History – CBAG Ltd

Cottingley Bridge Allotment Gardens
1844-1994

A Brief History by Terry Marshall

For the last 150 years the gardeners of Cottingley Bridge have dug themselves not only into the history of Bingley, but also into the allotment movement of the whole country.

It was in 1844, to the sound of music, that the gardens were officially opened on October 11th. The local townspeople assembled at the cricket ground at Beckfoot accompanied by the Bingley Band of Music, resplendent in uniforms recently presented to them by Mr Ferrand. Here they were met by the same Mr William Busfeild Ferrand, a member of the local land-owning Ferrand family, Lord John Manners, Mr Benjamin Disraeli, and several gentlemen of the town. They formed themselves up into a procession and, headed by the Band, set off for the allotments.

On arrival they walked round the large area of ground bordered on two sides of the river Aire, and were agreed that it all looked very fertile and pretty. Then it was back to the cricket ground. After an animated game the procession reformed, and with the Band at its head and with the Church bells ringing in the distance, made its way to the Oddfellows Hall in the middle of Bingley.

Here the tables were spread for about 200 people, to provide dinner for the allotment holders and cricketers as well as the gentry. Above the Chairman’s table, evergreens were hung in festoons, and a flag bearing the motto “THE THRONE AND THE COTTAGE” was suspended above the Chair. In the Chair sat William Busfield Ferrand who only recently had unsuccessfully introduced a Bill into Parliament for the allotment of waste ground. On his right sat Lord John Manners, on his left Benjamin Disraeli. These three Tory Members of Parliament were the very core of the “Young England” movement. To left and right sat prominent local dignitaries and gentlemen, the seats at the lower side of the Chairman’s table being reserved for the allotment holders, who were delighted at the honour conferred upon them.

At 4pm the Hon Rev P. Saville said grace, and in a very short time the 200 tightly packed people had disposed of a substantial, if not costly meal. When the tablecloths were withdrawn the glasses were filled, and every plot holder assisted to a glass of grog.

The Chairman proposed the loyal toast. The Hon Rev P. Saville followed with a toast to the allotment holders. In his speech, Lord John Manners, drawing on his experience of the 100 allotments on his father The Duke of Rutland’s estate, pledged to help the people of Bingley in any way that he could. In fact, the following year he became a trustee of the Walker Ferrand Trust which formed that part of the Ferrands estate on which the allotments stood.

There were loud cheers as Mr Benjamin Disraeli rose to speak. The future Chancellor of the Exchequer, Prime Minister, and 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, was already popular with the townspeople. Now, as leader of the “Young England” group of MPs he reviewed the national situation as they saw it, including the value of allotments. He spoke of having seen the “Golden harvest gathered in such a short time, by the ‘Busy Bees’ at the gardens”. For all his eloquence, the flower of the “Young England” movement was destined not to bloom. Within a few months it was to wither and die in the harsh climate of political reality.

Mr Robert Milligan, expressing everyone’s good wishes to the allotment holders, thanked Mrs Walker Ferrand for generously making the land available. He hoped that by filling the leisure hours of the workers it would keep them out of the alehouse and beer shops, and that there was no doubt that a good moral effect had already taken place.

The health of the Chairman was proposed by Mr Tippling, one of the allotment holders, who showed that from each rood of land a clear profit of £3 could be made.

Mr Busfield Ferrand, in reply, expressed his great pleasure at the occasion. He went on to detail the spread of allotments across the country and especially in the Leeds area, as more landowners made more sites available. “Behold this evening” he said, “as new seed sown”.

Fertile seed it was too. Cottingley Bridge Allotment Gardens are one of the very few, if not the only, original field-allotment-garden site to have been continuously cropped for 150 years.

The land, originally part of the Myrtle Grove Estate, had been included in her dowry when Margaret Moss married Walker Ferrand in 1829. When Walker Ferrand died in September 1835 the trust that he had set up to administer that part of the estate had to continue to create income. Mrs Walker Ferrand made the land available to test the merits of the new field-allotment-garden system that her nephew William Busfield Ferrand so keenly supported. It was to be tested on condition that she received the full rent, exclusive of local taxes, rates, or repairs. This was agreed at £35 per year for the 15 acres. In 1844 this was as high as the best farmland on the estate, and more than most farms of similar size were paying. It was divided up into 59 allotments which were distributed among 59 labouring men. The rents varied from 9/6 (48p) to 14/- (70p) depending on size. The ground had started to be cultivated during the latter part of 1843 with many plot holders keeping pigs as well as growing vegetables on their plots.

