History

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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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. 

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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.

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 The future ............... is yet to unfold!