History
The Story of
Barton Upon Humber Allotment Society
Barton upon Humber Allotment Society owns the land where originally 63 plots were situated off Dam Road. Each paid up member has a vested interest in the upkeep of the site.
The earliest deed dates back to 1756. A plot of land was separated from the common “West Field” used by all parish farmers until the Enclosures of 1793-6, during which arable land was ‘enclosed’ thus taking it away from the (common) people wanting to grow their own food. A campaign against this led to the Allotments Act of 1887. However insufficient land was provided by councils and a further Act, the Smallholders and Allotments Act, was passed in 1907.
Allotments were initially provided in the town off Caistor Road but in 1933 a Committee was formed to establish an Allotment Society which agreed to rent land on the current Dam Road site from the Barraclough brothers at £12 per year for 5 years. This piece of land was subsequently bought and is now held in trust for members of the Barton upon Humber Allotment Society.
Many old local family names have been involved in the running of the Society: Appleyard, Blackburn, Clipson, Day, Drayton, Fowler, Mager, Newbit, Newmarch, Osgerby and Witter to name a few. The 3 1/2 acre site was originally accessible on foot or by bicycle from Dam Road to the north and a footpath from West Acridge to the south but access was changed following the construction of the Humber Bridge and is now via Gravel Pit Lane.
Today there is a thriving site with a total of 42 full plots and 39 half plots, maintained by both men and women of all ages. The site continues to be developed with a new site shed erected in February 2019,
water provided via a borehole in 2021, and a waterless toilet added in April 2023.
Considerable work was carried out to improve the hedging boundary of the site in autumn 2023 and spring 2024.
The future ............... is yet to unfold!