their crops were much better than their
next door farms, and the neighbouring farmers could also see.
Suttons called their Reading base The Royal Seed Establishment as they
supplied seeds tot the royal farms and gardens. From Market Place their
offices, stores, order rooms and so on spread over the ground to the
Abbey Gateway, Forbury Gardens and Abbey Square. The Seed Grounds were
moved to the outskirts of the town, where all the travellers past the
town by train could see them.
In 1974 Suttons closed its buildings in Market Place and by 1976 had
moved to Torquay. The reasons were that a Motorway
was going to cross their seed grounds in Earley and that it was difficult
to find people to employ part time in Reading.
|
