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There's a unique piece of Victorian history that has links to Suffolk. It's about a group of disabled women who made artificial flowers by hand which were then sold. These women became known as the 'flower girls'.

The personal stories of real-life flower girls are being told in a new play which premieres in Ipswich. It's a co-production between the New Wolsey and Graeae which is a disabled-led theatre company.

The play focuses on the flower girls' active part in the war effort in the 1940s and on their life as older women during the 1960s after they've lived in a home their entire lives.

Groom's vision

In 1866, a 21-year-old Christian philanthropist called John Groom set up a charity for orphaned and disabled girls and women who were in need of a shelter, a regular meal and a way of earning some money.

His solution was to get them to produce handmade flowers for sale, which were popular at the time.

John Groom

A whole industry developed and the women made enough money to support themselves. This was a revolutionary concept for Victorian England.

John Groom died in 1919 but his work continued. In 1932 a home was built in Edgware, London. It contained workrooms for flower-making, accommodation and gardens.

Garden of delights

Thousands of women lived and worked at a home in Edgware in Middlesex over a span of around a hundred years, making over a 100 flowers a day. They used cotton and silk to make daisies, violets and primroses for Mothering Sunday, as well as other flowers for St. Georges Day and Easter. In addition, a range of individual flowers were available throughout the year, including roses, dahlias, carnations, lilies and orchids.

Real-life flower girls

The women used different tools and machinery to make the flowers, including specially shaped flower presses which were heated on a stove. The women worked long hours in the busy workrooms.

The working day was spent in the factory which had 3 floors. The bottom floor was for drying the petals and greenery and the first for making flowers. The top floor housed the showroom of flowers displays, for visitors to view and buy.

Although people made donations for the flowers, the women were paid a salary. Two pounds a week to start with, rising to £2 and five shillings after one year's service.

Three weeks holiday with pay was given each year. 

Living conditions

Eleven houses were built within the John Groom estate, each named after trees such Lilac and Willow. The women would use their money for toothpaste, soap and other necessities.

John Groom also took the displays all over Britain and with him, teams of women who would demonstrate how the flowers were made.

Across the country, John Groom's charity work continues today. Earlier this year, they merged with the Shaftesbury Society to form Grooms-Shaftesbury.

In East Anglia there are many charity projects, including ones in Norwich, Colchester and Southend. These projects include residential housing, day care & community projects for disabled people.

There's also a brain rehabilitation centre in Stowmarket.

The play

Flower Girls was written by Richard Cameron and the directors are Peter Rowe and Jenny Sealey. It's set in Edgware and the New Wolsey says "Their stories reveal an indomitable spirit and a fierce determination to find their place in the world, a world that prefers to keep them at a safe distance."

New Wolsey box office 01473 295900 or use the theatre weblink on the right for more details.

Actress Sophie Partridge was Clare Phillips' guest when she stood in for Lesley Dolphin on BBC Radio Suffolk 12-2pm on Thursday 4 October. You can Listen Again to the show until Thursday 11 October by clicking on Lesley Dolphin on the Listen Again menu.