Growing Flowers Down The Docks 

Keeping a legacy alive almost a hundred years later with a shared love of flowers.
Paying homage to the amateur herbologist Royston Smith, who discovered unusual plants and flowers growing from discarded Spillers Mills's grain chaff in the docks of Cardiff and Barry during the 1920s, Growing Flowers Down the Docks stands as an exhibition curated by textile artist and art educator Haf Weighton. Haf has worked with two schools, Cogan Primary School and Ysgol Bro Morgannwg, to showcase the local discovery to a new audience, combining mixed media pieces such as 3D forms, ship structures, hanging fabrics and flower prints. These art pieces were created during lockdown, Haf teaching online during this time and helping children with confidence, and feelings of isolation.
The flowers discovered by Royston Smith that were once alien species have now very much integrated into the environment and our everyday lives. Today we think they’re natural to the habitat, growing at the side of the road except in the 20’s when they would have been considered usual, the seeds coming from far-flung places on cargo ships.
When asked what Smith would have made of the exhibition itself Haf said, “It’s strange because everyone who’s (alive) and associated with this project are women. I think that’s probably a representation of the time, but I do wonder how (Royston Smith) would feel about that. I’d like him to understand that this is (because of his) inspiration and the things he was excited about. His interests have inspired a whole generation of children in the local area. He’s really left a legacy.”
Since the story was set in Barry, Haf discovered the story initially from Royston Smith’s estranged granddaughter Gail Smith through a Radio Four story, a London based florist herself, Gail enjoyed pressing flowers as a child. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show winner discovered her grandfather and the shared ancestry she had with the keen botanist in 2019 through a birth certificate, showcasing the flowers he discovered at the flower show the same year. “When I found out about (Royston) I discovered I had these cousins, Steven and Nicola, who are also his grandchildren. I met them today for the first time which was quite emotional for me,” Gail said on the day of the exhibition at the Pierhead Building, the family members she’d only just met in the next room.