The history of Evesham's lost market gardens to be documented

Often whole families would be involved in market gardening

The history of rural market gardens is to be documented and archived so the practice can be passed on to future generations.

In the 19th and 20th century, Evesham and Pershore in Worcestershire were awash with the gardens, where growers cultivated produce to sell.

Archivists are now to document this vanishing way of life.

The Market Garden Heritage Project said it was important to pass the information on before it disappears.

Project lead Nina O'Hare said: "Because market gardening was so common in the area, people who have grown up here sometimes think of it as common knowledge.

"But actually, they're often the only ones now who know about it and it's really important to pass that down otherwise it will just disappear."

Market gardening was a way of life for many

Fruit picking was an important part of the work

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Small shed-like buildings, called hovels, were used by gardeners for storage and some even slept in them. The fraction that remain contain artefacts that are helping to build up a picture of times gone by.

The project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and being run by Worcestershire Archive & Archaeology Service (WAAS), is to restore three of these hovels, while documenting many of those that remain.

Some families have already donated some photographs to the project

Grower, Robert Hale, said: "To most people they're nothing more than a tin shack, but there were over 1,000 in the Evesham area alone in the 19th and 20th century, which shows how significant they were."

The project is asking people to submit their photographs and memories of market gardening to document the practice for generations to come.

Flowers too had to be picked by hand

Asparagus was traditionally tied into "hundreds" - a total of 120 spears - with willow