Timothy Penrose
Bowdens Nursery
Timothy Penrose has had a stellar career in horticulture – winning 15 Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medals and bringing show stopping displays to the Great Pavilion.
Pictured left at the 2016 RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s Bowdens Nursery display featuring the Belmond British Pulmann, are the then RHS Director General Sue Biggs, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Timothy Penrose, designer David Robinson, and the then RHS President Sir Nicholas Bacon.
Tim and Ruth Penrose
Earlier Years
Tim Penrose started his working career as a funeral director. Over a period of eight years he conducted 3,045 funerals. These included funerals of four members of the 22 SAS Regiment, whilst managing the company’s funeral home in Hereford at the age of 19.
Ruth meanwhile was at the other end of the human experience bringing children into the world as a midwife. Both Penroses have seen life and death many times, and are used to the many ups and downs of business life.
In 1990 the Penroses established Hudsons Coffee House in Birmingham. Hudson’s was the sole United Kingdom entrant in The World’s Best Coffee Houses book by Cleary and Gorton in 1998. Hudsons set totally different standards of service and facility in the food business, with gourmet food and an obsession about quality customer service.
Having sold Hudsons in 2003 the Penroses moved from the Midlands to Devon. In 2004 they acquired Bowden Hostas from Ruth’s father. From a hobby operation, the couple built the business with years of hard slog, innovation, and perseverance.
Tim has said that he always wanted to make change, and not mischief for the RHS.
Pictured left, the Penrose family in 2009.