Poverest Allotments
The site occupies approximately 4.5 hectares (11 acres) to the east of Poverest Recreation Grounds. The main entrance and office is located at the south east corner of the site at the top of Footbury Hill Road, Orpington (postcode BR6 0HP). Zoom in/out on the map.
Got any surplus produce? We now have an arrangement with a local organisation TBB Food Partnership who are always happy to accept produce in good condition. Denis McCarthy (plot 47B) is our site contact. Donations may be left on his plot or on the 'sharing table' next to site office on Wednesdays ready for Denis to take to the organisers on Thursday.
'The Shed' is situated just inside the Main Gates. This acts as Site Office,
Shop and Meeting Room. Also within the same block is the store room and both male
and female toilets.
The office is open on Sundays during the warmer months between 1000 and 1200.
There is usually a stock of compost, canes
and some other items for sale. The Company own a few items of equipment such as
mowers and strimmers which may be used by members for which a small donation is requested
to cover cost of fuel and maintenance.
In the area near the Shed there are bunkers holding manure and wood chippings (depending on availability).
From time to time other items such pallets and wooden planks may be left in this area. These are all
available for members to use on their plots. Another bunker near the centre of the site may also
contain manure.
At the north west corner of the site is a second entrance gate leading onto the Recreation Grounds which is convenient for those walking from Locksley Drive.
-The following information about Poverest Allotments was derived by studying old maps and aerial photographs. What is lacking is precise information of when the site was established and when changes were made. Any help with this would be very much appreciated. Please contact me by email at brih147@gmail.com
The following information about Poverest Allotments was derived by studying old maps and aerial photographs. What is lacking is precise information of when the site was established and when changes were made. Any help with this would be very much appreciated. Please contact me by email at brih147@gmail.com
With regard to the Poverest site the earliest reference I have found is in Hansard of 1908 where questions are asked if Orpington Parish Council has made any provision for the use of allotments. The response was that an area of 9 acres had been identified but no purchase had been made. This may have been a first tranche since the area covered by the Poverest site amounted to some 25 acres. The year 1908 has also been found by another researcher.
By examining old maps the area covered by the Poverest site can be identified as early as 1910 but it is not actually labelled as 'Allotment Gardens' until 1933. This lack of labelling is also true for the Lower Road site which has a recorded history beginning in 1895.
At its full extent the Poverest site had a northern boundary runnning along the same line as at present but extending westward to the footpath in the Recreation Ground linking the Locksley entrance and the Bowling Green and extending eastward to the footpath joining Bridge Road and Goodmead Road. The southern boundary enclosed the strip of land up to the roadway running to the Bowling Green and followed a similar line to end of Goodmead Road.
The full Poverest site remained intact until around 1974 when the area beyond the eastern boundary was used for housing in a joint initiative between the local council and the builders Wates. The new houses initialy being offered to public sector workers such as nurses and police.
The next map found is dated 1983 and shows the eastern section built on and the southern boundary as it is now. An aerial view of 1986 shows the western boundary moved to the present location with a thin wire fence in place but by 1992 a hedge has established along the border.
In attempting to discover when the Poverest site originated I found a charming piece entitled "Growing up in Orpington" where the writer tells of her childhood and mentions visting the allotments with her father from their home in Elmcroft Road. This is in the early 1920's and may not be the Poverest site but she also mentions Poverest Recreation Ground and the stream at the bottom of the hill. She also mentions some gravel pits next to the allotments - the 1910 map shows some unlabelled detail at end of Goodmead Road adjoining the site which could be these gravel pits.
If it was the Poverest site then the allotments probably originated during or before World War I but it is quite a big site able to accommodate some 300 plots and at the time Orpington was little more than village.
Plots vary a great deal in size. The traditional size of a plot was 10 square rods (approximately 250 sq mts in metric units). This was considered to be the amount of land required to provide the average family with a year round supply of fruit and vegetables. The Poverest site was originally laid out in these units but for various reasons plot boundaries have shifted over time. Most full-size plots are now divided into two half-plots and this is the basic unit now let. Depending on position size can vary between 100 and 120 sq mts. Plots are seperated by a one metre access path which should be maintained jointly by neighbouring tenants.
Applicants must be resident in the London Borough of Bromley and pay their local taxes to the council. There is usually a Waiting List so enquiries should be made by email to the Membership Secretary asking for the current situation or by calling at the site office on a Sunday morning (April - October).
If a plot is available the applicant will be asked to view the plot and if they find it suitable will be invited to sign the Tenancy Agreement and associated Terms and Conditions and pay all appropriate fees.
