October 29th 2017
Historian Twigs Way & Discovering the Origins of Our Site
On the Sunday of our 'Sense of Place' Weekend event we were visited by renowned Garden Historian Twigs Way. Over the past few months we have been working closely with her to research the origins of our site and better understand the wider context of allotments & where they stem from.
Twigs had a busy day with us and today we are going to share with you some of the exciting things that happened and also some exciting things that are coming in the future. !Twigs Way with Project Lead Moya Lloyd touring the Exhibition & Community Garden Twigs Way with Project Lead Moya Lloyd touring the Exhibition & Community Garden[/caption] We welcomed Twigs to the site with a cup of tea and a tour around our wonderful Community Garden, which she felt was a truly inspiring place with so much potential. It was great that she was able to visit us on such a special weekend that really reflected what we are all about here at Boundary Way and she thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition & everything that was going on around it. Twigs then went on to contribute a recorded interview for our upcoming film, currently being developed by filmmaker and photographer, Geoff Broadway. We were so excited to be able to have her input and the film is to to be launched in June 2018.During the interview Twigs spoke about the history of allotments and how we at Boundary Way fit into that, as well as the future of our site & allotments in general. She spoke about how Boundary Way is an 'incredibly artistic, cultural and varied' place which 'is full of surprises' and has 'a really genuine atmosphere of welcome'. She sees the uniqueness of our site and we are hoping to continue working with her in the future to develop ideas surrounding the theme of literature, heritage & allotments.!Twigs Way giving her talk at Newhampton Arts Centre Twigs Way giving her talk at Newhampton Arts Centre[/caption] After a busy morning we all travelled over to the brilliant art hub that is Newhampton Arts Centre, where Twigs would be delivering a talk for us and members of the public.The talk, entitled 'Putting Allotments into Perspective', did exactly what it said on the tin. It explored the political and social context of allotments in general from the 18th century to the present day, opening our eyes to the rich history of allotments in our country and the fascinating journey that makes them what they are today. The talk also examined the way in which Boundary Way Allotments and Community Garden reflects both wider and local trends, and also how it doesn't. Despite our relatively short history, having been opened in 1953, Boundary Way has a very special place in allotment history and we will be publishing a text about the history of allotments with focus on Boundary Way, written by Twigs' Way, alongside our film in June 2018. What an exciting month that will be! !Twigs Way answering questions after her talk Twigs Way answering questions after her talk[/caption] Twigs' visit and talk was funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of a project which explores the social history and natural heritage of Boundary Way Allotments and Community Garden. It is brilliant for us to have the ability to explore the origins of our site & its development to share with the plot holders and local community, as well as to provide inspiration for artists and school groups that visit Boundary Way.
