Glasgow Allottments

smckenzie · Glasgow Allottments

Dear All, just found this wee gem of a website - I love it and have always wondered where all the other people like me were hiding i.e. fascinated with disused buildings and before and after pics, to top it off you have a section for uncovered shop signs (my first love).

But back to my new topic, I have recently been attending an allotment group, these places are like stepping back in time - seriously the amount of abandoned or overgrown huts, sheds, bits and bobs lying around from a different era are everywhere. I have only been to Mansewood where the numbers of the plots start at 143, there are now only 22 plots on the site and I would be interested to know where the other hundred went and when. There are about 17 sites in Glasgow some council owned others privately run. there is a big strategic plan to get them modernised etc and I reckon some record of these as they are - pre modernisation should take place.

They are generally hidden behind tenements or in parks and seriously I asked a local man who has his own website dedicated to the area about them and he didnt know they existed.

Bit long winded - But a bit excited after finding this website.

falseface

Hello smckenzie
and welcome to UG. when you organizing a day out for a trip round the allotments? I've been to the one just up from Springburn, and its massive

F

zolita1908

I've always wanted an allotment. But when i applied they said it would be 10 years or more!

cybers

There used to ba a huge allotment where Celtic used to train on London Road. As a kid it was a great source of rhubarb

Also a set of plots on Edinburgh Road just before it becomes Alexandra Parade.
Round that way today in fact might see if i can grab a photo ....

It used to be all flat capped wee guys with a shovel.... Well the ones that chased us were .... Is it still the same ? or is it Shellsuited Bobs as there is a growing demand for growing weeds now ?

james73

Hello smckenzie, welcome to UG.

There's an allotment at Provan Road, before you get to the gasworks. It's on
the opposite side of the road next to the old Possil to Rutherglen railway. This
line is going to be obliterated shortly as it will be turned into the East End
Regeneration road. This might affect some of the allotments?

James H

smckenzie

Gosh - dont know when to organise a day? As you said many of these places will be moved to new sites to make way for development (already some new ones looking very sterile over at Victoria Park end). And we will lose all the history with them.

I would think that most committees would be happy if asked to show a visitor round.

No there not full of shellsuits - its a really mixed bunch from your very, very old member who has been there for years - to the young beautiful ones such as myself (well that might be a slightly inflated view).

I will take some pics and try to source some old ones to do a comparison.

Are quite a few of you from Victoria Road? I was brought up there and only moved further out a couple of years ago. The queens cafe is the best - but tomorrow I am off to Boni's for some. SM

elgee

There are smashing , well kept allotments at Trinley Brae in Knightswood.

wee minx

A good day out at an allotment

Maybe even get to take home a nicely trimmed bush and some juicy melons

Scary

falseface

Scary

Alex Glass

There are allotments within Pollok Park. You can see them from the train as it gets to Pollokshaws Station. The allotments are next to the ne flats that are being built next to the railway line.

There were allotments in Priesthill. Sadly they were removed years ago. They were near where Priesthill/Darnley station is now.

smckenzie

We are from all over Glasgow. There are a couple of us from the Southside. The Council have issued a consultation on Allotments. Do you have a copy of it. If not I can arrange a copy for you.

As for the history of Allotments. I will ask to see if anyone knows anything about where records may have been kept.

poodiecat

From an old pre-M8 map I can see there were quite a few around the Kinning Park area, too. So sad they're all gone now

smckenzie

Thanks for all the input guys, I need to get my ass in action and take this forward. I have the consultation document and have read through some parts but not others.

I will have a think over the next couple of days and start to get things moving.

S

glasgowken

There's a few behind the Scotstoun showground

Xeno

escotregen

smckenzie a whole new world could be opening up for you...

The Annual Scottish Allotments Conference - 21 June, Dunblane

Note: Attendance at the Conference is free but a donation of £5 for coffee and lunch would be appreciated. Which means that the tea ladies will probably be kerrying to make sure you're relieved of your fiver, but that seems a bargain.

Mind you when you look at the programme, it's heavy stuff, really meant for the professionals. I'll bet that the fun bit is the 'members-only' visit to a local hosterly afterwards.

I love the acronym - SAGS

www.sags.org.uk/StopPress/SagsConference

scallopboy

Is it a BYOC (Bring Your Own Cabbage) affair?

smckenzie · Bring your own cabbage

Thanks for the info on the SAGS conference, I have been working non stop just now and have had no time to get the camera out and post some pics.

Will need to go along and suss out the politics of it all as i think there will be many plot holders (especially the old die hards) there.

I liked the comment about bring your own cabbage - believe me in allotment land that is a very true statement!.

Sharon

Smartalex

At the moment, a section of land at the bottom of my street has been allocated to build allotments and construction started a few months ago with brand new brick sheds.

Here is the site's location:->Click Me<

I'll take a couple of photo's today and post them up.

There is also another on on Craigpark Drive in Dennistoun which is gated and I've rarely seen anyone in them.

Here is it's location:->Click Me<

Hope this helps,
Alex

cybers

Seen that work getting carried out 2-3 weeks ago Alex meant to ask you about it at the tower...
Many a happy day spent on that wall during my school time doing loads of revision. i have a Gcse in Super lager and a higher in Lanliq... Failed in Old England though the subject sickened me.
Golfhill Allotments I think have been abandoned as the users are all dead now.
No seriously .... I sometimes see people in them but no where as many as i did as a kid...

