A well-kept secret!
This reborn Nottingham allotment complex – one of the oldest and largest in the world – lies 'hidden' in the middle of the busy city
It should be quite difficult to hide 75 acres of diverse and fascinating allotment plots in the centre of a British city but, despite both its magnitude and impressive longevity, St Ann’s Allotments in Nottingham remains a surprisingly well-kept secret.
Set on undulating slopes on either side of a small valley, the site is one of the oldest and largest allotment complexes in the world. It lies within a series of Victorian town gardens, historically significant enough to be grade II* listed by English Heritage, it comprises 670 allotment gardens on three connecting sites – Hungerhill Gardens, Stonepit Coppice and Gorsey Close.
Back in the day, set just outside the city, this was an area that would have been used for recreation; a pleasant place for the professional classes to stroll or take afternoon tea. And, although the pattern of use changed gradually to one of food growing by working families, the original hedge-boundaries and many summerhouses, glasshouses and sheds still exist.
Against the odds, St Ann’s green space has persisted in a lightly managed state for centuries and, as a result, it's a mecca for wildlife.
“There are uncultivated buffer zones around the periphery of the site and the range of wildlife is amazing in such an urban area,” says allotment manager, Nicola Hinton. “Our birdwatchers have recorded 32 species, including
buzzards, sparrowhawks and kestrels, as well as woodpeckers and finches. We have moth volunteers that run surveys and moth counts, and there are also lots of amphibians, like frogs and toads.”
Nottingham’s history is one of mining and manufacturing and the prospect of employment has attracted people from around the world. This has created a culturally, socially and ethnically diverse community of tenants – and the way that the allotment is used reflects this diversity.
The 200-odd classic apple and pear varieties on the site keep the Community Orchard Project busy, while Gardens for Schools engage a new local generation. Elsewhere, the
Heritage Group has restored a fabulous Victorian greenhouse and enthusiastic volunteers give talks and tours on the site throughout the year, when not assiduously tending their collection of old roses.
The area’s multicultural roots are cherished and celebrated, too. “There are lots of people who came over from the Caribbean for work as part of the Windrush generation, and to this day they still grow unusual varieties of veg, such as callaloo, together with the most wonderful pumpkins and squash.” says Nicola. “They save and grow seeds that originally came from their families – but not exclusively, like all gardeners they focus on things that work in this climate.”
Things at St Ann’s Allotment were not always so vibrant and optimistic, however. During the 1950s and 60s, the area entered a long, slow period of decline. “The allotment had become a derelict dumping ground and the buildings were dilapidated.
There was theft, vandalism and criminal behaviour; the people who had been there for decades didn’t feel safe anymore and the state of the place prevented younger people and families from signing up,” explains Nicola.
But then came the realisation that the site was both historically and environmentally important and that it could be a real asset for the local community. “What we didn’t want was for it to go over to planning and be built on. In 1993 a group of gardeners called the St Ann’s Allotment Campaign started to act to ensure that it was saved.”
The campaign was a glorious success, and over the last 10 years the site has been extensively renovated in a restoration project costing around £4.5 million, which was funded by organisations including the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund. This has included the drilling of a 160m (525ft) deep borehole which allowed the site to come off mains water in 2008, which has delivered significant savings.
“If we were on the mains, we have calculated that it would cost the site around £31k annually, which is the equivalent of what a small village uses,” says Nicola.
The allotment is now popular with local families and there's a long waiting list, which is a testament to its renewed success. “Lots of people round here remember the place from childhood. Some used to come with their parents and grandparents, so they have lots of memories of the site and they want to make a new connection and have a plot of their own,” she says. “But we still have people who say ‘I’ve lived here all my life and I didn’t know it was here’ – so we still have some promotion to do!”