History of Rippingale Allotments

The allotment field was purchased from Arthur Wellesley Dean under the Allotment Act 1922, the actual conveyance being signed on 22nd January 1923. The then Rippingale Parish Council had to raise a mortgage of some £450 to purchase the land. As the sum mentioned in the documents was £425 we wonder what the extra £25 was spent on. {Letter - Kesteven CC 16 August 1922}

The original name of the field was "Nunnalees", so how comes the allotments are now known as "Row Gardens"? The conveyance documents of 1923 clearly show the land being purchased as "being known as Nunnalees" and marked as plot 90 on the local ordinance map. However in the bottom right hand corner of the ordinance map there is a pencil note made by someone at the time identifying the field as "Row Garden Allotments". The Row Gardens field is plot 64 and is directly above Nunnalees. When the allotment group was formed the Parish Council took this as being the original name for the field and suggested it was used. It could be said that the allotments have been named after a possible clerical error in 1922, anyway "Row Gardens" has a more pleasant ring to it, and it's stuck now.

The allotment field was well used until about the 1970's and 80's when, like so many allotments throughout England it fell into disuse. A local farmer took on the main part of the field, and it was a couple of years before it could be returned into useful arable land. It has been kept well cultivated ever since in readiness for the renewed interest in allotments. The smaller section running along Station Street was cultivated by a local nursery-man, but unfortunately in his later years the Christmas Trees planted were not harvested leaving a king-sized job in removing them in order to return the land to its proper use.

Below is a selection of the original paper-work including the conveyance documents dating back to 1921 (from the Earl of Ancaster to Arthur Wesley Dean, and 1923 from Arthur Wesley Dean to the Rippingale Parish Council), plus a look into who was using the allotments back in 1922 (before the purchase by the council), 1949 and 1964.