ALLOTMENTS
The Parish Council has approximately 150 allotments of various sizes on a 8.5 acre site in Blacksmiths Lane. The Parish Council owned site is one of the largest in Cheltenham and has been in use as allotments well before 1900
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Priority allocation is given to Prestbury residents, followed by people living within one mile of the parish boundaries. For details of the current waiting list and how to apply for an allotment, please contact the Parish Clerk on 01242 575129 E-mail – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Brief History of UK Allotments
The history of allotments can probably be dated back to Saxon times when fields were cleared from the woodland and held in common but after the Norman conquest land ownership became concentrated in the hands of manorial lords, monasteries and churches. Although much of the church lands were confiscated during the reformation in 1540 they were transferred via the crown to the lords.
The first mention of allotments occurred in the late 1500's when allotments of land were attached to tenant cottages during the reign of Elizabeth the First but enclosures of land continued and by the 19th century the pace of change had increased, the General Enclosures Act of 1836 and 1840 making it possible for landowners to enclose land without reference to parliament as along as a majority of them (in value and number) agreed to do so. Of the 615,000 acres of land enclosed only around 2,200 acres were actually to become allotments
The Allotments Act of 1887 obliged local authorities to provide allotments if there was a demand for them and the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 imposed responsibilities on parish, urban district and borough councils to provide allotments
Demand for allotments increased during both the First World War and the Second World War peaking at 1,4000,000 in 1943 followed by a sharp decline to 500,000 in the 1970's. By 1996 there were about 297,000 plots available.
Concerns about how and where our food is produced and the desire for freshness has now seen empty plots filled and waiting lists appear.
(referenced from John Harrison article – www.allotment.org.uk)