Page 22 - ALG Issue 3 2018 (printable)

Centenary Celebrations
Centenary celebrations for Beaumaris Allotments
At this year’s annual Allotfest event, in addition to enjoying the delicious selection of food produced by allotment holders using the produce from their plots, members of Beaumaris Allotments celebrated their hundred-year history. On display were copies of one of the original leases, items from previous meeting books dating back to the 1960s, and a brief history of the allotments together with aerial photos of the plots over the years. The photos showed clearly how the number of plots had expanded and contracted over the years.
Chairman Jill Anker explained how the call had come from the government, for everyone to “Dig for DORA” and how the local landowner had handed over a “parcel of land” which allowed the formation of the Beaumaris Allotments. She also reminded members how the call to arms at that time had resulted in the loss of so many young people from Beaumaris and the surrounding area. The event was held in the Grand Hall of the former David Hughes School where memorial plaques on the walls listed those who had fallen in the First World War. Everyone agreed how fortunate we are to be able to enjoy our beautiful allotments in peace.
As always the event was very well attended and everyone enjoyed the chance to get together and try some delicious food in good company.
Jill Anker, Beaumaris Allotments
Ilford council mins 5 July 1914, entry about Dagenham allotments found under finance mins.
If you want to delve even deeper and find out about the early plotholders, then census records are a great resource. First, of course, you need names. I found a few names in council records, but not many, and for those that were recorded it was usually for some infraction of the rules. However, that’s OK. Take any information you can find, even if that person didn’t pay the rent on time! In one case
I found a plotholder, William Buck, in the 1901 census. From that record, I found out that he worked as a florist, and his wife, Phoebe, as a market gardener. They had married in 1897 and for Phoebe it was a second marriage. By 1911, 54-year-old William had become
a gardener and moved to an adjacent street, where he and his wife now aged 69, lived with their 13-year-old lodger, Jim Durrant. All three of them appeared to be occupying one room in a fairly small house. One can only surmise that the florist and market garden business did not do well for poor William and Phoebe. It would
be interesting to know if they used their allotment to grow flowers and produce for sale. Although such enterprises were usually not allowed, we know it went on, and at that time, it was not uncommon for plots to be 20 rods or more, so William and Phoebe would have had plenty of room to grow-to-sell.
I hope this article helps you in your research or even spurs you on to start. It’s often not easy nor as romantic as it sounds. I can truthfully say that trawling through 100 years of council minutes was not the most exciting thing I’ve ever done... Still, the upside
is that with such interest in researching allotment history, we can understand much better where the movement has come from and the value of an allotment, should that ever be in doubt. It might also prove a useful tool in the fight to stop sell-offs. We need to remind everyone who threatens allotments that they are not just a place to garden but an integral part of our heritage and our history, and as such, a national legacy to be treasured.
Lesley Acton, Author of Growing Space: a history of the allotment movement
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