Erm has anyone noticed the fact that google maps have now disappeared from FlashEarth...
Is this another Domination take over by Microsuss

smckenzie

Thanks Alex, I am heading up to the allotment tomorrow, at last i will take some pics and get these uploaded, interesting to hear about allotments that are virtually abandoned would like to get in there to take some final pics.

the new allotments are pretty bizarre, brick huts as you said - very sterile but i dare say in the years to come they will build up their own character.

All info much appreciated.

Smartalex

Sorry, I totally forgot about the photo's

HollowHorn

Twat. Too much walking to work methinks.

cybers

Smartalex

The last time I walked past the huts for the new allotments there were brick bases, but this must have been the foundations
as they are wooden with metal roofs:-

I'm sorry to say that I'm not sure how long these will last before being broken into and burned down.

smckenzie · That is surely not an allotment hut!

OMG i have never seen a hut like it - thats more like a small bungalow for and in better nick than most council houses. I agree it will be no time at all before these are hammered by some locals.

Our wee huts up at mansewood are a scream compared to these. Will be posting some photo's during the week.

Great photos though - thanks for that

Smartalex

Your welcome

I look forward to your photo's.

Alex.

smckenzie · Photo's about to go online

At last I have taken the photo's - uploaded them onto the home pc and now just have to get them on here,

Watch this space.

smckenzie

At last the allottment pictures, enjoy

smckenzie · More Photographs Mansewood

One of our bespoke sheds!

and another

Some other views... well there would be but my uploads keep failing

Will try some more tomorrow

smckenzie

It is taking ages for any files to upload, and then they keep failing. Any obvious mistakeson my part?

Advice please

HollowHorn

Try Photobucket, I've never had any problem there.

smckenzie

At last uploading actually worked.

[url=http://gallery.myff.org/gallery/284217/Interesting+Shed+2.JPG]

[/url

you can see from our bespoke and designer sheds there is a world of difference to the new council ones.

Alas no more uploading - the gremlins (or I am just sh!te at this) are at work. Will be a slow journey to get them all on.

PS there is an open day on the sixth of July - all welcome.

smckenzie · A few more,

well one anyway

Fjord

What organic delights are you growing sMcK?

smckenzie

Just a bit of everything, the usual carrots, tatties, leeks, herbs, strawberries, onions, lettuce - some courgettes, squash, toms and not forgetting turnip.

my other half does loads of the work - while i make tea and look pretty (well not quite).

Best thing is having a flask (tea or other tipple) with you and talking nonsense while watching the stuff grow. Very sociable and political wee place.

Never thought it would be my kind of thing but suprisingly it is a haven away from the sometimes madness of this wonderful city.

(not so great when the weather is as it is today though)

wee minx

I had raspberries and blackberries yesterday..from tesco

..bet they taste fantastic straight from their bushes

smckenzie

I would love to say that they taste better from the bush than Marks and Spencer but I would be lying!

The cucumbers taste amazing and some fruits are bloody hard to grow, could make a joke about straight from the bush but I won't.

falseface

smckenzie

Ah Falseface I can't - don't know you all well enough yet.

(your new face is much more forgiving, the last one was a wee bit scary!)

wee minx

Craigton

Marc09 · HOW TO GET AN ALLOTMENT

I am just new here

Can someone please help me, I want an allotment and I dont know where to begin.

fastnet

Welcome to the site Marc.

I think your best bet is contacting glasgow council.

Here is a link i hope might help.

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Resi.../glasgowcitycouncilallotments.htm

Marc09

I just checked that there, Every single allotment site has a waiting list - Wouldn't it just be better for them to build more, Although I think theres a rule stating if so many residents want a plot in a certain area then they have to get them.

Damn council

Smartalex

Hello Marc I merged your post into this thread as it may help with your query.

Welcome and all the best,
Alex.

Marc09

No bother, Has anyone any ideas? I'm a beginner beekeeper - Just waiting to aquire a bit of land to keep on, Such as an allotment, And let's face it, Their the best thing for plants and the enviroment and so on. Any ideas how I could get land pronto? I'm ready to sart soon as I can get land....

Thanks

streapadair

Council site says no waiting list for Springburn.

Marc09

Thanks very much for that, I'm gonna get onto them ASAP then,

I just hope the others there like Bees

Lone Groover

An allotment is a big garden like space that you have to dig and snip and do all sorts of mud related things to. It will measure yards and yards long by yards and yards wide.

You don't need that much space to keep Bees.

Even a big Bee would fit in a matchbox. Or a jar.

Hope this helps.

tombro

That's true LG, but I think Marco might be looking to gain a little advantage from farming his bees and I don't think you can get all that much honey into a matchbox.

Also, the number of bees needed to produce that honey would mean a helluva lot of matchboxes in this world of an ever decreasing number of smokers !

Tombro

wee minx

Maybe they could STRIKE a happy BEEDIUM.....or is that too out of the BOX!.......ah will get ma jaekit

Doorstop

It's on the last nail on the board .. the shaky one.

penguinmonkey

Doorstop

2 shoogly pegs? .. someone should call a handyman or something.

cybers

Glasgow Allottments

Bring your own cabbage

That is surely not an allotment hut!

Photo's about to go online

More Photographs Mansewood

A few more,

HOW TO GET AN ALLOTMENT