A.W.Smith was said to be one of the greatest market gardeners of his time, producing a vast amount of vegetables and fruit to sell at market in London, including the Covent Garden Market. He controlled an area over 1000 acres of land. By 1902 this covered a large portion of Feltham, Hanworth and Bedfont. In the peak of his success, he was able to produce a continuous supply of vegetables all year round. He became known as the “Cabbage King” as in one year he grew over one million cabbage plants.
A.W.Smith experimented and grew much of his crop in the Glass City, designed by himself and built by his workers in 1899. In total, there were 20 glass houses covering half an acre each in Lower Feltham, where tomatoes and cabbages were grown.
