Unwins Seeds
Encyclopedia
Unwins Seeds is a British seed company based in Alconbury Weston
, Huntingdon
in Cambridgeshire
. The Times
describes Unwins as "a firm that has grown ... to become one of the most familiar features of Britain’s horticultural landscape", and the BBC
calls the company "World-famous".
seeds. His son Charles, who had an interest in sweet peas, joined the business in 1914. A brother Frank had an interest in gladioli
. In the late 1950s the company sold packets of seeds to gardening shops in full colour packets. Later it would supply garden centre
s, which helped the business to blossom.
In 2003, the firm celebrated its centenary by publishing The Unwins Century, an illustrated volume by Colin Hambidge, and by launching the Unwins Centennial Dahlia.
It continues to be a leader in the development of types of sweet pea. Most of the sweet pea seeds are from countries outside of the UK, picked by hand.
, just north of Cambridge
. It was bought by Westland Horticulture of County Tyrone in August 2004.
It is now owned by Marshalls Seeds of Alconbury Weston, who make seeds for garden vegetables and fruits. It is situated on the eastern side of the A1(M) just north of the A14. Alconbury junction.
Alconbury Weston
Alconbury Weston - in Huntingdonshire , England - is a village near Alconbury north-west of Huntingdon, lying just outside the Fens, has just a few hills, but a significant change to the flat of the Fens....
, Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
describes Unwins as "a firm that has grown ... to become one of the most familiar features of Britain’s horticultural landscape", and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
calls the company "World-famous".
History
Unwins Seeds was formed in 1903 by William Unwin by selling sweet peaSweet pea
Sweet pea is a flowering plant in the genus Lathyrus in the family Fabaceae , native to the eastern Mediterranean region from Sicily east to Crete....
seeds. His son Charles, who had an interest in sweet peas, joined the business in 1914. A brother Frank had an interest in gladioli
Gladiolus
Gladiolus is a genus of perennial bulbous flowering plants in the iris family...
. In the late 1950s the company sold packets of seeds to gardening shops in full colour packets. Later it would supply garden centre
Garden centre
A garden centre is a retail firm that sells plants and products related to gardens as its primary business. It is open to the public, with facilities to care for and display plants.- UK :...
s, which helped the business to blossom.
In 2003, the firm celebrated its centenary by publishing The Unwins Century, an illustrated volume by Colin Hambidge, and by launching the Unwins Centennial Dahlia.
It continues to be a leader in the development of types of sweet pea. Most of the sweet pea seeds are from countries outside of the UK, picked by hand.
Ownership
It used to be based in HistonHiston
Histon and Impington are villages in Cambridgeshire, England, They are situated just north of Cambridge with the main bulk of the settlements being separated from the city by the A14 road ....
, just north of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. It was bought by Westland Horticulture of County Tyrone in August 2004.
It is now owned by Marshalls Seeds of Alconbury Weston, who make seeds for garden vegetables and fruits. It is situated on the eastern side of the A1(M) just north of the A14. Alconbury junction.