Wilfred Edward Shewell-Cooper (15 September 1900 – 21 February 1982) was a British

organic gardener The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to organic gardening and farming: Organic farming – alternative agricultural system that relies on fertilizers of organic origin such as compost, manure ...

and pioneer of

no-dig gardening No-dig gardening is a non-cultivation method used by some organic gardeners. This technique recognizes that micro- and macro-biotic organisms constitute a "food web" community in the soil, necessary for the healthy cycling of nutrients and preven ...

. He wrote and published many books, including ''Soil, Humus and Health'' (1975), ''The Royal Gardeners'' (1952), ''Grow Your Own Food Supply'' (1939), and ''The ABC of Vegetable Gardening'' (1937). In 1966, he founded the Good Gardeners Association. For many years, his gardens at

Arkley Arkley is a village in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Barnet. It is located north-northwest of Charing Cross. It consists of a long village strung out between Barnet and Stirling Corner, and composed of the ancient ...

Manor were open to the public, allowing the results of his no-dig methods, indicated by a symbol featuring a robin resting on a spade handle, to be seen first-hand.

Childhood and education

Shewell-Cooper was born in

Waltham Abbey Waltham Abbey is a suburban town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, within the London metropolitan area, metropolitan and urban area of London, England, East London, north-east of Charing Cross. It lies on the Greenwich ...

, Essex in 1900. His father, E. Shewell-Cooper, was a major in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

and was also the assistant superintendent of the gunpowder factory in

. From there, the family moved to

Blackheath, London Blackheath is an area in Southeast London, straddling the border of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. Historically within the county of Kent, it is located northeast of Lewisham, south of Greenwich, London, G ...

, and then to

Penarth Penarth ( , ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. Penarth is a Seaside resort#Brit ...

, Wales. Before the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the family set sail on the ''Galaka'' for

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, where they lived in

Rondebosch Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with shopping and business districts as well as the main campus of the University of Cape Town. History Four years after the first Dutch ...

, now a suburb of Cape Town. While there, he went to school at

Diocesan College The Diocesan College (commonly known as Bishops) is a private, English medium, boarding and day high school for boys situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The school was established o ...

. When he returned to England, he attended

Monkton Combe School Monkton Combe School is a public school ( fee-charging boarding and day school), in the village of Monkton Combe near Bath in Somerset, England. History Monkton Combe School was founded in 1868 by the Revd. Francis Pocock, a former curate ...

just outside

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Family and career

Shewell-Cooper married Irene Ramsey Pennicott in 1925. He was a prolific author of gardening books and together they wrote a cookery book called ''Cook What You Grow'' (1940). They had two sons, Ramsay and Jeremy. Over the course of his life, Shewell-Cooper held a number of positions, some of which are listed below: * Command Horticultural Officer, S.E. and Eastern Commands (1940–1948) * Principal of the Thaxted Horticultural College (1950–1960) * Fellow of the Horticultural Society of Vienna (1952) * Director of the Horticultural Educational and Advisory Bureau (1960) * Hon. Superintendent of the

Swanley Horticultural College Swanley Horticultural College, founded in , was a college of horticulture in Hextable, Kent, England. It originally took only male students but by 1894 the majority of students were female and it became a women-only institution in 1903. Early his ...

* Horticultural advisor to the Warwickshire and Cheshire County Councils (1928) * Hon. Treasurer of the Westbank House, Hextable (1937–1938) * Garden editor of the

BBC North BBC North (Group) is an operational business division of the BBC. It is also a brand that has been used by the BBC to mean: *The large ''BBC North'' region, centred on Manchester, that was active from the late 1920s until 1968 and was based u ...

Region In 1964, Shewell-Cooper was appointed a Commander of the

Order of Agricultural Merit The Order of Agricultural Merit () is an order of merit bestowed by the France, French Republic for outstanding contributions to agriculture. When it was created in 1883, it was second in importance only to the Legion of Honour within the Frenc ...

by the French Government and given an award. The honour is the highest to be given by the French Government to a horticulturist.

Arkley Manor

In 1960, Sir John Laing suggested that Shewell-Cooper move to

Manor; this was his home until his death in 1982.

Legacy

Ramsay Shewell-Cooper, who died in 2016, continued to promote his father's no-dig gardening approach and, as of 2008, a demonstration plot was to be seen at

Capel Manor College __NOTOC__ Capel Manor College is a special environmental college located in Enfield, Greater London. The College has five campuses across the capital, Crystal Palace Park, Enfield, Gunnersbury Park, Mottingham and Regent's Park. It has a bod ...

in Enfield, in conjunction with the Good Gardeners' Association.

Bibliography

Shewell-Cooper's published works include:

References