Multi award-winning garden centre Barton Grange, near Preston, is now the subject of a new book 'A Topping Tale', which was launched at a special event at the Barton Grange Hotel.
A special house, a determined woman, her impulsive son and over 100 years of horticultural know-how – these are the seeds from which the Topping family of Preston grew their business, including one of the UK’s most successful garden centres.
Now, in a new book just published, the story behind the multi award-winning Barton Grange group of companies is being told. ‘Barton Grange: A Topping Tale’ has been written by Ian Topping and local author Carole Knight and is an epic story of Lancashire life and sometimes unusual business practices!
The book was launched at a special event held at the Barton Grange Hotel on Thursday 7th May, attended by family members, the authors and many of the people who have played a part in the fascinating history of Barton Grange.
From the early 1900s when Eddie Topping’s grandparents started growing fruit and vegetables on their Longton farm, to today’s thriving business, employing over 400 local people, there lies a story of humble beginnings, heartache, happy times and a lot of very hard work.
At the centre of the story is Ada, Eddie’s mother, who took on the manor house at Barton and set about converting it into the Barton Grange Hotel. Whilst her tennis, dancing and piano playing-obsessed husband pottered with his market gardening business, Ada set about making the hotel ‘the place to be’. She developed the hotel business almost single-handedly, until able to share some of the burden with her son, Eddie.
Impulsive to say the least, Eddie’s approach to business makes hugely entertaining and humorous reading. Never to be deterred, ignoring advice and acting often on a whim, he forged ahead with his dreams.
Pictured above: Guy Topping and Peter Topping working for their father as youngsters. Top picture: Eddie Topping in his van in the late 1950s.
Employing his sons whilst still almost toddlers and, at times, driving some of his most loyal staff to distraction, he took the Garden Centre side of the business from a shed on a car park to the shopping equivalent of a palace, grand enough to be opened by a Princess! Now overseen by youngest son, Guy Topping, Barton Grange Garden Centre has won the GCA Award for Destination Garden Centre of the Year for the past four years.
From the rural Preston of the late 19th century, through some fascinating accounts of living in 1920’s Preston and telling how the original manor house was requisitioned during the war, the book provides a snapshot of social history in Lancashire.
Bringing the reader right up to the present day, with Eddie’s sons now in charge, it’s an absorbing and often touching account of a family determined to succeed, but to do so with a smile on their faces, and on the faces of those who worked with them.
Barton Grange Garden Centre in 1963 when it opened.
