William Benjamin Shearn (1872 – 12 January 1938) was an English businessman, florist, and

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

activist, who promoted a fruitarian way of living. He managed a fruitarian restaurant at

Tottenham Court Road Tottenham Court Road (occasionally abbreviated as TCR) is a major road in Central London, almost entirely within the London Borough of Camden. The road runs from Euston Road in the north to St Giles Circus in the south; Tottenham Court Road tu ...

Biography

Early life

Shearn was born in the first quarter of 1872 in St. Giles, Middlesex. He was christened on 11 February 1880 at Saint John the Evangelist, Charlotte Street, Camden.

Career

Shearn's father Benjamin Shearn (1829–1913) was the owner of the first

fruitarian Fruitarianism () is a diet that consists primarily of consuming fruits and possibly nuts and seeds, but without any animal products. Fruitarian diets are subject to criticism and health concerns. Fruitarianism may be adopted for different rea ...

restaurant in London, established in 1905. The restaurant was positioned above his fruit store at 231-234

, that were both managed by Shearn. The ground floor was a florist and greengrocer and the two upper floors belonged to the restaurant. The restaurant served nutmeat.

Alfred Perlès Alfred Perlès (1897–1990) was an Austrian writer (in later life a British citizen), who was most famous for his associations with Henry Miller, Lawrence Durrell, and Anaïs Nin. Life and works Born in Vienna in 1897, to Czech Jewish parent ...

described it as "probably the best vegetarian restaurant in the world, with the emphasis on a fruitarian diet". Customers would pay two shillings to consume as much fruit and nuts that they could eat with a cup of coffee, cream and brown bread and butter. Shearn is credited with introducing

grapefruit The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red. Grapefru ...

and "fruit lunch" to the British public. Shearn's company advertised itself as the "World's Largest Fruitarian Stores". The restaurant contained a fruit saloon luncheon room that became a popular meeting place for members of the

London Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British registered charity. It campaigns for dietary changes, licenses Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks for vegetarian and vegan products, runs a cookery school and lottery, and or ...

. Shearn cooperated with ''The Children's Realm'', a children's vegetarian magazine published by the London Vegetarian Society and

Vegetarian Federal Union The Vegetarian Federal Union (VFU) was a British vegetarianism umbrella organisation founded in 1889, which operated until 1911. History In July 1889, a group of individuals from the London Vegetarian Society met and drew up plans to form what ...

. Advertisements for his store were featured in the magazine. In 1907, Shearn offered a basket of fruit as an award for the best "Why I am a Vegetarian" children's essay. He organized parties for vegetarian children at his restaurant. In 1909, Shearn donated 2000 oranges for poor children in London. He was the first president of the British division of the Florists Telegraph Delivery Association. Shearn was the editor of ''The Practical Fruiterer and Florist''. Shearn visited the United States in 1933, where he received the title of "Ambassador of the Floral Kingdom of England".

Personal life and death

Shearn was a vegetarian but preferred the term fruitarian. His diet consisted of fruit, nuts and vegetables with dairy products and eggs. Shearn married Ella Masterson at St Giles in the Fields in 1914. Their wedding was described as a "fruitarian wedding" as Ella wore cherries in her hair and the bridesmaids carried baskets of fruit. The vegetarian meal served for over a hundred guests in a room decorated as a fruit and flower garden was a Brazil nut cutlet, mock chicken made from almonds and pine kernels, savoury nuts with cucumber and an egg gateau. Shearn stated that "I am such a firm believer in fruit as a means of keeping fit and well that I determined to have a fruitarian wedding in order to popularise this form of diet". Shearn and Ella had one son born in 1916. He was Major John Benjamin Shearn. Shearn died on 12 January 1938 in London. He was buried in St. Pancras Cemetery. His fruit store was closed in 1961.

Selected publications

*''The Practical Fruiterer and Florist'' (3 volumes, 1935)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shearn, W.B. 1872 births 1938 deaths 19th-century English businesspeople 20th-century English businesspeople British grocers Burials at St Pancras and Islington Cemetery Businesspeople from the London Borough of Camden English magazine editors English restaurateurs English vegetarianism activists Florists People from St Giles, London British florists