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Bensham Manor Allotments Society
If you need a larger map to find us click on the link below. We have opened a new page on our website called This year we are celebrating our 125th Birthday. As part of the Croydon Cultural Olympiad Entrance for Adults 50p & Children 25p. There will be Pony & Trap Rides & Tricycle Rides around the allotment site. For Plotholders we have a Pick your Lucky Date We have a Again this year in June, Bensham Manor Allotments joined up with Bensham Manor School on a Work Experience week. This year they are working for two weeks more on the Communal Garden and are painting the new hut on that site and painting all the walls around it. Last year the students worked on the small area by the main entrance and painted the Trading Hut wall & designed a mural on the Office wall. They also worked on the Communal garden and the Memorial garden.
Views of the Allotments Bensham Manor Plotholders sadly, have seen many dear gardening friends pass on. Plotholders of the day felt it was important that these people should be remembered by the Society and, it was decided to make the embankment at the Pitt Road entrance a Memorial garden. A simple wooden cross was erected and relatives and friends of the departed planted shrubs and trees as a living memorial. As the years have passed it became apparent that some people wanted to plant more delicate plants and bulbs and the embankment was not a suitable place. By the office was a small area of land unused. Once again a worthy team of volunteers set about creating a small ornamental garden for use as a second memorial garden. 2 benches were also erected for those who wished to sit and reflect. Then a few years ago sadly a plotholder named John Flaherty died. He was so popular not only in the allotments for all the help he gave to everyone and the Society. In Croydon & Thornton Heath he was a Folk/ Country Singer who regularly performed at Ruskin House. He had loved the allotments so much his widow wanted his ashes to be scattered in the memorial Garden. Chairman of the day Derek Fishlock decided that if this was going to happen than the ground would need to be consecrated or blessed so that it would be a fitting place to have ashes scattered. The local vicar, a great supporter of the allotment came and performed both ceremonies and Derek arranged for marble stone to be inscribed “Memorial Garden” so that all who pass by will understand the significance of this small garden within the allotment site. Over the years since then many plants have been planted in memory and now the Garden is a truly lovely place to see as you enter the site THE MEMORIAL GARDEN
Some more views of Lion Road Site |
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