Ivor Spencer-Thomas
Encyclopedia
Ivor Spencer-Thomas was an inveterate inventor and improviser, in the forefront of developing agriculture and market gardening as a commercial enterprise. While his contribution to rural life reflects much of what has happened all over Britain during the twentieth century, his impact on the prosperity and working practices in the village of Braughing
in Hertfordshire
, England
, during the economic depression of the 1930s was unique. He was born on 11 April 1907 and died on 30 August 2001. He was married to Rosabel and they had two children, Owen
and Rosemary.
, Powys
, on the Welsh-English border, where his father, Robert, was a sheep farmer. He was the youngest of three children.
While he was still a young child his family moved to Honeydon
, Bedfordshire
. At the age of five, he began boarding at Christ Church Cathedral Choir School
, Oxford
, and became a chorister at the Cathedral
, singing alongside distinguished musicians, such as the eminent English composer, William Walton
.
farming, his family grew market garden crops, such as brussels sprouts and peas
, which were suited to the light sandy Bedfordshire soil.
In 1934 Spencer-Thomas moved to Braughing
, Hertfordshire
, where he brought prosperity and employment to the village during the great depression in the thirties by introducing a more intensive form of agriculture and developing a system of piece work
, paying his workers by the quantity of work they achieved rather than the time spent. His workers were able to earn up to three or four times the minimum agricultural wage.
Unlike other local farmers he grew market garden crops typically found in Befordshire in addition to the more traditional heavy-soil crops, such as wheat
and potatoes.
His farm was the major local employer, with over thirty men working full-time. This figure increased into many hundreds during the pea-picking season with some itinerant workers joining the men and women from the village. His local produce, strawberries, carrots, peas, cabbages, brussels sprouts and lettuces, was conveyed by lorry to the London fruit and vegetable markets, such as Covent Garden, now based at Nine Elms
, and Borough Market
, as well as the former Stratford market and Spitalfields wholesale market
which moved to Leyton
in 1991.
Parsnips were sent by special rail-wagon direct to the catering industry in different parts of the country. It was highly unusual for this crop to be grown in a heavy clay soil. However, Spencer-Thomas designed his own parsnip lifter and harvester, mounted on a Fordson Major half-track
tractor, which could lift the crop out of the soil even under the most difficult wet and frosty conditions.
Spencer-Thomas was an active member of the National Farmers' Union and attended executive meetings regularly until months before he died at the age of 94.
He was one of the first farmers in Britain to build a plant for washing and freezing vegetables on site. These were sealed into large packs and marketed under the trade name Froveg and supplied to wholesale markets in catering and hotels.
Spencer-Thomas was one of the first people to develop inflatable polythene greenhouses which traded under the name, Sky Hooks. These polythene igloos were inflated by strong 12 inch electric fan heaters. These generated enough pressure to keep the igloo, which was secured by netting, rigid.
He used the polythene greenhouses successfully to extend the season of strawberries and vegetables. He developed the idea commercially and extended it for other uses, such as conserving the warmth in outdoor swimming pools. The London
football club, Tottenham Hotspur, under Bill Nicholson
's management, purchased his system in 1962 to keep their football pitch snow-free and prevent it from freezing in the winter.
, Scotland
. He was buried on his estate close to John O'Groats, Scotland
, alongside his wife who had died almost three years earlier.
Braughing
Braughing is a village and civil parish, between the rivers Quin and Rib, in the non-metropolitan district of East Hertfordshire, part of the English county of Hertfordshire, England...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, during the economic depression of the 1930s was unique. He was born on 11 April 1907 and died on 30 August 2001. He was married to Rosabel and they had two children, Owen
Owen Spencer-Thomas
Owen Robert Spencer-Thomas MBE is perhaps best known as a television and radio news journalist over three decades, but he has also undertaken a wide range of philanthropric work as volunteer charity fundraiser, pioneer and campaigner for people with autism and other disabilities...
and Rosemary.
Early years
Spencer-Thomas was born into an agricultural family in LlanymynechLlanymynech
Llanymynech is a village straddling the border between Montgomeryshire/Powys, Wales and Shropshire, England about 9 miles north of the Welsh town of Welshpool. The name is Welsh for "Church of the Monks"....
, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, on the Welsh-English border, where his father, Robert, was a sheep farmer. He was the youngest of three children.
While he was still a young child his family moved to Honeydon
Honeydon
Honeydon is a hamlet located in the Bedford Borough of Bedfordshire, England.Honeydon lies in the civil parish of Staploe, and is close to Upper Staploe and Begwary...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. At the age of five, he began boarding at Christ Church Cathedral Choir School
Christ Church Cathedral School
Christ Church Cathedral School is a Prep and Pre-Prep, fee-paying boarding and day school for approximately 140 pupils based in Oxford, England. Steeped in music and history, the School was founded by Henry VIII in 1546 to provide choristers for Christ Church Cathedral and College. Now a Church of...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, and became a chorister at the Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also, uniquely, the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford.-History:...
