| Document Reference | BHA |
| Title | Records of The Horticultural Advertiser, 1930-1960 |
| Date | 1930-1960 |
| Extent | About 30 boxes and 30 loose volumes |
| Abstract | The collection comprises the archive of The Horticultural Advertiser, a newspaper compiled for members of the horticultural trade. The archive contains correspondence, minutes, administrative papers, lists of subscribers and advertisers, photographs and four issues of the newspaper. |
| Level | Fonds |
| Access Conditions | Items in series BHA 1-BHA 7 are accessible to all readers. The rest of the collection is closed pending full cataloguing. |
| Admin History | The Horticultural Advertiser was an advertising newspaper for the horticultural trade, first published on 26 April 1883 by nurserymen, Charles (1857-1930) and Alfred Pearson. It offered nurserymen, seedsmen and horticultural equipment manufacturers and service providers a place to advertise to a specialist market and editorial features tailored to their business. Although it had been a mouthpiece for the Horticultural Trade Association for years, the paper was only appointed as an official organ of the society in 1920. It had its first office at Chilwell House, Nottinghamshire but it moved to Lowdham, Nottinghamshire in 1900.
In 1926, the Pearson Brothers converted their joint ownership of The Horticultural Advertiser into a limited company with shares being taken up by some 45 nurserymen. Following the death of Charles Pearson in 1930, a new company was formed taking the name The Horticultural Advertiser (1930) Ltd. Mr Du Cann, the General Secretary of the Horticultural Trade Association took over the editorial role of the paper and it moved to Sentinel House, London. The advertising function was taken over by Thomas Forman and Son Ltd, a firm of Nottingham printers who had printed every copy of The Horticultural Advertiser since 1883.
During the second world war the nursery business was restricted, foreign advertisers were cut off and, for economy, the editorial and advertising functions were reunited in Nottingham under a Mr Benson.
The Horticultural Advertiser went into voluntary liquidation in 1960 when the paper's printers, who had been providing subsidised printing for some preceding years, gave notice of bringing their costs up to market level from 1 January 1960. The last issue of The Horticultural Advertiser was published on 9 January 1960. |
| Custodial History | The collection was given to The University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts in April 1961. |
| Description | The collection comprises:
Draft memoranda and articles of association, 21 May 1930 (BHA 1).
Certificate of incorporation, 21 May 1930 (BHA 2).
Agreements and deeds, 1930-1954 (BHA 3).
Signed directors meeting minute books, 1930-1960 (BHA 4).
Printed final accounts, 1931-1960 (BHA 5).
Copies of 1948 Companies Act returns, 1950-1959 (BHA 6).
Issues of The Horticultural Advertiser for 5 October 1927, 16 September 1931, 14 April 1943 and 6 January 1960 (BHA 7).
Extensive series of financial, shareholding, personnel and sales records, correspondence, case files, advertisement day books, and registers of subscribers, advertisers and editorial contributors, 1920-1960.
The collection comprises the surviving archive of The Horticultural Advertiser. The archive includes records relating to the share ownership, constitution and management of the company as well as records relating specifically to the production of a newspaper such as lists of subscribers, advertisers and contributors. While the running of The Horticultural Advertiser is well documented, survivals of creative contributions to the newspaper such as photographs, drawings and written articles are limited. Only four issues of the newspaper are present in the collection. |
| MgtGroup | Business records |
| MgtSubGroup | Others |
| Arrangement | Items in series BHA 1-BHA 7 have been sorted chronologically. Sorting and listing of the rest of the collection has yet to be undertaken. |
| Language | English |
| Term | Horticultural literature - England |
| Horticulture - Advertising - England |
| Horticultural service industry - England |
| Nurseries (horticulture) - England - Nottinghamshire |
| FindingAids | This description is the only finding aid currently available for the collection and copyright on the description belongs to The University of Nottingham. |
| Copyright | Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). |
| ReprodnNote | Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents. |
| Condition | Good. |