Hungerhill Rd Allotments

[Lotuskid 9]

The police station was at the bottom of Ransom Rd, the hall just a little further up on the same side. I can vaguely recall attending Sunday schooli, it would have been around 1952/3 it was also used by the various youth organisations, Boys Brigade, Lifeboys, Scouts, Cubs, Girl Guides and Brownies all had their

headquarters there. I remember as a lifeboy doing drill practise and longing for the day i was old enough for Boys Brigade so i could join the band and play the bugle.

[radfordred 6,284]

A brilliant article about St Ann's historic allotments.

http://nottinghamhiddenhistoryteam.wordpress.com/2014/08/19/a-brief-history-of-the-st-anns-allotments/

[Cliff Ton 10,453]

This post was originally from carni, but I've fixed a link which wasn't working.

I found this site while having my morning google browse. I enjoyed having a delve. I hope it adds to the collection of information on the allotments.

http://www.discoveringbritain.org/walks/region/east-midlands/view-all/

[mary1947 2,079]

Going back to the allotments as I've said early my dad had one of the largest, now they tell us to eat five a day. On our allotments there was a 20ft green house and a 12ft one which grew cucumbers in 2 sheds full of tools and 4 apple trees 1 pear tree 1 plum tree 12 gooseberry bush's 5 patch's of rhubarb a black and red currant bush and a peach tree. Veg which was grown kidney beans, spuds, cauliflowers cabbage, and the rest. At the bottom of the garden was a summer house with a grape vine in, never did produce any grapes. In the summer house there was one room with a fire place and a hook over with a kettle on, round the corner there was a loo, to my knowledge it had never been used. I wanted to see what it was like so I went though the over grown weeds and there it was just a tin with a wooden plank on it but it was in a brick built shed. My dad used to love his garden even mum use to come and visit with a picnic. Dad used to grow Roses and other flowers for the St Ann's Rose show, he would tender and look after them with love, he would cover the flower heads up so they would not get damaged, but one year some one broke into the allotment and took most of his tools but the worst thing they did was to lop off all the flower heads and just leave the stem.

This was the end for my dad he just gave up and sold the allotment.

But eating five a day is no problem to St Ann's Kids. Whose kin had an allotment. Yet they say that we lived in houses unfit for human habitation. What do the powers to be know?

[carni 10,094]

Wonderful places those allotments mary. I don't recall my Granddad having a toilet of any kind? Perhaps there was a shared one or something home made. The tin and plank rings a bell, but he would be there all day every day. Home from home in his little shed come greenhouse, all the home comforts he could get in there though. I imagine it was his bolt hole. They lived off Alfred St North. Six Daughters and themselves in a two bedroom terrace (plus converted loft), a man needs a break from all those women. Like you say no problem with the five a day. All that veg plus fruit of every kind that could be grown in England.

They all looked after each other, sharing and swapping the things they had grown. Giving produce away from his barrow on his walk home each day. He kept his allotment after his girls had grown and had families of their own. Our mam would walk us up St Annswell Rd, visiting relatives on Robins Hood Chase and Leicester Street on the way. We would come away from the allotment laden with much needed goodies, as mam quickly had a big family herself, as did most people in those days.

Almost forgot his pride and joy. Chrysanthemums and Dahlias. he used to cover the flowers as well, I think the men used to compete with each other. It broke his heart as he got older and couldn't manage the work or the long walk to the allotments. We all have lovely memories of those allotments though.