The Royal Parks Allotments

Allotments - land set aside for members of the public to grow their own food - have a relatively short history in The Royal Parks, beginning in World War II. But, if the last three years are anything to go by, they're going to be a big part of The Royal Parks in the future.

The Royal Parks allotments story resumed in 2007 when St James's Park recreated a wartime allotment from the Dig For Victory campaign of 1944. The allotment attracted hundreds of people from many different organisations and backgrounds, all inspired by the demonstration of growing vegetables organically in the centre of the capital. The allotment shifted focus for two further years, with emphasis on War On Waste and Grow Your Own and nature conservation.

At The Royal Parks, we're committed to educating as many people as possible about the value of growing your own food. For many years some of the parks have had growing plots managed by volunteer gardeners , but the St James's Park allotment was the first allotment open to the general public.

The St James's Park Allotment has now been dismantled, but the success of this allotment encouraged The Royal Parks to open two new allotments: The Allotment Garden in The Regent's Park and The Allotment in Kensington Gardens. We'll be helping more people learn about growing your own food, as well as covering related topics including wildlife, conservation and sustainability.

To read more about what was achieved at the St James's Park Allotment, click here