lifeisland - Manor Garden Olympic Allotments

Watch it online here
“This Was Forever”, by Mark Aitkin and young filmmakers from polkadotsonraindrops, is about Manor Gardens allotments and the struggle of our community to hold its own in spite of Olympic development for the 2012 games.

This film is one of the Films from the River Lee series - filmed over a year until the allotments were demolished in 2007. Funded by First Light.

Concerns about the construction of the new allotments at Marsh Lane appear to be justified, as any period of heavy rain leaves pools of water on many of the plots and the top layer of soil completely saturated. Any plants that begin growing in these conditions are likely to die when the soil dries as their roots won’t have developed properly. In places the soil is so compacted it is almost impossible to dig, and in other places smells bad or is like a bog. Plotholders had been given no information about the sourcing of the 10000 tonnes of new soil that had to be imported, and it was believed by some to originate from the ‘highly contaminated’ Olympic site, having been artificially cleaned. There have since been reassurances that this is not the case but questions remain about its quality. Continue Reading »

In the first week of November plotholders were finally able to move in and try to start new gardens on the bare new site at Marsh Lane, Waltham Forest - formerly a horse-grazed meadow valued by locals. Most had to give up their plots on the Olympic site in July, abandoning valuable mature fruit trees, asparagus beds, grape vines and swathes of naturalised herbs and flowers.
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Allotment gardener and Evening Standard report Valentine Low has reviewed Thomas Pausz’s Community Shed reconstruction on his blog, ‘One Man and his Dig’.
It has a photo of the recreated shed, and the story of how Thomas discovered Manor Gardens - after wandering in and getting locked inside. At the time he didn’t encounter the fabled Community Shed though, due to its secluded location and the layout of the gardens which can seem like a maze to newcomers.

Funnily enough, when he came to do his project, he realised that the one shed he had not discovered was the community shed. He turned that omission into a virtue, by deliberately avoiding any photographs of the old shed, and instead re-created it by asking plot-holders what it looked like. They all had quite different memories; one recalled there being a photograph of the Queen inside, while another swore blind it was decorated with a picture of a Page 3 girl. Easy to confuse the two, I suppose. His technique explains why his shed - which is currently on view outside the Royal College of Art, next to the Royal Albert Hall - is not an exact replica of the original. I saw it the morning before it was completed, and told Thomas that I thought the original had more carpet, and more comfy chairs. (It was very well appointed, the Manor Gardens shed).

The shed can be seen at the Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore until Feb 7th 2008 - contact Thomas Pausz on 07957374463

PRESS RELEASE 28TH JAN 08 IMMEDIATE

Manor Garden Allotments, demolished in October 07 to make way for a footpath in the Olympic Park continue to inspire.

The Community Shed, once hub of the allotment community, has been reconstructed by M.A. student at the Royal College of Art, Thomas Pausz, using the memories and stories of plot holders.
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REVISITING THE COMMUNITY SHED - installation and event by Thomas Pausz
Opening event: January 28th 2008 6.30 – 9.30
and until February 7th by arrangement with Thomas on 07957374463
Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, SW7 2EU

As part of the Royal College of Art Architecture & Design Interim Show, Thomas Pausz has collaborated with Manor Garden Society plotholders to reconstruct their Community Shed using their memories and stories.

The original shed formed the hub of the century-old Manor Garden Allotments by the River Lea on the border of Newham and Hackney. It was demolished in October 2007 together with the entire allotments and surrounding area, to make way for landscaping of the 2012 Olympic park.

All are warmly invited to attend the event, which will include a plotholder’s meeting, discussion and the showing of a new film by Mark Aitken made at the old Manor Gardens.

Paradise is Hell for Plotholders by Sally Scott, published in Hackney Gazette following the first attempted move to the new site on 29th October 07.

Disgruntled allotment holders have been inconvenienced further after equipment was stolen and damaged during their move to make way for the Olympic Games.

Manor Garden Allotments, whose 100-year-old plots in Waterden Road, Hackney Wick, were bulldozed last month, were finally allowed access to the new site in Marsh Lane, Leyton, on Saturday, but arrived to find tools and greenhouses damaged or covered in mud.
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Young artists, including new Goldsmiths graduates and DAAD scholars, review the pathos of city living at Seven Seven Contemporary Art, 77 Broadway Market, London E8 4PH. Open Thu-Sun 12 till 5.

Artists showing work are Jörg Obergfell, Yo Okada, Debra Scacco, Jan Stradtmann and Rachael Weitzman.

Jan Stradtmann’s ghostly images of illuminated Manor Garden allotment sheds were previously shown at the ‘STOPOVER’ DAAD Scholarship Holder’s 2007 show in October:

His accompanying text from the catalogue reads:

REMAINING CATS ON 2012 OLYMPIC SITE DOOMED UNLESS O.D.A. ALLOW ACCESS AND ENOUGH TIME TO COMPLETE RESCUE WORK say the Celia Hammond Animal Trust. The animal welfare organisation, which has been rescuing trapped cats and kittens at risk of being crushed or starving during demolition and earthworks, is furious at finding itself banned from the site for spurious Health & Safety reasons despite earlier agreements. They describe the situation in full here and a petition has been raised - over 6500 people have already signed from all over the world. Continue Reading »

The latest book by Sam & Samantha Clark, of the Moro Restaurant in Islington’s Exmouth Market, is a beautifully illustrated recipe book with a difference - built on the inspiration of growing produce at Manor Gardens, and the favourite recipes and alfresco cooking styles of their neighbours at the allotments.

Hassan, Reg and other plotholders who feature in the book’s photos were proud to go along to the book launch last Sunday, where they were in demand to sign copies of the book.

Continue for a selection of images from the book, all taken on location at Manor Gardens (the plants, huts and landscape have all now been destroyed.) Continue Reading »