Horfield DAA was a huge association when it was
formed, and was situated mostly in Horfield.
It spread into Bishopston and Redland.
The original Rules date from 1917.
The archives are stored in Bristol Record Office.
There are old maps; one of 1916 shows Kings Drive
and Bishop Road pencilled in. There are names of fields long gone – Buffalo
Bill’s field was taken for building and for
Bristol Rugby Ground in 1923.
Where were Henesseys, Dewfalls, and Warner Fields? What was the GWR land and Lockleaze
land? Where was Berry Lane and
Southmead Field? They all existed when
the Association began, probably during the first world war.
The Flower Show used to be run by the Horfield
Association on Horfield Common. During
his time as Secretary, Mr W. (Bill) Pain asked Bristol City Council to take it
over. Since then it has been held on
Durdham Downs and been known as the Bristol Flower Show.
In 1922 allotment land was required for building
Kellaway Avenue and goats were not allowed on Cotham School Playing Field.
In 1926 the Association was given notice to quit
Bishop Road field which lay between Bishop Road and Logan Road and included the
present Kings Drive.
Oakley Hall, in Oak Road, was purchased in the
1920s by members of the Association. It
was used for social and business meetings, and the trading shop. In time more Association money and effort
was spent on looking after the building than looking after the land and in 1993
it was decided to sell. £51,000 was
banked. It was decided to use some of
the money to assist Bristol City Council, always short of funds, to put secure
fencing and gates, good haulingways and water taps on the fields. A note confirming the verbal assurance of
repayment was never received and much of that capital is now lost to the
Association.
Golden Hill farm house was near the junction of
Malmesbury Close and Birchall Road and existed in the 1920s. No 1 Birchall Road was about the site of the
pig sty. There was a huge chestnut tree
at the end of the farm lane where the tennis courts are now, under which locals
courted.
Birchall Field was acquired in 1933 – 1½ acres of
land below Golden Hill farm had been a Public Tip covered in builders’
refuse. It was at first rented through
J P Sturge who managed it on behalf of the Bishop Monk Trust. The rents kept on increasing until Mr Pain
(Secretary) put the matter in the hands of Bristol City Council who purchased
the land. The Association brought in tons of topsoil onto the flat land by
horse and cart. In 1986 Bristol City
Council closed most of the field to construct a huge Retention Tank for Wessex
Water. This prevents the Cran Brook
flooding nearer the city centre. In
1990 Birchall Field was reinstated on top of the tank.
Horfield & District Allotments Association
Ltd. looks after six fields in 2004:
Baptist
(once used by a local church for Sunday School children),
Birchall
(below Birchall Road),
Davis (because
the funeral directors on Gloucester
Road, Davis & Son, kept their black horses on this field; the horses that
pulled the funeral carriage),
Grahams
(Wessex Avenue was built through farmer Graham’s field),
Longs
(named after farmer Long who kept pigs in this field),
St
Agnes (again used by a local church for Sunday School
children),
situated on three separate sites.
Most of the Association’s lettable land is
currently let to plotholders.
On the Golden Hill site is the Community Orchard
and a community composting facility is being created near the pond.
Donkey Lane, which is unadopted, runs between
Longs Field and the rest of the Golden Hill site was also called Dead Man’s
Lane. It was probably the original
highway to town, the lower end being Elton Lane as we know it today.
The Association has a Peppercorn Lease to manage
the land which is owned by Bristol City Council and works with their Allotments
Manager, Steve Clampin.
It has joined the Federation of City Farms and
Community Gardens.