A COMMEMORATIVE plaque has been unveiled to mark the site of one of Malvern's biggest businesses of the 20th century.

Malvern Tomatoes Ltd was active between 1912 and 1961 on a site to the west of Pickersleigh Road, which came to be known as Tomatoland.

Malvern Tomatoes was one of the foremost horticultural businesses in the country and produced vast quantities of 'Malvoma' tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces in 13 acres of glasshouses.

The plaque, which was installed by Malvern Civic Society, was unveiled on Saturday by Jeanne Stranack, the daughter of the late Basil Stranack, owner and managing director of Malvern Tomatoes Ltd.

Brian Iles of the society said: "Jeanne was keen to emphasise that the plaque commemorates not only her father but also the loyal and skilful workers employed by him."

Tomatoland was financed by a group of investors, headed by Bath banker Edwin Stranack. The manager was D Colville Stewart who developed up-to-date growing procedures including soil sterilisation and efficient grading and packing systems.

But, by the mid-1920s, the Malvoma brand seemed about to fail.

The company was saved by Edwin Stranack’s son, Basil Stranack, who took over and by 1929, production broke all records.

That year, the company sold "223,600 lbs of tomatoes, 21,300lbs of cucumbers and 200,000 lettuces”.

But in November 1938, high winds demolished many of the greenhouses, and in March 1947 a storm destroyed even more.

The company continued, but following financial pressures, it finally closed down in 1961.

The site lay empty until it was bought by Malvern District Council and developed as a housing estate in the 1980s.

The Tomatoland legacy lives on in the named of the estate's, which are derived from the varieties of tomato that were grown there, such as Harbinger, Challenger, Shirley and Alicante.