By the following year it was obvious that the scheme was going to be a success. The allotment holders were encouraged by their results and paid the rents due to Mrs Ferrand, who in turn allowed that part of the estate to become permanent allotments. For the gardeners of Bingley the celebrations of October 1844 was just the beginning.

A committee was formed to run the allotments, and the first set of rules drawn up. Meetings were held twice a year, with additional “Body” meetings of all plot holders called when any new development needed to be discussed. During the 68 years from 1847 until 1915 the first item on the committee meeting accounts read Ale 5/- (25p), which in 1847 bought quite a lot of beer. As a committee “perk” it ensured that there was no shortage of volunteers for that office, which in fact carried considerable responsibilities.

The committee were empowered to let the plots and to terminate tenancies if they became neglected. For minor offences against the rules, plot holders were fined 1/- (5p), if they should be a committee member this jumped up to 2/6 (12½p), which was a considerable amount in the middle of the last century.

During the year of 1847, the following accounts had to be met:

Ale
10/- (50p)
Rent to Mrs Ferrand
£35/-/-
Rates and Land Tax
£5/9/9 (£5.48p)
Highway Rate
£1/5/6 (£1.28p)
Church Rate (Tithe)
3/2½ (16p)
Gate repairs
2/0 (10p)
Railings
5/6 (28p)

A sketch by Caroline B. Ferrand shows a three arched Cottingley Bridge as it was in 1847 with Cottingley Bridge House in the background. It was not only humans who used the bridge. Over and under it loped, ran, hopped, and tunnelled the abundant wildlife from the woods and fields both up and downstream. Once they found Airedale’s first well stocked take-away was open they arrived in numbers, set up home, and multiplied.

The gardeners fought back. Powder and Shot became a regular expense. Rat poison and a Ratcatcher quickly followed. The local Mouldywarp man became a familiar figure as he went about his regular work. Moles were a serious problem, and for many years he received 6 half crowns (75p) for his efforts.

It was not only the wildlife that helped themselves – petty thieving was rife. On July 2nd 1851 a body meeting resolved:

“That we have a Sunday Watch and that we have 6 on a Sunday to commence at the top of the allotments and that they commence at 5am in the morning and go on until 8 or 9 o’clock at night. Anyone refusing to attend to his turn to be fined 1/- (5p), and that the first 6 warn the next 6 in rotation, and that we have a board put up stating that £2 be given to any person or persons that will give information to the committee of any person or persons robbing or plundering the allotments.”

The board cost 2/- (10p) and the signwriting 8/6 (43p). We have no record of how successful it was, but eventually the gate was locked at night and keys were bought by the tenants. The river bank provided easy access to many plots and in due course it was resolved: “That no person be allowed to go up or down the river bank during the months of July and August.”

As the gardeners became more proficient there was a steady decline in pig keeping, it may have been that vegetable growing was more profitable or, more likely, the cost of containing the pigs too high. There must have been many a row when the crops next door proved irresistible to a hungry porker, who then leaned on the fence and went for a walk. By July 1853 everyone had had enough and although the rules had been revised in 1850, a new one was now passed: “That no animal should be pastured on any allotment and that anyone who breaks this rule be fined 2/6” (13p).

In 1867 the rent for the site rose to £50 per annum, but even with taxes and repairs the plots were considered such good value that the waiting list grew ever longer.

The old stone wall alongside Bradford Road was in constant need of repair, as were the original gates through it. The cost of the repairs were paid by the allotments right up to 1931 when the road was widened and the new wall became the responsibility of the County Council.

The road across the allotments had been little more than a track across a field. In Winter it became a quagmire. Stones were tipped into the worst potholes and ashes spread to provide a footpath. In 1857 a determined attempt was made to improve it, 16 cartloads of ashes at 6d (2½p) a load were spread along its length. The following Winter another 10 loads made good any low spots, providing for the first time a mud free lane.

