Manor Garden Allotments were allotment gardens occupying 4.5 acres (18,000 m2) between the River Lea and the Channelsea River in Hackney Wick, London, England. They are also sometimes referred to as Eastway Allotments, particularly in the 2012 Summer Olympics planning application documents. They have been temporarily demolished to make way for the Olympic site.
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 were 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 1920s. However, in keeping with the area's increasing diversity, numerous more recent joiners represented a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds.
The Manor Garden Allotments were demolished in October 2007 to make way for landscaping for the London Olympics Park and the plotholders moved to a temporary site. The proposal was fought by the plotholders and a support group named Lifeisland presented an electronic petition to the Prime Minister.
It has however been agreed that the allotments will be reinstated on the original site once the Games are over.[1]