The Windrush story of Caribbean migration to the United Kingdom was played out in our factories, our music, our streets and inner cities. In a little-known aspect, migrants also worked on underused allotment sites, including England’s largest and oldest, Hungerhill Gardens, now known as St Ann’s Allotments in Nottingham.

At Hungerhill Gardens, people who had been brought up on smallholdings in Jamaica found overgrown plots available for very low rents. They learned to grow crops they knew in our colder climate and, as they retired, they took on additional plots, producing large quantities of vegetables for their families and community. They built remarkable greenhouses and summer houses with scrap materials, and cultivated using traditional tools from their homeland. This book features the experiences of six Caribbean gardeners, told in their own words through interviews for English Heritage, illustrated with photographs of them and their gardens throughout the seasons.

About the Author

Colin Haynes first shared a garden on Hungerhill Gardens fifty years ago. He is a photographer, writer, archivist and community activist. He produced community papers from Chase Chat to East of the City, a photobook on Manila and the book Stories of Sneinton Market.

Rosey Thomas Palmer is a writer and community activist. She founded the Gardeners4health association.