Lavender – Mitcham and Beyond
This is a talk which is a lavender potpourri ranging from its history and use for medicinal purposes, the various varieties and their properties, the propagation, growing, harvesting, distilling and distributing, with brief references to food and folklore. The development of the industry in Mitcham and Wandsworth, its place in the history of local boroughs will be discussed, in particular looking at some of the growers and their families who made it so successful, followed by the reasons for its decline and revival. The “Beyond” comment refers to an overview of where the industry is today and a comparison with other organisations.
Our Speaker
Alison Cousins was an academic librarian at London South Bank University until she retired but prior to that worked for several years on 58 Clapham Common North Side when it was the Home Economics branch of Battersea College of Education.
Alison divides her time between Merton Park and Edinburgh, is the Co-Chair of the John Innes Society in Merton Park as well as being the (honorary) archivist at the Wandle Industrial Museum.