Tolworth’s Mr Green Fingers1

• Gardening, History, Notable Surbitonians
• 1st December 2018

The first celebrity gardener, half a century before Alan Titchmarsh or Monty Don, was Mr Middleton. His wartime radio show popularised ‘Dig for Victory’, launching suburbia’s enduring love affair with the allotment. Few of the 3.5 million Home Service listeners knew he even had a first name, but Cecil Henry Middleton’s homespun advice and amiable