Patterns of allotment holding in the Black Country, 1914-2000. Sarah McNicol, BSc, MA A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2007 This work of any part thereof has not previously been presented in any form to the University or to any other body whether for the purposes of assessment, publication or for any other purposes (unless previously indicated). Save for any express acknowledgements, references and/or bibliographies cited in the work, I confirm that the intellectual content of the work is the result of my own efforts and of no other person. The right of Sarah McNicol to be identified as author of this work is asserted in accordance with ss.77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. At this date copyright is owned by the author. Signature Date Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr Paul Henderson and Prof John Benson of the University of Wolverhampton who supervised this dissertation for their support and constructive criticism. Also, Dr Martin Gorksky and Dr Roger Leese who provided additional advice especially in the initial stages of the research. I also wish to extend thanks to staff at the local record offices in Walsall, Wolverhampton and Dudley and staff at the Colindale Newspaper library and Mass Observation Archive at University of Surrey for their assistance and also for their interest in my work. Most importantly, I would like to thank all the interviewees who took part in the research for giving up their time and sharing their evident knowledge about and enthusiasm for allotment holding in the Black Country. 2 Abstract Based on the existing literature and supported by images present in popular culture four stereotypes relating to allotments and allotment holders can be discerned: the characteristics of allotment holders; their motivations for taking on a plot; the appearance, atmosphere and culture of allotments sites; and the importance attached to allotment activities. This thesis uses documentary and oral evidence to explore each of these stereotypes in relation to the allotment community in the Black Country between 1914 and 2000 in order to determine the extent to which they have held true throughout this period. The research concludes that, although some aspects of the traditional stereotypes, especially in relation to the characteristics of allotment holders, could be argued to be broadly accurate, many aspects of the existing stereotypes need to be revised. Stereotypes relating to the motivation for allotment holding and importance of allotment activities in particular are far too crude to be a helpful means of investigating these features. By questioning existing views of allotments and allotment holders, this thesis raises issues for the study of twentieth-century middle class and working class cultures in the Black Country and beyond. 3 4 Contents Acknowledgements 2 Abstract 3 1. Introduction 9 Characteristics of allotment holders 12 Social class 12 Gender 16 Age 18 Ethnicity 19 Personal and family characteristics 19 Motivations for allotment holding 20 Economic 20 Personal 25 Political 29 The appearance, atmosphere and culture of allotment sites 30 Appearance 30 Atmosphere and culture 32 The importance of allotment activities 33 Economic 34 Social 36 Personal 40 Conclusions 41 Allotment stereotypes 44 Approach to the research 51 Aims and objectives 51 Sources 53 Documentary sources 53 Oral evidence 60 The Black Country: local background 69 Characteristics of Black Country communities 70 Land management in the Black Country 73 Allotment provision in the Black Country 74 2. Characteristics of allotment holders 81 Social class 82 Age and health 85 Gender 93 Ethnicity 97 Personal and family characteristics 101 Conclusions 105 3. Motivations for allotment holding 109 Economic 110 Personal 118 Political 137 Other factors 139 Conclusions 148 5 4. The appearance, atmosphere and culture of allotment sites 151 The pattern of allotment provision in Walsall, Wolverhampton and Dudley 152 Walsall 152 Wolverhampton 156 Dudley 160 Appearance 164 Atmosphere and culture 183 Conclusions 197 5. The importance of allotment activities 199 Economic 199 Social 204 Personal 225 Conclusions 237 6. Conclusions 239 Bibliography 253 Appendix A: Interviewee profiles 265 Appendix B: Interview questions 271 6 List of tables Table 1: Number of pre-war and wartime allotments in 77 Black Country boroughs Table 2: Allotment sites surrendered 158 List of graphs Graph 1: Number of plots in Dudley, Walsall and 75 Wolverhampton 1917-2000 List of Figures Figure 1: Allotment and Leisure Gardener, The Journal of 45 the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners , 2002, Issue 2 7 8 1. Introduction The practice of allotment cultivation in the twentieth century has been largely ignored by historians, usually featuring only as an adjunct to research centred on other issues such as recreation (Bailey, 1987), self-help (Benson, 1983) or the division of household labour (Roberts, 1995). Allotment holding has, therefore, rarely been the subject of in-depth research in its own right