A warm welcome to Northfields Allotments
We’re a friendly group of growers of all ages and backgrounds in West Ealing. Our allotment site was founded in 1832 and is the oldest in London.
We love the place and we hope that our stewardship will ensure that it remains a precious green space for many generations to come.
Our site is in Ealing and sits between Northfields Avenue and Radbourne Walk. It is a quarter-of-a-mile long and bordered by Mattock Lane to the north and Occupation Road to the south.
We currently have more than 170 plots. Most are 5 pole half plots, some are whole plots, and we have 25 small starter plots for those new to allotments.
You can join our waiting list by clicking here. If you're interested in volunteering, go to our Get Involved page. Everyone is welcome.
Award winning
We’re an active community. This year we came a close second in Cultivating Ealing’s competition for the ‘Best Large Allotment Site.’
One of our plotholders, Jane Morris, won the prize for the borough’s ‘Best Large Allotment Plot’ - a fantastic achievement.
We were also recently judged 'Outstanding' by London in Bloom, an acknowledgment of our success in engaging visitors and volunteers, and our dedication to conservation work.
Since 2016 the allotments have been recognised as an Asset of Community Value and a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.
Committee
The allotments are managed by the Ealing Dean Allotment Society (EDAS) committee, on behalf of the charity Pathways. All plotholders are members of EDAS and they elect the committee at the Annual General Meeting. The committee are all volunteers. For more information visit the Site Management page.
A potted history
Our allotments were the first to be founded in London, on 7 November, 1832. They were formed from common land on the instructions of Charles James Blomfield, Bishop of London, and were to be occupied by the "poor parishioners" of Ealing.
Plots cost five shillings a year, but one stipulation was that tenants should not work on their plots on Sundays - a condition that has long since been relaxed!
In 1868 the allotments were bordered by a fruit tree nursery to the west and arable land to the east. However, by 1938, the allotments and nearby Walpole and Lammas Park had become green islands surrounded by terraced housing.
In 1909 three acres from the allotments were given to Ealing Council for the small public park at Dean Gardens. In exchange six acres of land was provided to establish Haslemere allotments nearby.
Then, in the 1970s Ealing Council bought the west half of the site for housing. This left the east half, which we continue to enjoy as allotments today.