Littleover Lane Allotments

History

Littleover c1930s. Image reproduced courtesy of Picture the Past

During the 18th century up to seven million acres of land was enclosed through a series of private acts of enclosure. This culminated in the General Enclosure Act of 1845. Enclosure was part of a general drive towards the elimination of small tenants and common lands, with a corresponding increase in the wealth and power of major landowners. This lead to the high numbers of dispossessed tenant farmers and labourers and increasing concerns about vagrancy, tackled mainly through increasingly savage Poor Laws.




W. Cobbett

Social reformers such as William Cobbett had been calling for the poor to be given a portion of land, and in 1815 the Labourer's Friend Society was formed.The LFS promoted the idea of allotment grounds as they became known, and gave practical advice on forming committees and drawing up tenancy agreements.



By 1830 the idea had taken hold and allotment grounds increased in number. The 1845 Enclosure Act stipulated that provision be made for the landless poor in the form of 'field gardens' limited to a quarter of an acre and by 1875 there were nearly a quarter of a million allotment grounds in Britain.



The First World War

prompted renewed interest in allotments, and by the end of the war there were up to 1.5 million sites. This could be one reason why the Littleover site was started, as it was in 1920 that a group of like-minded local householders purchased the 11 acres of land near their homes. They formed the Littleover Lane Allotments Association Limited (LLAA) in order to protect the land from development. The site was divided into 170 plots, and local residents were invited to become members of the association.



New members were required to purchase shares at the rate of 21 shares per standard plot, each share costing 10 shillings (50p at today’s prices), a total of £10.50. In 1920 this was a considerable investment, the average wage for a tradesman being between 10 shillings and £2 per week.



Today, this land is still owned by LLAA; plot holders are tenants of the association and pay an annual rent for their plots. There are currently 171 plots, although the plot numbers run to the mid 180’s as some plots have been used for other purposes over the years.

Origins of the word "Allotment"


The Oxford English Dictionary gives the definition:

"A portion of land assigned to a special person, or appropriated to a particular purpose. spec. A small portion of land let out for cultivation."

The OED gives 1674 as the earliest known use of the word specifically

in this context.
 

Museum of Garden Implements


The LLAA has its own museum on site, displaying a fascinating collection of tools, machinery and other gardening paraphernalia from years gone by.

 

1920: A good year for gardening in Derby - the Qualcast mower arrives!


1920 was the year the LLAA formed; it was also the year the first "Qualcast" cylinder mower was produced at the Derwent Foundry in Derby!



Qualcast was formed as a seperate company in 1928 and went on to become world leaders in lawnmower production. The Derby foundry finally went into voluntary liquidation in 2006, although the brand name lives on.
 

Further Reading:


If you're interested in the history of allotments, try the following books:



Burchardt, Jeremy.


The allotment movement in England 1793-1873.
London: Royal Historical Society. 2002.

Crouch, David, and Colin Ward.
The allotment: its landscape and culture. Nottingham: Mushroom. 1994.

Page updated: 03 July 2009
Copyright © 2009 Littleover Lane Allotments Association