- James Veitch
James Veitch (1792 – 1863) was the second in a long line of horticulturists who established the renowned family business
Veitch Nurseries .Veitch was the youngest son of John Veitch and his wife, Anna Davidson. James was a natural gardener and he helped his father on the
Killerton estate from a very early age. WhenSir Thomas Dyke Acland, 10th Baronet resurrected the landscaping projects at Killerton, James introduced many of his own ideas and working methods and some of the mature Spanish chestnuts and beech trees on the estate are a testament to this work.The Budlake nursery continued to flourish and in 1832 with James now at the helm, the nursery was expanded with the purchase of 25 acres of land at
Mount Radford on the Topsham Road,Exeter . This was followed by the first of a number of shops or seed warehouses in the city centre area, with the first at 54 High Street and the last at the site of the Well House Inn in Cathedral Yard.By 1837 James Junior, the eldest of six children, had begun working at the nursery following training at several London-based nurseries. The family had by now moved in to their specially-commissioned villa, Gras Lawn, close to the Mount Radford nursery. The multi-stemmed
Sequoiadendron which graced the front garden of the Veitch residence can still be seen today as it towers above a new development off Barrack Road.In 1839 James Veitch Snr extended the nurseries still further by renting 30 acres of land at
Poltimore known as the "Bramberries". This site was predominantly an overspill forHaldon and Brockhill (nearBroadclyst Heath).By now, James Junior had established the family business in Kings Road, Chelsea. In Exeter, James senior was succeeded by his younger son, Robert, and this branch became
Robert Veitch & Sons .The two nurseries operated together for ten years until the death of James Snr in 1863.
External links
*PDFlink| [http://www.exeter.gov.uk/media/pdf/1/4/veitch_heritage_garden_1.pdf The Veitch Heritage Garden] |132 KiB
*PDFlink| [http://www.tobymusgrave.com/pdf/Veitch_Nursery.pdf Family Fortunes: Veitch Nursery] |722 KiB
* [http://www.gailans.com/view/2120117311 Photograph of sequoiadendron giganteum (Wellingtonia) in garden of house built for James Veitch]
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