The allotments
The allotments are located off Queen's Drive at the rear of the almshouses in Beech Close. The half acre site is currently divided into four whole plots and eight half plots. The yearly rents are £15 for a half plot and £
25 for a whole plot. Due to the increasing popularity of allotment gardening, there is usually a waiting list for plots.
25 for a whole plot. Due to the increasing popularity of allotment gardening, there is usually a waiting list for plots.Although there have been allotments on the site since 1975, it was only in 2008 that the allotment holders decided to set up a formal Allotments Association. Whilst the allotments themselves had been well looked after over the years, the rest of the site had become a little neglected and, since its formation, the Association has made great strides in returning the site to a presentable and productive area.
The Allotments Association
The Allotments Association has 12 members (one for each plot/half plot), all of whom are keen and active both on their own plots and with the Association. The members hold regular meetings and have agreed a new Constitution, a set of Rules and annual subscriptions. The chairman of the Association is John Greenaway and the secretary is Sue Beard.
The Allotments Association collects rent for the individual plots from the allotment holders and pays that rent to Rowington Parish Council, which is the tenant of the site and the provider of the allotments. The Association has raised money to pay for hedge cutting, a petrol mower and a communal shed and is in the process of buying seed in bulk. It organises a rota for grass cutting and arranges regular working parties to maintain the site. The formation of the Allotments Association has galvanised the allotment holders into action such that everyone is now keen to lend a hand and do things without being asked to improve the site. Not only does this benefit all the plot holders but also the people who live in the bungalows that look out on to the site.
The Allotments Association obtained a grant from the Jane Ryland Charity towards the cost of the communal shed and for a plaque for the site as a tribute to Ivor Johnson. Ivor was instrumental in setting up the allotments back in 1975 and was actively involved thereafter until eventually giving up his plot early in 2009.
Contact
For further information about the Allotments Association or the allotments generally please contact John Greenaway by e-mail by clicking or by telephone on 01564 784352.
Some history of the allotments
The Allotments Association is in possession of much of the correspondence from the 1970s when the allotments were first set up and the following history has been gleaned from its contents.
The half acre of ground at the rear of Beech Close is owned by Rowington Almshouse Charity and was, up to around April 1975, allocated to a Mr Rann who intended to build a Post Office and stores on it. On 1 May 1975 the charity trustees were informed that Mr Rann had died and his relatives were no longer interested in the land. The charity trustees therefore wrote to the clerk to Rowington Parish Council and suggested that, if the demand was there, allotments would be an excellent use for the land. The clerk wrote back on 20 May 1975 saying that she would ask the vicar to include in the Church Magazine for July (too late for June) a notice asking for anyone to come forward who would be interested in taking up the Post Office proposal and for anyone interested in cultivating an allotment to inform Ivor Johnson or herself. It was also pointed out that a lease would be required to protect any potential allotment holders for their investment and energies in cultivating their plots. The letter went on to ask that the charity trustees discuss a lease and possible rental before the Parish Council's next meeting on 19 June “as time is rather important to would be gardeners”!
At the Parish Council meeting on 19 June Ivor Johnson said that six people were interested in an allotment plot, which was enough to justify the provision of allotments by the Parish Council. It was thought that the half acre plot would provide eight allotments approximately 30 yards by 10 yards in size at a rent of £2 per annum but the Parish Council could proceed no further until a lease and rental was agreed upon.
A letter from the Parish Council to the charity trustees dated 3 August 1975 discusses who should be responsible for fencing the land and digging the allotments. By that time Ivor had nine people interested, including 3 residents of Beech Close, and therefore suggested half plots for some so as not to disa
ppoint anybody. He proposed a 10 year lease with an option to renew at an annual rent of £2 for each plot (£1 for the first year because they had to dig the plots).
ppoint anybody. He proposed a 10 year lease with an option to renew at an annual rent of £2 for each plot (£1 for the first year because they had to dig the plots).A letter dated 27 August 1975 from the charity trustees suggested a five year lease with a rent of £16 per annum and the individual plot lettings to me made by the Parish Council. Eventually a three year lease with option to renew and a rent of £16 per annum payable at the end of each year in arrears was agreed. The tenancy commencement date was to be 1 January 1976.
A draft agreement was drawn up by Samuel Davy & Son, Chartered Surveyors, at the beginning of November 1975. There followed some delay as the allotment holders were consulted about the terms of the agreement and there was some concern about trespass on the grounds of the bungalows that adjoin the allotment ground. The agreement was entered into on 5 January 1976 and, save for some amendments agreed between the charity trustees and the Parish Council in December 2008, continues in force to this day.
The land turned out to be far from ready for allotments as evidenced in a letter dated 19 January 1976 from the Parish Council stating that bricks & builders' rubbish covered the site. It was thought that this was left from the builders who were involved in the proposed shop and Post Office. Ivor Johnson was heavily involved with helping to clear the site and it is understood that he personally dug out many, if not all, the allotment plots.
Warwickshire County Council were consulted as to the ownership of the roadside ditch and they confirmed that its maintenance was the responsibility of the land owner. The Parish Council cleared out the ditch and put in a piped culvert under the road. In October 1978 they also paid for the installation of the water supply to the allotments at a cost of £304.50 plus a further £79.90 for pipe work from the gate. For many years the Jane Ryland Charity made a contribution towards the water rates payable for the water supply.
