Seal Village Allotments

History and Administration

 

HISTORY

In 1871 there was a 2 acre allotment site in the Long Field beside Childsbridge Lane. Whether this is part of the current site or further to the North is unclear. The OS map at this time shows the field which is now the allotments but it is not marked as 'allotments'.

 

However the 1897 OS map does label the current site as 'Allotment Gardens'. There is also an extension (labelled as 'Allotment Gardens') up to around The Shielings almost doubling the acreage of the overall area. Bearing in mind the population of Seal was then only in the hundreds the growing of food was obviously key to the domestic economy. In other words it wasn't the current hobby activity but rather a necessity for survival.

 

The allotment site was owned by Baron Hillingdon and managed by his agent. The 1905 Rental Agreement indicates that the 'rules' were somewhat stringent.

 

After the First World War, in common with many other large estates, the Wildernesse estate was sold all, or in large part, to a developer named Percy Portway Harvey.  Baron Hillingdon had apparently previously gifted the Recreation Ground and the Village Hall to the village so these were not included in the sale.

 

In 1925 Percy Portway Harvey sold and conveyed the current 3.5 acre site to the current Trust that was established for the purpose of maintaining the ‘Allotment Gardens’. The sale price was £227 and 10 shillings. This sum was raised from contributions from plot holders and others in the village together with a £100 mortgage from the National Provincial Bank. The mortgage was paid off in the 1940s.

 

The original trustee body, which included Percy Portway Harvey and Baron Hillingdon's daughter, managed the Seal Village Allotments through a management committee as specified in the Trust deed. This is the approach that has endured to this day. The only significant change the Trustees have made was extending the tenant pool from the immediate Seal Village to also include its surrounding area. The trustees took this decision ca 25 years ago in order to maintain the viability of the site. This was a wise move as now only around half the tenants come from Seal Village.

 

In the 1950s a strip of land (ca 12ft wide) was compulsorily purchased by KCC for road improvements to Childsbridge Lane. This added the complication of our access to the top gate now being over KCC land.

​

​

ADMINISTRATION

The Trust deed stipulates that there should always be a minimum of three trustees. There is now a maximum number of four as a result of Land Registry limitations. In recent times trustees have also been plot holders.

 

The Management Committee, of up to six members including a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Site Manager, performs the day to day running of the site together with the collection of the annual plot rentals from the plot holders. It reports back to the trustees with the annual accounts and proposes a budget for the following year.

 

Following discussion with the Management Committee the Trustees then set the plot rentals for the forthcoming year to balance income with projected expenditure.

The Trust deed requires the trustees to maintain a set of rules and conditions that the plot holders should abide by in order to ensure the effective operation of the site.  These rules are updated when necessary with plot holders being advised when changes have been made. The up-to-date rules are always published on our Rules and Conditions page.

There is an annual SVA plot holders meeting, which usually takes place in the early spring. A key part of the meeting is the election of new and/or re-election of existing Management Committee members, by the plot holders, for the following year.

​

When issues arise that the Management Committee have difficulties in resolving they can be referred to the trustees for their assistance.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​