In 1871 part of the original Myrtle Grove Estate was sold to the Reverend Albert Hudson of Holy Trinity Church. This area is now known as Southlands Grove. The part of the land in the SW corner was known as The Hill and Brigg Flat and had been included in the allotments. After the death of the Rev Albert Hudson in 1877, his estate was held in trust and, from 1883 onwards, the rent for that area was deducted from Mr Ferrand’s portion and paid directly to Miss Hudson and her sister, and later to the trustees of the estate.

At the start of the new century huts and sheds were being built in increasing numbers and, in wet weather, some of these became ‘card schools’. The practice spread. “All card playing must stop” said the committee in 1900, but it continued. By then it had become a regular practice with the venue changing from hut to hut, each with its own early warning lookout system. On the 7th January 1901, the committee resolved:

“That all gamblers to be noticed from this meeting, and if not complied with shall be noticed to quit.”

The gambling didn’t stop, but the plots were too valuable, so they took their cards elsewhere.

During 1912 it was resolved:

“That the allotments should all be cultivated as gardens. That poultry keepers be given notice to ‘clear out’ by the end of December. New rule cards to be printed stating that no poultry shall be kept, and every member to pay 1d for a card.”

This was to prove the last set of rules to be enforced by the existing committee system. For 75 years successive committee members had overseen the transformation of a scheme into a reality, and a rough pasture into an attractive area of allotment gardens. With the many varieties of apple trees in bloom, Springtime in the gardens was a sight to behold. Greenhouses had been built to house crops unthinkable only 50 years before. The skills of the gardeners were demonstrated at the local shows, where they took great delight at beating the Head Gardeners of the local mansions at their own game. Throughout the years undoubtedly the greatest benefit from the gardens had been the provision of fresh wholesome produce for the gardeners families.

It was 1919 and whatever the achievements of the past, momentous decisions now had to be made. Throughout the country the old order was changing, and Bingley was no exception.

COTTINGLEY BRIDGE ALLOTMENT GARDENS LIMITED
1919
Post war Britain saw radical changes taking place on the old established country estates, the Ferrand estate notwithstanding, to the extent that it was decided to split up the St Ives estate and sell it piecemeal. When news of the proposed sale reached the gardeners, it caused widespread distress.

A leading member of the committee at that time was Mr Harry Sutcliffe, the local Waterworks Manager. It was largely due to his vision and foresight that the present Company came into being. As he visited every plot holder to discuss the situation, he asked them if they would be prepared to buy shares if a company was formed to buy the land. Such was the response that on the 6th August 1919 a special meeting was called. It was resolved: “That 3 members be elected to interview Mr Ferrand in respect to purchase Cottingley Bridge Allotments.” The 3 members were Mr H. Sutcliffe, Mr J. Bover and Mr J. Garnett. Mr Ferrand met the members and agreed to the proposal, then suggested a reasonable figure as the purchase price.

On the 13th August 1919 at a special meeting at Brearleys Rooms, the decision was made. It was resolved to purchase the land.

December 1st 1919 was the date of the first Directors meeting of Cottingley Bridge Allotment Gardens Limited. In the Chair was Mr Angus Jowett, a local Blouse Manufacturer, the secretary was Mr Harry Sutcliffe, the Waterworks Manager, also present was Squire Thompson, a Commercial Traveller, Thomas Winn, a professional gardener, William Holmes Wright, a Woolsorter, Tom Wild, a Weaving Manager, and William Dunn Butterfield, an Assistant Manager. Also in attendance was Mr Harry Laycock, Solicitor, of Keighley. The meeting was held to complete the formal requirements of the Companies Act, following the incorporation of the Company on the 10th November 1919.

The statutory meeting of February 1920 was held in the Co-op assembly rooms, when it was resolved that:

Rents should be paid quarterly and rates half yearly.
A mortgage be obtained to balance the difference between share issued and purchase price.
Shares to be allocated up to a maximum of 35 shares per allotment tenant.
No person to be allowed to have more than 2 allotments.

