Allotment Committee

 No, please don't stop reading!

This is the second committee meeting minutes book (B) for the Camp
Allotment Society which was launched in 1914.

We all know committee meetings are one of life's least interesting punctuations in our lives if we have ever found ourselves "on the committee" for whatever activity has taken our fancy.  The procedures have probably changed little over the past one hundred years, and we now have the opportunity of proving it in a modest way.  A few years back a copy of the Camp Allotment Society's minute book for the period 1922-23 came into the possession of the now defunct Fleetville Diaries.  While the pages are certainly far from a riveting read they do provide an interesting insight into the way land was – and still can be – managed by members of the local community; a direct derivation of the mid 19th century enclosures.  Small plots of ground were made available cheaply for those without gardens or living in cramped city accommodation, including flats.

Allotment ground at Springfield, between Cell Barnes Lane and Camp Road in 1927. The back
gardens appear to be fully worked and an extension to the allotments are already marked out
ready for occupation.  Compare with the same ground below.
COURTESY BRITAIN FROM ABOVE

The same Springfield Allotment ground in the 21st century.
COURTESY GOOGLE EARTH

As cottage or terraced homes with tiny rear gardens were built in the Camp and Fleetville, allotment grounds were allocated to residents who required them on a nearby field.  There were examples of common growing spaces on spare building plots between houses, which may have only remained worked for a few years as new homes grew around them. The management of these grounds in the early days is unknown but may have been directly via the Council as the wartime allotments were, but by 1914 the Camp Allotment Society (SOC) had been formed.

But the largest single allotment site, comprised of several fields or part fields, developed in the late 19th century and at its height remained a huge vibrant growing zone with several hundred plots until the 1950s, after which much of it was nibbled away for new residential developments.  The Camp Allotments, now much smaller in area is, however, still thriving.  From the back of Camp Road houses to Cell Barnes Lane, and even as far as London Road in places; and from Hill End Lane or later Drakes Drive to parts of the Gaol Field on the boundary of upper Camp Road facing the town.  Until, that is, until the houses came along.

Stephen Simmons working his allotment behind Windermere Avenue 
c1925.

While there were several other allotment grounds in the city, it appears CAS was frequently referenced as an exemplar body by the Council for other potential organising groups. It recommended prospective committees maintain contact with the way things are done at CAS.

It's "headquarters" building was in Guildford Road, no doubt the base for its meetings and the site of a members' shop where allotment holders could purchase a range of accessories, seeds and other items. By purchasing in bulk the Society was able to re-sell co-operatively at lower prices.

Camp Allotment Society headquarters and members' shop was in Guildford Road.  The site of this former building is now housing.
COURTESY MIKE KING

Here are a few notes from meeting minutes during the year 1922-23. The cost of hedge trimming around Allotment Field was £1.10s (£1.50).  For those of us owning sheds, the felted roofs were in frequent need of repair.  Notice boards were acquired for various locations around the allotments area. The acquisition was from one or more members who had voluntarily constructed the boards. There was a good balance in the account and it was proposed that some of this was to be transferred to a savings account.  New members were accepted by being formally proposed and seconded in traditional style.

Wartime allotment ground adjacent to Beechwood Avenue (left).  The L shaped roads are
Chestnut Drive and Woodland Drive north.  Although the image was taken in 1946 it appears
that while fully laid out not all of the plots had probably been worked during the wartime
years.
COURTESY HISTORIC ENGLAND RAF SURVEY

For those who wish to read the fine detail of the Allotments Act 1922 it is freely available online.  CAS worked at it the old-fashioned way; one committee member received a copy of the Act, probably from His Majesty's Stationery Office, and then gave a lecture on its  provisions at a subsequent meeting for members.

SOC was purchasing in large quantities; for example, one thousand poultry rings, half a ton of corrugated iron.  A quarter bushel of broad beans were ordered (a bushel was seemingly equivalent to 25 kilograms, but this was related to corn; the density and therefore mass of beans might be different – any ideas?)

A section of the  Springfield Allotments in recent years.

Contributions of vegetables were requested for a stall being run in aid of the District Nursing Association.  There was much discussion about adherence to "Rule 2 of the Allotment rules".  This will only mean something to the rest of us, of course, if only we knew what rule 2 was all about – any ideas?  Pegging out the boundaries of more allotments indicated SOC was still expanding.

Warning: as I plough through the minute book other gems are likely to be revealed, and the length of this post may therefore become extended during the next few days!

One member of the committee is co-opted onto the City Council's Allotments Committee; in 1923 this was Mr Bennett.  Members who had purchased King Edward seed potatoes from the stores were  asked to return any bad examples to the stores – clearly CAS had acquired a suspect batch.  The City Surveyor offered CAS quantities of ash from the dust destructor.  A members' lecture was given by Mr Braybrook on the topic of artificial manures.  Much discussion was had over several meetings on the purchase of pea and bean sticks.  It was decided to display "Notices of Trespass" on the allotments'   noticeboards.  This was followed by a decision to acquire wire netting to cover the windows of the hut, suggesting that these two items were connected. Mr Mardell was asked to clear rabbits from the hedge around the allotments.  The committee discussed the possibility of purchasing a plot of land in Hedley Road for a store; another possibility could be land in Sutton Road.  Two members were to be paid to cut the weeds on allotment ground not currently under cultivation.

And so the daily and weekly routines of organising the Camp Allotment Society continue their seasonal cycles; which probably replicated those of countless allotment groups across the nation in the 1920s.  Indeed allotment club sheds or garages are still opened for store sales on weekend days, while providing opportunities for keen members to engage in cultivating conversations.  In fact, wherever two or more allotmenteers gather around their plots you will find tips and trials will be mulled over and sample harvests exchanged among neighbouring friends.  Very social!