Minor British Institutions: The allotment

Just as common land was being "enclosed" in the 18th and 19th centuries, the allotment sprung up as a link to a happier, more bucolic past. The Small Holdings and Allotment Act of 1908 required local authorities to provide land for cultivation, and the restrictions on development were stricter than now.

During the Second World War some 1.4m allotments were dug for victory, and today there are still around 300,000. A typical annual yield is £300 of produce, and charges range from about £25 to £120 per year. Most charmingly, an allotment plot is officially 10 poles, a "pole" being the length from the back of the plough to the nose of the ox.

The high cost of food and the modern enthusiasm for all things organic has heightened enthusiasm for allotments, and waiting lists stretch to many years for some plots. And, of course, the allotment boasts its own cultural institution – the shed, where a man may enjoy the solitary pleasures of the seed catalogue. Long may the allotment flourish.