John Weatherstone (1927-2018) was born in Malaya, where his father was manager of the Pontian rubber estate. Like his father and grandfather, Weatherstone became a planter. In 1950, he travelled from England to Ceylon [Sri Lanka] to work on a tea estate located between Kandy and Matale, and then transferred to a rubber estate in the Southern Province. Weatherstone left planting and Ceylon in 1957, settling in Shanklin Old Village in the Isle of Wight, where he established a fine art gallery. He retired in 1987. Weatherstone’s experience of planting inspired a life-long interest. This is reflected in the publication of two books which examine its history: ‘The pioneers 1825-1900: the early British tea and coffee planters and their way of life’ (1986) and ‘Tea-a journey in time: pioneering and trials in the jungle’ (2008). Together these studies document the challenges confronting the early planters in establishing the tea industry in the North East of India and later in Ceylon [Sri Lanka] following the decline of coffee cultivation.