at either local or national level. In particular, there have been few attempts to investigate the motives for, and importance of, urban allotment holding or deal, to any great extent, with the situation in the Black Country. The aim of this research is to investigate patterns of allotment use in the main industrial centres of the Black Country from 1914 to 2000 using oral and documentary sources. The main themes explored are: the characteristics of allotment holders; their motivations for allotment gardening; the appearance, atmosphere and culture of allotment sites; and the importance of allotment activity for individuals, their families and the wider community. This chapter starts with a review of the literature under these four main themes, from which it is possible to discern stereotypes of allotments and allotment holding for each theme. The remainder of the chapter describes the approach which is taken and the methodology employed. Finally, consideration is given to local background factors as the key characteristics of Black Country communities and land use patterns are described. The following section provides a brief overview of the literature which will be reviewed. It is evident that much of the existing literature relates to allotments and gardens in rural localities and to the nineteenth century. A number of researchers have studied the history of allotments in rural areas, for instance Burchardt (1997), whose thesis focused mainly on the south of England, and Archer who himself admitted, “Allotments have largely escaped the historian’s archival spadework, receiving only occasional and sporadic examination” (Archer, 1997: 21). Investigations of allotments in urban areas or in the twentieth century are rare, although some research has been carried out into the history of gardening. Among the most relevant is that by Constantine (1981) who explores the 9 popularisation of gardening as a recreational activity for the working classes as well as elites. Again, however, much of the previous research in this area focuses on the nineteenth century, for example, Veder’s study of English textile mechanics’ flower gardens (2002) and Gaskell’s consideration of Victorian gardens for the working classes (1980). In addition, general studies of gardening rarely reflect in any depth on the ways in which allotments differ from gardens 1. In what is probably the most comprehensive review of allotment history, Crouch and Ward (1997) survey the development of allotments from the early 1700s to the end of the twentieth century. Otherwise work on twentieth century urban allotments is limited. Some studies focus on a local area, such as Moran’s (1990) work on Swindon and Roberts’ (1995) research in Lancashire. These are useful in relation to the study presented here both in terms of considering the methodology adopted and also to compare their findings to the situation in the Black Country. Overall, however, it is clear that there has been insufficient previous research by historians, especially in relation to allotment holding in the late twentieth century, to draw firm conclusions about its development. The dearth of material relating directly to allotment holding in urban areas and in the twentieth century necessitated a widening of the literature search to include more general works by economic and social historians. Hopkins’ (1979) seminal work on the English working classes; Cunningham’s (1990) examination of leisure and culture; Gittins’ (1982) study of family structures; and McKibbon’s (1994) investigation of class and social relations are just a few examples. Where appropriate, writing by contemporary social commentators, is also taken into account, for example, Gibson (1951) and Ellis (1923). In addition, it was necessary to consult research conducted by social scientists, especially geographers such as Thorpe et al (1969) and Kay (1988), and researchers concerned with community development and leisure, such as Bishop and Hoggett (1986) who examined patterns of mutual aid in leisure activities; Clarke and Critcher (1985) who give an overview of leisure in a capitalist Britain; and 1 For example, the fact that they are divorced from the home and are therefore less centred around family life and have more relevance to both community interaction and personal interests outside the family. 10 Parker’s (1983) consideration of the links between work and leisure. Such works from other disciplines helped to fill in some of the gaps in existing historical research, in relation to the age and ethnic profile of allotment holders, their motivation for allotment holding and the management of sites for example. It should be noted that the methodologies adopted by such researchers obviously differ from those of historians, for example, surveys and fieldwork reports are common. In addition to work carried out by academic researchers, the literature review presented below incorporates investigations conducted by the government throughout the twentieth century. These might take the form of evidence to select committees or social surveys 2.