The Popes: Nurserymen of Birmingham
Andy Mabbett
I have just been to a really interesting talk at Birmingham Botanical
Gardens, about the Pope Family. The speaker, David Worthington, plans to
write a book on the subject.
Luke Pope rented land in Smethwick in the 1700's, alongside a lock on
James Brindley's canal, where he built the "New Navigation" (not the
current building) and made a fortune from selling beer to passing
boatmen. The vicinity now includes Pope Lock, Pope Bridge and Pope
Street. He also developed a plant nursery an adjacent land, and set up
each of his three sons with their own Nurseries, the others being at
Gibb Heath (part of Handsworth) and on the Holyhead Road. The latter
specialised in Hawthorns. It lay derelict after the next generation
moved to Kings Norton in the 1860's (where there is now a Pope Lane),
but so many of those plants remained that their name was given to the
football ground later erected on the site. This branch of the family
supplied plants to the Earl of Dartmouth at Sandwell Hall, to James Watt
and to Mathew Boulton at Soho House, as well as James Watt's son during
his stay at Aston Hall. They also supplied specimens for the original
planting at the Botanical Gardens (and were paid in kind, with cuttings
and seed of other acquisitions).
One of Luke's Grandsons, the appropriately- named Linnaeus, was a water
colour artist. He produced for volumes, each of 100 original,
unpublished but exquisite plant illustrations, all of which were
believed lost until one was sold to a book dealer at an auction in the
USA last year. This has since been purchased by the City and is in the
Local Studies section of our Central Library.
The Kings Norton nursery, run jointly with a cousin called Morris,
became specialists in Narcissi, breeding new types including 'Mrs Pope'
and 'Kings Norton'. These are sadly no longer known in cultivation
(unless you know different?).
The only remaining Pope- family named plant is Primula 'Linda Pope'
(syn. P. 'Linda Pope'). Does anyone on urg grow this, or know of a
supplier?
Are there any other plants named after (parts of) Birmingham, or
Birmingham celebrities?
(Cross- posted; please set follow-ups carefully)
--
Andy Mabbett, Development Manager, Birmingham ASSIST
Birmingham City Council - www.birmingham.gov.uk
Phone: (+) 44 121 303 3640 - Fax: (+) 44 121 212 1930
Post: 3rd Floor, Central Library, Birmingham B3 3HQ