Can a good story change history?
Everybody likes a good story but how many story books change history?
When I wrote The Buttercup, I had two thoughts in mind. The first was to tell the story of the remarkable man I knew as a child - the second was to restore Andrew Ewing to his rightful place in history.
I had long thought that Andrew Ewing should be up there with fellow Scots, like Carnegie and Livingstone – since, for me, you don’t get much better than building a business empire then secretly giving it all away to a point where there was nothing left. It was the secrecy which got me, since he really didn't want any credit - and that must be very rare.
His success and generosity weren't entirely unknown, and the oldest generation of Scots were very familiar with the Buttercup Dairy shops. Many also knew the name Andrew Ewing. The story of giving away all of the eggs laid on a Sunday was also relatively well known at one time, although those who knew the story – and I have spoken to a few - never knew that it was over 100,000 a week!
There is no doubt that since I wrote and publicised The Buttercup, the story has spread, and Edinburgh Council recently announced plans to build a new city park - to be known as the Buttercup Farm Park. How much of that decision was due to my book – published the year before – is not clear, but it must have had an impact.
Some local history societies are now featuring the Buttercup and Andrew Ewing on their websites and the story is beginning to be associated with Buttercup antiques. It is not yet mainstream, but that will take time and at least the seed has been sown. The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company http://www.buttercupdairycompany.co.uk/
When I wrote The Buttercup, I had two thoughts in mind. The first was to tell the story of the remarkable man I knew as a child - the second was to restore Andrew Ewing to his rightful place in history.
I had long thought that Andrew Ewing should be up there with fellow Scots, like Carnegie and Livingstone – since, for me, you don’t get much better than building a business empire then secretly giving it all away to a point where there was nothing left. It was the secrecy which got me, since he really didn't want any credit - and that must be very rare.
His success and generosity weren't entirely unknown, and the oldest generation of Scots were very familiar with the Buttercup Dairy shops. Many also knew the name Andrew Ewing. The story of giving away all of the eggs laid on a Sunday was also relatively well known at one time, although those who knew the story – and I have spoken to a few - never knew that it was over 100,000 a week!
There is no doubt that since I wrote and publicised The Buttercup, the story has spread, and Edinburgh Council recently announced plans to build a new city park - to be known as the Buttercup Farm Park. How much of that decision was due to my book – published the year before – is not clear, but it must have had an impact.
Some local history societies are now featuring the Buttercup and Andrew Ewing on their websites and the story is beginning to be associated with Buttercup antiques. It is not yet mainstream, but that will take time and at least the seed has been sown. The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company http://www.buttercupdairycompany.co.uk/
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