This is a photo of a spade in soil.

Soil by Paul Freeborough

Since lockdown, there has been an outbreak of skips where I live. People have been taking the opportunity to alter or add to their house and garden. Sadly, in one particular case, I noticed that the majority of the content of one skip was top-soil. I didn’t know the people who lived at the house,…

Onions by Paul Freeborough

With Christmas approaching, you may be thinking of presents for your nearest and dearest. Five gold rings would be nice, or even a partridge in a pear tree. How about a string of onions?  Before World War II, 90% of onions, a staple of British cooking, were imported into Britain, although they could so easily have been grown in British…

1851 Census by Paul Freeborough (Volunteer)

I’ve been watching a documentary on TV about Kensington Palace and was interested to note that the visiting public are not shown around by Tour Guides, but by Explainers. I know that job titles are forever being changed, but I never thought that Guides would be replaced by a more descriptive word. At STAA, we guide visitors around St Ann’s Allotments, but most of our…

Summerpods by Paul Freeborough (Volunteer)

I have previously written about summerhouses on St Ann’s Allotments during the 19th century. They provided gardeners with shelter, along with partying and storage facilities. Shortly before the outbreak of World War II a shelter proposal under the Hungerhill Gardens, rather than over them, was suggested.  In a city that is on the edge of a mining area, where thousands of men are living who know all…