British Tomato Fortnight: Hanbury Barclay's Tomato House

It is British Tomato Fortnight (27th May-9th June 2025)! We thought that this was an opportune time to highlight another of Hanbury Barclay’s alterations to the grounds of Middleton Hall in about 1875: the construction of the Tomato House.

Hanbury’s Tomato House was built within the Large Walled Garden on the western side, just to the south of the 18th century large glasshouse. It was a shallow structure with a brick base and a framed glass top that opened on the western and eastern sides.

Tomato House and Large Glasshouse in the Large Walled Garden, c.1900. Courtesy of Philip and William de Hamel.

The tomato was first introduced to England in the late 16th century and one of the first growers of it was the herbalist John Gerard. Despite writing that it was being eaten in Italy and Spain, his description of it in his book “The Herball” is stated to have led to the mistaken interpretation that it was poisonous. This negative perception of the tomato continued in the English-speaking world until the 18th century.

The ripe fruit of the tomato plant is not poisonous. However, the leaves, stem and the tomato fruit when green all contain small amounts of solanine, which is a poisonous substance found in members of the nightshade family. It has been suggested that this connection to the nightshade family reinforced the misperception that the tomato was poisonous.

The tomato was identified as part of the nightshade family in the botanical writings of the 17th century and by Linnaeus. A few decades after Linnaeus, coincidentally at the time the popularity of the tomato began to increase, it was moved into a genus of its own. However, recent genetic testing confirmed it to be part of the nightshade family and it has been returned to Linnaeus’ taxonomical name and classification.

After it was realised that the tomato was not poisonous, it became very popular very quickly and it is said that it was especially so in England in the form of tomato soup. Tomato houses then developed in order to try and meet the increased demand and extend the growing season.

Further Reading: John Gerard. The Herball, 1636. pp. 345-346.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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