IN THE BEGINNING......RIVERS TIMELINE
1725:
John Rivers from Basildon in Berkshire came to Sawbridgeworth looking for the ideal piece of land for a nursery. The land he chose, to the east of the village, was reasonably level but sloping to the north, east and south. The soil was light and sandy with some medium and heavy clay.
Thomas Rivers (1706-1780) (Thomas 1) continued his father's business.
John Rivers (1744-1814) nephew, conducted the business until retirement in 1792. Early records are not extensive but fruit trees, roses, shrubs, forest trees and conifers were all grown in considerable numbers and some research was carried out on these and on grasses. Much of the business was in providing plants for great houses with estate gardens.
1792: Advancing rose cultivation
Thomas Rivers (1770-1844) (the second Thomas) took over the nursery from his father. His particular interest was roses. He introduced the standard rose into England. In 1837, he published The Rose Amateurs Guide, a supplement to the Catalogue of Roses of 1833.
1827: Developing fruit culture
Thomas Rivers (1797-1877) (the third Thomas) took over the nursery management in 1827. He carried on the family interest in roses but his great love was in developing new fruit cultivars.
Portrait of Thomas Rivers, front cover of 'The Garden' 1873
1849:
Henry R. Rivers, Churchwarden of Gt. St. Mary’s, was instrumental in raising money for restoration of the Nave.
1850:
The tax on glass was removed, making glasshouses possible. Growing trees in pots in glasshouses accelerated the fruiting and helped the process of introducing new varieties. Experiments in fruit growing were being carried out. Thomas Rivers (3rd) journeyed to France and Belgium to look at the various systems of training adopted abroad. Many varieties were brought over to Sawbridgeworth for
trial under English conditions between 1840 and 1860. Thomas Rivers published Miniature Fruit Garden which by 1891had gone to 20 editions.
1851:
Thomas Rivers (3rd) published The Orchard House or the Cultivation of Fruit Trees in Pots under Glass, to raise funds for Gt. St. Mary’s Church. This book gave the early designs of glasshouses and of heating systems.
1854:
Thomas Rivers (3rd) took part in founding the British Pomological Society
1870:
A memorial portrait to Thomas Rivers (3rd) was commissioned to commemorate his services to horticulture. There were many subscribers towards the portrait, including Charles Darwin whom Rivers had corresponded with in relation to Darwin’s work on botany. It was presented to the Lindley Library and now hangs in the Council Room of the Royal Horticultural Society.
1877:
Thomas Rivers (3rd) died.
1877:
Thomas Francis Rivers (1831-1899) succeeded as head of the company, having managed the business since 1872. He was one of the original holders of the Victoria Medal of Honour from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1897. He also received the first Dr. Hogg Memorial Medal, also awarded by the RHS in 1898. A year later, he received the Veitch Memorial Medal.
Portrait of Thomas Francis Rivers
1888: Development of the Conference Pear
The Conference Pear, developed by Thomas Francis Rivers, was named when he was chairman of the International Fruit Conference. The water-colours painted by T. F. Rivers eldest daughter, May, were intended to help classify fruit. During his care of the nursery it grew to 360 acres and employed over 100 people. The nursery site extended from the London Road to the turning in High Wych for the Manor of Groves.
1899:
Thomas Alfred H. Rivers (1863-1915) and Henry Somers Rivers (1872-1935), sons of T. F. Rivers, begin to conduct the Sawbridgeworth business after the death of their father. T. A. Rivers had a period of pomological experience in the western states of America (Colorado in particular). The business was at this time especially noted for the productions of pedigree peaches and pears.
1915:
The old houses with estate gardens began to disappear. Rivers Nursery had to adapt as small gardens were not suited to fruit trees. A lot of ground had to be cleared for food growing during the period of the war.
1915:
T. A. Rivers died. Maynard D. Rivers (known as Peter), after training at Wisley and in France, joined H. S. Rivers and became Managing Director in 1935.
1948:
Thomas Hall Rivers (1901 - 1978) took over from M. D. Rivers, who had emigrated to South Africa, and T. H. Rivers continued as Chairman and managing director until his death. He became a member of the advisory committee of the National Fruit Trials and used the water-colours painted by Thomas Francis Rivers and his eldest daughter, May, to help classify fruit at national level.
Half of the land had to be devoted to food crops during the war and heating was restricted so that most of the citrus fruit was lost. Mechanisation and weed-killers being used in the industry brought about important changes. Research work became the province of stations like East Malling in Kent and Long Ashton (Bristol). Rivers Nursery was one of the founder members of East Malling scientific research station and continued to take advantage of scientific discoveries, replacing fruit stocks with new virus free types as they became available. Research and science became the province of specialists.
1970:
Faced with competition in the local area, T. H. Rivers and his son-in-law, Francis Peeters, opened a Garden Centre.
1978:
Margaret Rivers Peeters, daughter of T. H. Rivers, became managing director of the company when her father died.
1985: the end of the Rivers Nursery
Margaret Peeters, Chairperson of the Rivers Nursery, with 15 family shareholders, made the decision to stop trading after 265 years of the nursery business. The land was sold to the Community Hospitals Group in 1990 .
1992:
The Thomas Rivers Medical Center opened on the land where the nursery had been sited.
Collected archive materials, held in Church House, Sawbridgeworth contain more detailed information and images and are available to view at special events throughout the year.
