In 1871, the Nottinghamshire Guardian carried an article about St Ann’s Allotments and the joy of manure… “The gardens average 400 square yards, and one of the gardeners told me that he generally bought from 4 to 5 tons of manure each year!… All the crops grow, as it were, in dung; the roots find…
At a time of year when we think more of others, the Nottingham Journal of 28 and 31 December 1867 reported on a court case involving a child… On 28 December 1867, a young boy by the name of Thomas Hogg was brought before magistrates at the Borough Police court. He was 10 years old…
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…
It’s that time of year when we begin to harvest those prize fruits, vegetables and flowers that we’ve been nurturing all year. Back in August 1871, the “hard-handed mechanics” of St Ann’s Allotments “gently and lovingly” handled their roses: “They cut them affectionately, set them up tenderly, and the Roses respond by displaying their full beauty. It is impossible…
From my first visit to St Ann’s Allotments, around 3 years ago, I knew I had to have a plot here. There was a certain magic to the place. No, I’m not a witch! I don’t mean weird midnight rituals and other dubious practices. I mean a real feeling of wonder and childlike glee at being immersed in a natural environment brimming…
Have you seen those very posh summerhouses at some of the larger garden centres? They tempt you inside and then you catch sight of the price. £10k, £15K or £20K. No problem. I’ll have two. And what about buying one of those expensive super-duper barbeques that the British weather will only allow me (or rather my wife)…