Bill Sowerbutts
Encyclopedia
William Edmund Sowerbutts, better known as Bill Sowerbutts, (4 January 1911 - May 1990) was a panellist on the long-running BBC Radio 4
programme Gardeners Question Time.
Born on Ashton Moss, Ashton-under-Lyne
, Lancashire
and the son of a market gardener, Sowerbutts wanted to become a journalist on leaving school, however his father died when he was 16 and he started work on the families small holding. The family first opened a stall on Oldham
's Victoria Market and later on Ashtons outdoor market.
Sowerbutts toured the area giving lectures to local gardening and allotment societies. He was to appear in the first edition of 'How does your garden grow?', soon to be renamed Gardeners Question Time', which was an offshoot of the World War II
: Dig for Victory Campaign. The first programme was broadcast from the 'Singing Room' at the Broadoak Hotel in Ashton-under-Lyne on 9 April 1947. On the first panel along with Bill were: Fred Loads, Tom Clark and Dr EW Sansome. Bill and Fred later went on to become household names, every Sunday at 2.00 pm on Radio 4. By the April of 1950, Professor Alan Gemmell joined. The banter between the trio attracted a large following, with the listenership building up to 2 million.
Tameside Council have put up a "Blue Plaque" in his honour on the Broadoak Hotel - however because of his gardening prowess it is green!
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme Gardeners Question Time.
Born on Ashton Moss, Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and the son of a market gardener, Sowerbutts wanted to become a journalist on leaving school, however his father died when he was 16 and he started work on the families small holding. The family first opened a stall on Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
's Victoria Market and later on Ashtons outdoor market.
Sowerbutts toured the area giving lectures to local gardening and allotment societies. He was to appear in the first edition of 'How does your garden grow?', soon to be renamed Gardeners Question Time', which was an offshoot of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
: Dig for Victory Campaign. The first programme was broadcast from the 'Singing Room' at the Broadoak Hotel in Ashton-under-Lyne on 9 April 1947. On the first panel along with Bill were: Fred Loads, Tom Clark and Dr EW Sansome. Bill and Fred later went on to become household names, every Sunday at 2.00 pm on Radio 4. By the April of 1950, Professor Alan Gemmell joined. The banter between the trio attracted a large following, with the listenership building up to 2 million.
Tameside Council have put up a "Blue Plaque" in his honour on the Broadoak Hotel - however because of his gardening prowess it is green!
External links
- http://www.tameside.gov.uk/blueplaque/billsowerbutts