Mr H. Sutcliffe moved “that each shareholder should have 1 vote at the Annual General Meeting irrespective of the number of shares held, so that all should have an equal say in the affairs of the Company regardless of their financial position.” In fact many tenants found it difficult to raise the cash for 5 shares at £1 each.

In December 1920 the Tithe rent was finally redeemed and a cheque for £22.16.0. (£22.80p) was sent in full payment.

Following the first AGM an agreement was made in April 1921, to allow the Beckfoot Estate Co to erect poles across the gardens to carry electricity to their newly built Golf Clubhouse. A dozen poles were erected at an annual rent of £1.10.0. (£1.50p) and these stayed in use until 1928. The Company began to buy fertilisers in bulk in the early 1920s when a ton of Guano could be delivered to the allotments for £9.7.6. (£9.37p). Bone and Fish meal were also bought in bulk and a range of Messrs. Toogoods seeds stocked.

During September 1928 the Bingley Urban District Council wanted to include the gardens as permanent allotments in the Town Planning Scheme. The Company objected to this, pointing out that the gardens were not statutory allotments.

The following month the clock was turned back some 80 odd years when H. Denby was notified to appear before the Directors. He had been caught stealing flowers on Saturday night the 13th October. When Mr Denby appeared he said he was sorry but he was drunk at the time. It was resolved:

“That a letter be sent to Bingley Cricket Club, asking them to enquire about the management of their canteen, as certain allegations have been made by H. Denby that he was ‘drunk’ as he had been in the canteen all afternoon on cheap ale.”

The decade ended with a request from Bingley Cottage Hospital for any surplus produce during the Summer, and it was agreed that a weekly collection should be made.

A cottage which stood near to Cottingley Bridge had been part of the site since 1844. It had been old even then and over the years the rent and the repairs had just about balanced. In 1926 a new gaspan in the washhouse had cost 27/6 (£1.37p) and a new fireplace 17/6 (87p), all to be found from a rent of 5/6 (28p) per week. Now, in 1931 it was to be demolished. The main road between Cottingley Bridge and Poplar House was to be widened and this also meant losing part of the gardens. After much discussion the sale of the land was agreed with the District Valuer, and the secretary was authorised to sign the agreement. Over the years rent had continued to be paid to the Hudson family for the Brigg and Flat area but on the 10th November 1933 the land was bought and formerly conveyed into the ownership of the Company.

At the AGM in March 1933 Mr Harry Sutcliffe resigned as Company Secretary, a post he had held since the formation. He did however continue as a Director, and in 1937 became the Chairman. He felt it was his duty in 1940 to encourage allotment holders to cultivate all the land they could as part of the war effort. Four years later the Directors recorded their appreciation of the work of Mr Sutcliffe after 24 years as Secretary and Director.

October 1944, in wartime Bingley the far off events of October 1844 were recalled, but with so many husbands, sons and brothers away, the mainly elderly gardeners who were keeping things going were unable to commemorate the anniversary in any way.

On the 19th September 1946 the rain poured down. 2½” fell in 24 hours. Over the hills and valleys of upper Airedale there was a deluge and the river Aire, higher than for more than 50 years, became a raging torrent. During the war, the Army Bren gun carriers, quartered in the field behind the Brown Cow Inn, had made a practice river crossing into Myrtle Park at the spot where the Festival Bridge now stands. Through this gap in the bank poured the overflow which tumbled across the bottom meadow to rejoin the mainstream by the submerged paddling pool. On the other bank, the spate that had been the Harden Beck, roared into the river creating its own waves as it added impetus to the flood which covered the central island. It went under, over and through the bridge as it raced for the bend at the allotments.

The water backed up on the bend, and some of it took a short cut across the gardens. As a broad band of fast moving river water swept across the lower allotments it lifted growing crops and took them with it. Top soil, so carefully cultivated for over a century, was swept away in hours. As the flood water lost its momentum the soil it had carried from the end allotments began to fall out. Even today parts of those far gardens have only a few inches of soil, while some areas nearer the road enjoy a good deep root run.

An abiding memory of the flood was to see the elderly Alfred Robinson looking at what had been his onion bed, stripped of its top soil it now resembled a shingle beach. Stuck in the remains of what had once been a wire netting fence were a few scoured show onions. He was weeping.

