St Ann's Allotments
One of the sites many allotments
The St Ann’s Allotments site is a very special and unique allotment site. It is the
oldest and largest area of Victorian detached town gardens in the UK, and is listed Grade 2* by English Heritage. The site covers 72 acres and sits on the border of St Anns and Mapperley.
The allotments are witnessing a renaissance after many decades of neglect. People lost interest in allotment gardening from the 1960’s onwards and the site became neglected and overgrown. Since the early 1990’s several local groups and many individuals have worked together to get support for the restoration and improvement work, which is now underway. These improvements and an increase in interest in food growing generally has created a waiting list for an allotment on the site.
In 2008 The Heritage Lottery Fund, East Midlands Development Agency, Government Office East Midlands and Nottingham City Council agreed to provide £4.5m to cover capital expenditure and running costs over five years. The Renewal Trust has a Lease and Management Agreement for thirty years with Nottingham City Council. STAA Limited is employed by the Renewal Trust to manage the site and fulfil the requirements of the funders which combine researching and promoting the history of the site, continued development of the Community Orchard and actively managing the site and its population of several hundred tenants.
Improvements to date include the sinking of a bore hole to access ground water below the allotments, the laying of over 9,000 metres of water pipe work, 8,400 square metres of roads have been resurfaced, and 51 kilometres of hedges have been cut back and made manageable again. Electronic gates and improved fencing has made the site more secure for tenants and visitors. Over 100 plots have received new gates. To date over 40 plots have been brought back from a state of total dereliction to productive use. Further derelict plots will be restored before the end of the 5 year project.
A further 60 plots have been set aside as managed wildlife areas, this is because the site is listed as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC). The wildlife areas are located on the difficult plots where the slope or ground conditions make gardening difficult.
The project as a whole has supported many local jobs and today provides employment for up to 13 people. The project has focused around improving skills and qualifications and helping to support regeneration in the area. Partnerships are being formed to take the preservation and restoration work forward.
One surprising find in the project was the wealth and diversity of fruit trees on the site. Part of the project has been to identify and propagate plants. So far over 140 varieties of apple trees and 40 varieties of pear tree have been identified and many of these are being propagated as new fruit trees as part of the ‘Hungerhill Fruit Tree project’ (see STAA web site). This aims to distribute nearly 2000 fruit trees to site tenants and local community groups. This specialist project has supported skills development as well as the promotion of affordable healthy eating.
An allotment centre is planned for 2012 which will be a focal point for visitors to the site and provide a meeting place for gardeners. Display gardens will be developed which will help to portray the history of gardening in the context of this site. Some of the original Victorian Summerhouses have been refurbished and a notable glasshouse is being fully restored. Staff and volunteers have researched the history of the site, including the famous St Anns Rose Show, the campaign to save the allotments, and the setting up of the Community Orchard.
This is a managed access site, but STAA and others run regular activities, open days and tours to ensure that as many people as possible visit the allotments. There are also opportunities for volunteering with the organisations on site.
City residents may apply to the waiting list for an allotment (current waiting period 18- 24 months ). For more information please see:
This is a copy of the review document prepared for the Heritage Lottery Fund and records some of the experiences and learning points we found during the first three years of this project.
This is a copy of the review document prepared for the Heritage Lottery Fund and records some of the experiences and learning points we found during the first three years of this project.