THE ALLOTMENT Its Past, Present and Future A conference organized by the Rural History Centre, University of Reading, UK. Saturday 31st May, 2003.

Allotments make a vital contribution to contemporary life, providing us with good food, physical exercise and mental well-being, benefiting the environment, bringing communities together and acting as 'green lungs' in our congested cities. Yet never before have allotments been so threatened, by luxury housing, supermarkets, industrial estates and any number of other socially questionable developments. This conference is for everyone with an interest in allotments, whether you have one or not. It will reveal how rich the history of allotments is &endash; we will be asking what the origin of allotments was, why they had such a high political profile in the nineteenth century, and how they have retained their relevance throughout the immense social changes since that time. We will also be looking at the culture of contemporary allotments - can they be seen as an art form in themselves? The conference will include contributions from people who have been involved in campaigns to protect, improve and promote allotments, both locally and nationally. Throughout, we will be looking at how understanding the past and present of allotments can help us to ensure that they continue to flourish in the twenty-first century and, let us hope, long after.

Programme:

• 10.30 Dr Jeremy Burchardt (University of Reading) &endash; 'The Promised Land' &endash; Rural Allotments in the Nineteenth Century
• 11.00 Dr Phillada Ballard &endash; Guinea Gardens &endash; Early Urban Allotments
• 11.30 COFFEE
• 12.00 Sarah McNicol (University of Wolverhampton) &endash; Allotments in theTwentieth Century: Family Connections
• 12.30 Sam Badger (University of Wolverhampton) &endash; Working-class Self-Provision in the Mid- Twentieth Century: Coventry and the Black Country 1930-1970
• 13.00 LUNCH
• 14.00 Geoff Stokes &endash; The National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners
• 14.15 Professor David Crouch (University of Derby) &endash; The Art of Allotments
• 14.45 Jenny Cottee (Tilehurst) &endash; The Tilehurst Allotments Campaign
• 15.15 TEA
• 15.45 Michael Wale &endash; Inner City Allotments Today and Tomorrow
• 16.15 Dr Richard Wiltshire (University of London) &endash; Thinking the Undiggable: A Future Without Allotments?

The cost of the conference, including registration fee, lunch and refreshments, is £25.00. To register, please complete the form below and return to Dr Rachel Stewart, Rural History Centre, University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 229, Reading, RG6 6AG, UK. Please book early as numbers are limited.

Conference Organiser: Jeremy Burchardt

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I wish to attend The Allotment: Its Past, Present and Future' and enclose a cheque for £25.00, made payable to 'The University of Reading'.

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