Stoney Road Allotments consists of 123 council-owned allotments covering around 5

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

s just south of

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

city centre. They were created in the mid 19th century as pleasure-gardens for the people of the city, and were

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 2001.

History

In the late 18th and early 19th century, many people living in the growing towns rented small plots of land on the outskirts as

ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...

or productive gardens. These gardens were typically between 1/8 and 1/6 of an

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

, separated from the neighbouring plots by

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoini ...

s. Stoney Road Allotments began life as a collection of these gardens in Cheylesmore park shortly after 1853. Various structures were built on some of the plots, including an elaborate half-timbered

summer house A summer house or summerhouse has traditionally referred to a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden ...

which is still present today. In July 1935 the City Council acquired the allotments for the sum of £1100. The site was Grade II* listed on the 7th of March 2001 because it retains features of the original pleasure-gardens as well as period structures including summer houses and glasshouses.

Other listed garden allotments

Bagthorpe Gardens Bagthorpe Gardens is a group of allotments, about north-east of the centre of Nottingham. It is listed Grade II* in Historic England's Register of Parks and Gardens. The entry listing remarks that the allotments are "a significant surviving exa ...

, Nottingham *

Hill Close Gardens, Warwick Hill Close Gardens is a group of 18 surviving Victorian detached gardens on a hillside in Warwick, Warwickshire, England. It is listed Grade II* in Historic England's Register of Parks and Gardens. History The gardens were set up in the 19th ce ...

St Ann's Allotments St Ann's Allotments is a group of allotments, in use since the 19th century, in St Ann's, Nottingham, England, about a mile north-east of the centre of Nottingham. It is listed Grade II* in Historic England's Register of Parks and Gardens. The en ...

, Nottingham *

Westbourne Road Town Gardens Westbourne Road Town Gardens, or Westbourne Road Leisure Gardens, is a group of allotments in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, created in 1844. It is listed Grade II in Historic England's Register of Parks and Gardens. History Birmingham in the la ...

, Birmingham

References

Buildings and structures in Coventry Grade II* listed parks and gardens in the West Midlands (county) {{UK-geo-stub