333 Histon Road, Clive Vale Nursery

History of Clive Vale Nursery

Clive Vale nursery founded by William Dear in 1890s.

1901

William Dear, 42, florist, b Chesterton

Sarah A, 41, b Swavesey

Annie M, 17, b Chesterton

Grace, 16, b Chesterton

James, 13, b Chesterton

Ada, 11, b Chesterton

Percy, 6, b Chesterton

Horace, 3, b Chesterton

1911

William Dear, gardener and florist (Clive Vale Nurseries)

1913

William Dear, gardener and florist

1917

Percy died aged 22 during the war and after William’s death Horace took on running the business with help from his brother James.

Percy was an Air Mechanic 1st Class, HMS ‘President’, Royal Naval Air Service. Died 28/04/1917. Age 22. HMS President seems to have been used as an accounting base for the Admiralty.

http://histonroadcemetery.org/graves/wargraves/ww1/percy/

See A Community Remembers: Histon Road p.76.

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1935

J P Dear & Co, nurserymen, Clive Vale nursery

Harold Stanford, Clive Vale Nursery

Daniel Leonard Marshall, Clive Vale Nursery

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In ‘Growing Up in Cambridge’, Alec Forshaw, describes local residents during the 1950s. Micahel and Gillian Dear grew flowers and vegetables for the market. They had no children; Michael was a strong handsome man, always in wellington boots and wearing a checked shirt. His mother, known as Mrs Dear, lived at the bottom end of Roseford Road [48].