For the text of the current 'Terms and Conditions' see the Documents section.
| Joining fee | £5 | per member | one off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | £34.50 | per half plot | Annual |
| Deposits * | £60 | per half plot | one off |
* Deposits will be refunded when the plot is released as long as the plot is in a servicable condition. If plot requires work to make it usable by a new tenant the deposit paid will be forfeit.
Annual rents are due on 1 January each year and should be paid by the end of the month. Invoices are sent out towards the end of December. All payments to the Company should be made by Bank Transfer. Other forms of payment (cash, cheque or credit card) will incur a small additional fee to cover bank charges.
In common with all allotment sites within the Borough of Bromley, Poverest Allotments is self governing. A management committee is appointed each year at an AGM held in April. The Committee is responsible for all aspects of the running the site including setting and collection of rents. Money collected for rents is retained by the Company and used to pay the Site Lease to Bromley, purchase of equipment, all other maintenance and running costs and any activities members wish to organise.
All members of the Committee offer their services voluntarily and positions are honorary.
A great deal of the maintenance work and general running of the site is carried out by Committee Members but there is always scope for other members to assist. Work parties are organised from time to time for specific tasks such as clearing roadways and regenerating plots left vacant. All members are expectedto contibute in some way with these tasks at some point during the year.
The main medium for communication with members is by Email. Notices are sent by this method and Newsletters circulated periodically. There is also a Notice Board outside the Shed.
For Facebook users there is a 'closed group' which can be used for dialogue between members. Contact the Membership Secretary to join or get an existing member of the group to invite you.
This website contains mainly static information but an attempt is made to keep the information as up to date as possible.
The 'Docs' section contains a large amount of current reference information.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Canes(2.4m/8ft) | £0.80 |
| SupaGrow Compost 50l bags | £4.50 |
| SupaGrow Manure 50l bags | £4.50 |
| Item | Suggested Donation |
|---|---|
| Strimmer | £3.00 |
| Mower | £4.00 |
| Rotovator | £6.00 |
The London Borough of Bromley’s biodiversity plan 2021 to 2026 aims to promote coordinated action for conserving, protecting and enhancing biodiversity at a local level. Biodiversity can simply be defined as the variety of life on earth in all its various forms. Our allotments are a critical part of the urban landscape for biodiversity. Joan Vine (plot 69a) has agreed to be the advocate for biodiversity for our allotment site and will be collecting data, for example sightings of specific species and act as a liaison between plot holders, LB Bromley (idverde) and your committee on biodiversity issues.
Joan can be contacted at: joanvine1@mac.com To kick things off, you may notice several clearly marked survey tiles on or around plots. Please do not move them. If you do not want to have one of these tiles on or near your plot, please let Joan or one of your committee know as soon as possible.
This notorious and unwanted migrant has again been spotted in the UK. One of its less charming attributes is its predilection for Honeybees and many hives have been destroyed in France. Sightings should be reported! Further details here..
The following is brief account of what might be seen on sight
Although being in an essentially urban area the allotment site has a number of areas where wildlife can prosper
The following is brief account of what might be seen on sight
Although being in an essentially urban area the allotment site has a number of areas where wildlife can prosper especially the high hedgerows along the south and western borders and the ditch along the north side of the site. There is also an overgrown wooded section in the centre of the site. Other overgrown sections are steadily being reclaimed for plots. A few years ago an attempt was made to create a wild flower meadow but this area has now also been reclaimed. During the experiment around 30 species of wild flowers were identified.
There are always plenty of birds to see including Sparrows, Robins (cheery companions while working your plot), Starlings, Blackbirds (a little braver than robins when there are young to feed and will gather worms vitually from the end of your spade during the spring dig), Thrushes, Blue Tits and Great Tits (often heard if not seen), Coal Tits and Wagtails. Larger species include Magpies, Carrion Crows, Ring-necked Parakeets (will devour your sunflower heads), Woodpigeons (eat anything) and Collared Doves. You may even see a Pheasant or perhaps a Sparrowhawk.
In addition to the smaller rodents Squirrels and Foxes are residents. Badgers are also known to be around and can sometimes be seen at dusk during the warmer months and are apparently quite partial to Sweetcorn.
When coverings are disturbed Frogs are sometimes found underneath if it is warm and damp. Also the most utterly misnamed of our reptiles, the Slow Worm, also likes these conditions. Also called a Blind Worm they not worms, blind or even slow
The allotment provides a great environment for Bees and Butterflies which in turn help in pollinating flowers and crops. There are beekeepers on site so there plenty of Domisticated Bees around but various kinds of Bumble Bees and the smaller Mason Bees are also present. Among the Butterflies to be seen are the somewhat unwelcome Large and Small Whites so Brassica need to be protected. Thankfully there are more friendly species such as Gatekeepers, Small Blues, Red Admirals, Commas, Painted Ladies, Peacocks and others.