For generations, The Quarry has been the heart of Shrewsbury. It's where families picnic, friends meet, children play, and where we hold Shrewsbury Food Festival annually.

During the Second World War, this familiar landscape looked remarkably different.

The manicured lawns were transformed into farmland, ploughed to grow potatoes as part of Britain's famous Dig for Victory campaign, a nationwide effort encouraging communities to produce more food while imported supplies were under constant threat.

This summer, that extraordinary piece of local history was brought back to life at Shrewsbury Food Festival, as the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Bernie Bentick, climbed aboard a vintage Massey Ferguson tractor in the festival's Field to Fork area to recreate the moment captured in a remarkable wartime photograph.

Councillor Bernie Bentick, Kate Jones from Shropshire Rural Support, Richard Lewis & Laura Dixon from Home Farm Attingham

Watching was Richard Lewis of Rodington Heath, whose grandfather, Ernest Beedles, was the man behind the wheel in the original picture.

"My grandfather was asked to plough the Quarry and plant potatoes to help feed the people of Shrewsbury," Richard explained. "The Mayor was sitting on the back of the tractor in the photograph."

The image is an important reminder of how people stepped forward to support their communities during one of Britain's darkest periods.

Richard grew up hearing his grandfather's memories of that day. "He said it was surreal," Richard recalled. "Normally the Quarry would have been busy with people, but because there was a war on, it was so quiet. There was hardly anyone about while he was ploughing."

The Dig for Victory campaign, introduced in 1939 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, encouraged people to turn gardens, parks and open spaces into productive vegetable plots. Potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage became essential crops as Britain worked to reduce its reliance on imported food threatened by German attacks on shipping routes.

The Quarry became one of thousands of green spaces across the country to play its part.

Today, the idea of ploughing up Shrewsbury's most loved parks might seem unimaginable.

"If someone suggested ploughing up the Quarry now, there'd probably be outrage," Richard laughed. "But back then, people understood why it had to happen. Everyone was grateful because it meant more food. Some people worried it would never be put back to grass, but of course it was restored afterwards."

Ernest Beedles farmed in Upton Magna, with farming remaining firmly rooted in the family. Richard's cousin, Alistair Beedles, continues that tradition today from Dorrington.

Richard himself has also remained closely connected to the county's agricultural heritage. As secretary of the Salopian Ploughing Society, he helps organise charity ploughing matches, including events on Home Farm Attingham's land, raising money for Shropshire Rural Support, the charity supported by this year's Shrewsbury Food Festival.

Although the vintage Massey Ferguson displayed at the festival wasn't the same tractor used by Ernest Beedles, it provided a fitting backdrop for visitors to reflect on a story that connects food, farming and community across generations.

For Richard, there was no better place to celebrate that history than the very ground where it happened.

"The Quarry is a good local attraction for everybody within the community," he said. "I think the Shrewsbury Food Festival being at the Quarry is a great thing for food and farming. It's central, easy to get to, and it's the heart of the town with idyllic surroundings."

It felt like a fitting tribute. At a festival dedicated to celebrating local food, farming and the people behind it, visitors were reminded that the Quarry has been feeding the town for much longer than many realise.