What connects the Plantation Garden Preservation Trust with Taylors of Kings Lynn? Taylors was a seed merchant’s in King’s Lynn, so they both share a botanical theme. But they are also connected because records of both were donated to the Norfolk Record Office just last month.

Sometimes when visitors come on one of our behind-the-scenes tours they are unaware that we are constantly getting records, documents and archives donated to us each year. In 2014 we received 318 new deposits to add to the public archives, and have received 149 in 2015 so far!

The collection donated from the Plantation Garden Preservation Trust includes documents and photographs created and collected by the Trust, to further its aim of restoring the garden to its 1897 condition.

Since 1980, when the Trust was founded, volunteers have been restoring the garden and investigating its history. Many people have contributed photographs and information.

John Lely, Polly Dunbar, Polly Lely, Norwich Spring 1992

The archive also records efforts made to raise the funds necessary for the upkeep of the garden. Also included are minutes and papers of John Watson who was Chairman from 1980-1993. There are documents relating to grants, management, events and publicity.  Some files contain research into the gardens history.There are also copies of ‘Ex Fonte’ the Trusts newsletter, from 1980 to 2015.

In this newsletter from 1987 the Chairman notes, ‘The Christmas party was not very well attended. It is not possible to decide if the wrong date was chosen or if our members do not want a well-organized social event in comfortable surroundings with an abundance of excellent food and drink.’

Moving onto Taylors of Kings Lynn. These records donated to the Norfolk Record Office contain adverts, price lists and seed packets for Norfolk’s historic seed merchants.  Taylors in Kings Lynn was a firm that dated back to at least 1770. These recently donated records are additional to previously donated records from Taylors.

This catalogue is from 1916.

This catalogue from Spring 1942 contains beautiful illustrations.

 As well as catalogues, adverts, price lists and seed packets, the newly deposited records also contain this Taylors calender.

This article explains how Taylors has been recreated at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse.

If you think you may have something that you’d like to donate to the Norfolk Record Office, have a look at our Adding to Our Collection webpage.