Allotments

There¿s something about the word ¿allotments¿ that conjures up an image of traditional values, of balmysummer days spent working the land, escaping in honest toil. A rural idylll far removed from our everydayexperience. And even though allotments can be found throughout the world, in our minds they still seemto encapsulate a certain Britishness.Andrew Buurman¿s photographs capture the essence of the allotment and convey the enthusiasm anddiversity of today¿s plot holders. These photographs were all taken on Uplands Allotments, inHandsworth, in the heart of Birmingham. The largest allotment site in the UK ¿ with 422 plots ¿ itopened in 1949, with its own office and meeting hall. Even today it retains much of the communal spiritof the post war era with weekly tea dances, bingo nights and an annual flower and vegetable show.The history of allotments tracks the major social and political changes in British life: the move away fromopen field agriculture, the urbanisation of the Industrial Revolution, the need for home grown produceduring both World Wars. By 1943 there were some 1.4 million allotments in the UK growing 10% of thenation¿s food. Inevitably both increasing affluence and the redevelopment of many sites led to a dramaticdecrease in numbers, though in recent years there has been a resurgence of interest. There are now some300,000 allotments in the UK often shared between families and friends.Born in Liverpool in 1966 Andrew Buurman bought his first camera at the age of 27 whilst working as ateacher in Japan. Returning to the UK he studied photojournalism at LCP, before becoming aphotographer with The Independent newspaper in London. A World Press Award winner his work hasbeen exhibited in the UK and USA.