In 1947 the Directors recorded the Company’s appreciation of the work of Tom Wild, Chairman from 1928-1936 and later Secretary. He had been a Director for 28 years without ever missing a meeting or an AGM, a truly remarkable record.

In the 1950s, gardeners were quick to see the possibilities of the newly invented polythene. Structures clad with sheets of corrugated PVC appeared on many allotments, as for the first time cheap covering was widely available to extend the season. Then the rabbits returned. They found doors open to allow ventilation for young tender crops, and had a feast. The call went out for anyone with ferrets to come and check the conies. For several years rabbiting and ferreting were regularly carried out even though it was only partially successful.

During the 1960s the increase of vehicle traffic along the garden lane made it necessary to introduce a 5mph speed limit, later followed by a Company decision not to allow cars to park on the lane itself. Slowly over the decade the interest in allotments declined both nationally and locally and the number of prospective tenants waned to the extent that to maintain land under cultivation the rules were relaxed and several plots joined to form larger units producing sufficient crops for market and retail sales.

As gardening families left the district, plots fell vacant and became overgrown with a subsequent proliferation of weeds and the problem of blowing weed seeds.

For the second time in 50 years the tenants faced a potential threat to their tenure when, during the Winter of 1969/70 without warning or permission, a group of men were found wandering about and going into the allotments. When challenged by Mr Harold Sutcliffe, they claimed that they could go anywhere they chose and do anything they liked, and Bingley Council said they could. It was pointed out with some vigour that these were non-statutory allotments and that Bingley Council had nothing to do with them. They were also informed that they were lacking in courtesy and good manners and were asked to leave, only after a threat to call the police did they comply. Thus began several years of uncertainty. Later when the line of the road was announced and drilling did begin, very little care or concern was shown by the drillers.

As the original intended line of the Airedale Trunk Road was slowly extracted from the authorities, it became clear that if it was built it would mean the end of the allotments.

Permission to bore was reluctantly granted and throughout the early 1970s, boreholes, the damage they caused, reinstatement, compensation and the erection of marker posts occupied the Company’s attention for several years.

Official objection to the route was made at the inquiry in 1975, and again at the public inquiry of 1980 with members of the Company making strong, articulate representation. In 1982 the Departments of the Environment and Transport confirmed the revised route, and in doing so removed the threat that had been hanging over the allotments for 12 years.

On Sunday 3rd October 1937 six of the keenest chrysanthemum growers of Cottingley Bridge met to form the Bingley Chrysanthemum Society. Within a few months older enthusiasts joined them and with the allotments as their base, the Society started and has continued to stage Autumn Shows attracting exhibitors from all over the district.

The Autumn shows of 1987 included special commemorative classes to mark the 50th Anniversary. Before presenting the trophies to the prizewinners, the surviving founder member and past Chairman of the Bingley and District Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society, Mr Leonard Marshall, said that it gave him great pleasure to be present on such a memorable occasion and hoped that such excellent displays would continue to be exhibited during the next 50 years.

Chrysanthemums are not the only plants grown by tenants for the show bench. Each season many of the trophies on offer at local shows are won by any one of several very keen expert gardeners from the allotments. The standards are high with some excellent produce exhibited in all classes.

Recent months have seen some of the larger blocks of land returned to individual plots. There is a renewal of interest both locally and nationally in allotments with the newer gardeners wanting to revert to the more natural methods of the past, without having to rely heavily on chemicals or poisonous sprays. Once more there is a waiting list of prospective tenants. The wheel has come full circle. The gardeners of Cottingley Bridge Allotment Gardens Limited are still digging their way into history.

CHAIRMEN OF THE COMPANY

1919 A. Jowett
1924 W.D. Butterfield
1925 T. Winn
1926 F. Ormanroyd
1928 T. Wild
1937 H. Sutcliffe
1942 A. Walton
1945 J.W. Anderson
1951 A. Bentley
1951 H.W. Bloomfield
1952 E. Whitley
1952 A. Bentley
1953 C.E. Westmorland
1954 A. Bentley
1957 L. Marshall
1968 J.H. Race
1971 H. Sutcliffe
1981 R. Levrier
1990 D. Lodge