When the Parish Council was first created in 1894 there were three matters which were considered of the greatest urgency. The first was to arrange for a contractor to keep the Parson’s Brook, which was an open sewer, clear; the second was to provide a pump for the town well and the third was to find a site for some allotments for the residents.

The first two matters were resolved within a few months, but the third matter took for ever!

A small sub committee was formed to deal with it and people were requested to apply for plots – which they did in large numbers.    However the first offer of a site from Mr Steere of Little Weir Down was considered too far from the village and the second, from the Rev. Pitman (chairman of the council)  of a Glebe Field known as Lower Head Park, whilst at first thought suitable, was later felt to be too expensive at a yearly rental of 4½ penny a yard, and an additional sum proportional to the size of fencing required.

References to allotments then disappear from the Council minutes for over fifty years until January 1947, when seventeen applicants for allotments are mentioned. In November 1947 Henry Balkwill of Court Barton offered part of a field called Court Park opposite the north lych-gate of the church. The terms must have been acceptable and they were duly occupied, the plots having been measured out at one sixteenth of an acre by Mr Horton, schoolmaster, with David Balkwill holding the other end of the tape. In about 20 years the scheme had petered out here, but in October 1951 they were being advertised at Icy Park by the District Council.

The Icy Park plots occupied the land to the east of the houses and were at first rented by one man, Fred Hancock, who planted the whole area with potatoes, which rumour has it, he used to store for sprouting under his bed. He was followed by the village policeman, Joe Head, who also grew potatoes there. Other residents complained that they wanted plots and the area was divided up between them. Charles Snow remembers having a long plot that extended from his garden, which he cultivated until 1988 when ill-health forced him to give it up.