, singing alongside distinguished musicians, such as the eminent English composer, William Walton
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera...
.
Farming
When Spencer-Thomas and his elder brother, Clement, left school they assisted their father on the farm. The family kept dairy cows which are usually milked twice a day. However, they discovered that by milking three times each day at eight-hourly intervals, they were able to increase their yield as the cows benefited from a schedule that was more akin to feeding their calves naturally. In addition to livestockLivestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
farming, his family grew market garden crops, such as brussels sprouts and peas
PEAS
P.E.A.S. is an acronym in artificial intelligence that stands for Performance, Environment, Actuators, Sensors.-Performance:Performance is a function that measures the quality of the actions the agent did....
, which were suited to the light sandy Bedfordshire soil.
In 1934 Spencer-Thomas moved to Braughing
Braughing
Braughing is a village and civil parish, between the rivers Quin and Rib, in the non-metropolitan district of East Hertfordshire, part of the English county of Hertfordshire, England...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, where he brought prosperity and employment to the village during the great depression in the thirties by introducing a more intensive form of agriculture and developing a system of piece work
Piece work
Piece work is any type of employment in which a worker is paid a fixed "piece rate" for each unit produced or action performed regardless of time...
, paying his workers by the quantity of work they achieved rather than the time spent. His workers were able to earn up to three or four times the minimum agricultural wage.
Unlike other local farmers he grew market garden crops typically found in Befordshire in addition to the more traditional heavy-soil crops, such as wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and potatoes.
His farm was the major local employer, with over thirty men working full-time. This figure increased into many hundreds during the pea-picking season with some itinerant workers joining the men and women from the village. His local produce, strawberries, carrots, peas, cabbages, brussels sprouts and lettuces, was conveyed by lorry to the London fruit and vegetable markets, such as Covent Garden, now based at Nine Elms
New Covent Garden Market
'New Covent Garden Market' is the largest wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market in the UK. Located in Nine Elms between Vauxhall and Battersea, South West London, the Market covers a site of 57 acres and is home to approximately 200 fruit, vegetable and flower companies.The Market serves...
, and Borough Market
Borough Market
Borough Market is a wholesale and retail food market in Southwark, London, England. It is one of the largest food markets in London, and sells a large variety of foods from all over the world.-Information and History:...
, as well as the former Stratford market and Spitalfields wholesale market
Old Spitalfields market
Old Spitalfields Market is a covered market in Spitalfields, just outside the City of London. It is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets....
which moved to Leyton
New Spitalfields Market
New Spitalfields Market is located in a site in Leyton, London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London which opened in 1991. It is Europe's leading horticultural market specialising in exotic fruit and vegetables....
in 1991.
Parsnips were sent by special rail-wagon direct to the catering industry in different parts of the country. It was highly unusual for this crop to be grown in a heavy clay soil. However, Spencer-Thomas designed his own parsnip lifter and harvester, mounted on a Fordson Major half-track
Half-track
A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling...
tractor, which could lift the crop out of the soil even under the most difficult wet and frosty conditions.
Spencer-Thomas was an active member of the National Farmers' Union and attended executive meetings regularly until months before he died at the age of 94.
Inventions
One of his inventions was FizzIt, a means of making sparkling wine from still wine. He also developed Cham-Cham, a polythene packet that generated carbon dioxide and put the fizz into water and other still drinks. Spencer-Thomas developed a control system for robotic arms, which enabled the simple operation of a finger and thumb. The control unit was developed out of an earlier invention for pneumatically opening doors and farm gates.He was one of the first farmers in Britain to build a plant for washing and freezing vegetables on site. These were sealed into large packs and marketed under the trade name Froveg and supplied to wholesale markets in catering and hotels.
Spencer-Thomas was one of the first people to develop inflatable polythene greenhouses which traded under the name, Sky Hooks. These polythene igloos were inflated by strong 12 inch electric fan heaters. These generated enough pressure to keep the igloo, which was secured by netting, rigid.
He used the polythene greenhouses successfully to extend the season of strawberries and vegetables. He developed the idea commercially and extended it for other uses, such as conserving the warmth in outdoor swimming pools. The London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
football club, Tottenham Hotspur, under Bill Nicholson
Bill Nicholson (footballer)
William Edward "Bill" Nicholson OBE was an English football player, coach, manager and scout who devoted his life to Tottenham Hotspur in North London.-Early life:...
's management, purchased his system in 1962 to keep their football pitch snow-free and prevent it from freezing in the winter.
Later life
Spencer-Thomas held the feudal barony of Buquhollie and Freswick in CaithnessCaithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He was buried on his estate close to John O'Groats, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, alongside his wife who had died almost three years earlier.