Manor Garden Allotments
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manor Garden Allotments (as they generally known) are allotment gardens occupying 4.5 acres between the River Lea and the Channelsea River in Hackney Wick, East London, England. They are also sometimes referred to as Eastway Allotments, particularly in the 2012 Olympics planning application documents.
The gardens were established in 1900 by Major Arthur Villiers, director of Barings Bank and philanthropist, to provide small parcels of land for local people in that deprived area to grow vegetables. In keeping with conditions of Villiers' bequeathal that the allotments be maintained in perpetuity, the 80 individual plots have been tended for over a century by a tight-knit community. Many members belong to long-standing East End families, with some individuals present since the 1920's. However, in keeping with the area's increasing diversity, numerous more recent joiners represent a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds.
At present, the future of Manor Garden Allotments is in question, due to plans for the land be used instead for a concrete walkway leading to the Olympic Stadium being developed for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The proposal is being fought by the plotholders and a support group under the banner of lifeisland, who have started an electronic petition to be presented to the Prime Minister.
