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Albert Howard
Organic Farming Pioneer
The Albert Howard Society
was formed in 2016 by Bishops Castle residents Pat Robinson, Rob Rowe and Trevor Chalkley with the aim of researching and honouring the life of Albert Howard about whom very little is known locally in his birthplace. We have held a series of talks and visits to local food producers with the aim of raising awareness of his important scientific research and its relevance to modern day food production. We aim as well to emphasise the importance of Gabrielle and Louise Howard's contribution to Albert Howard's work.
IIn the early days we held a series of meetings with locally based speakers involved in sustainable food production. We were then able to find a descendant of Gabrielle and Louise, their great niece Charlotte Matthaei. Charlotte had in her possession a collection of documents and photographs, a treasure trove of newspaper and magazine articles written by Albert, also research papers and the letters written by Gabrielle to her mother when she first went out to India to marry Albert. Charlotte gave us permission to digitise these documents and make them available online. They are now kept in the library of St John's College Library in Cambridge.
Using thuse documents and other sources Pat Robinson wrote book.
A display was created in the agricultural room of The House on Crutches Museum and renowned local sculptor Gemma Pearson created a maquette of Albert which is also in the museum.