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Available for over a year

During World War One many places of entertainment and cultural activity were forced to close. Bowes Museum was not open to the public and, as a result, lost most of its income. However, it continued to employ a gardener, Fred Dalgarno. Fred stopped growing flowers and used the museum’s greenhouse to grow tomatoes for the war effort. Fresh fruit and vegetables became increasingly hard to come by and were often expensive. There was concern about what would happen to Fred’s family if he was called up, but he did not go to the front and spent the duration of the war at Bowes. After the war, Fred turned his back on tomatoes and returned to growing flowers, much to his relief! Location: Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham DL12 8NP Image shows the greenhouse at Bowes Museum then and now, courtesy of Bowes Museum Report presented by Jonathan Swingler