BBC radio gardening correspondent and a much-loved national figure, Cecil Henry Middleton, has been commemorated with an English Heritage blue plaque today (23 June). The plaque marks 17 Princes Avenue in Tolworth. It was while living (and gardening) at this modest suburban home that ‘Mr. Middleton’ captivated millions, becoming the voice of the famous ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign. With vision and wit, he urged Britons to make the greatest use of their gardens and allotments, declaring, ‘Potatoes and beans are munitions of war as surely as bullets and shells’ and ‘the harder we dig for victory, the sooner will the roses be with us again’.

In Mr Middleton’s talks and books he often referenced his own rectangular back garden in Tolworth, with characteristic humour and good sense. The plaque celebrates the place where this popular and well-respected figure resided during his most influential years. And it was whilst living here that he appeared in what was surely the first purpose-built television garden, at Alexandra Palace, an ‘average’ sized plot that had been laid out under his supervision in 1936.

Rebecca Preston, Historian at English Heritage, said:

“C.H. Middleton’s warm, no-nonsense delivery and expert horticultural knowledge made him a household name and set the tone for future broadcast coverage of gardening and horticulture. During the darkest days of the Second World War, his voice on the radio was a beacon of hope and fount of practical guidance, helping the nation to feed itself – but he ‘naughtily’ encouraged flowers too: ‘Hitler or no Hitler, war or no war, I’m going to grow a few bunches of sweet peas next summer’, he declared in 1941. This plaque at his home in Tolworth, in the Urban District of Surbiton, is a fitting tribute to a man who truly cultivated the spirit of a nation.”

Born in Northamptonshire, Cecil Middleton worked on the estate where his father was head gardener and then honed his skills in prestigious London nurseries and at Kew Gardens, before becoming Horticultural Advisor to Surrey County Council, based nearby in Kingston. His weekly BBC radio talks began in 1931 and his long-running ‘In Your Garden’ series became a Sunday afternoon staple, reaching millions of listeners. His dependable advice was also shared in many popular books, such as With C. H. Middleton in Your Garden and Your Garden in War-Time. Less well-known was Middleton's dedication to school gardening and discreet charitable work.

Other gardeners commemorated with a blue plaque include Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, Charles Bridgeman, John Claudius Loudon and Jane Webb Loudon, Fanny Wilkinson, Lady Allen of Hurtwood, and Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West.

The English Heritage London Blue Plaques scheme is generously supported by David Pearl and members of the public.