Clousden Drive Allotment Association
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Somewhere for the allotment holders and friends to chat and ask questions, and for everyone to post their favourite allotment pictures and share ideas.
Clousden Drive Allotment Association has an intriguing history. Clousden Hill was a famous late-Victorian utopian back-to-the-land experimental community on Tyneside. Starting out in 1902 as a communist cooperative five times the size producing food for the Co-op under the auspices of a Russian entrepreneur who lived in the adjoining big house, known for its Viking grave in the garden. The “colony” was anarchist-inspired and sought to combine communal living with “scientific horticulture”, demonstrating a new way of organising society. The colony was started by a group of Kropotkin’s followers who wanted to put his theories into practice by forming a twenty-acre farming community organised on anarcho-communist lines. Two of the main figures in the foundation of the colony were Frank Kapper and William Key, who had met at a Cooperative Congress, and who claimed to have been influenced by the Owenite, E.T. Craig, who had been a member of the Ralahine Commune. Aims of the colony:
Kapper and Key formulated a prospectus for the new colony which listed its aims. The prospectus combined both the ideas of Robert Owen and those of Kropotkin. It was addressed “To all Friends and Sympathisers of Land Colonisation”. (The English Land Colonisation Society had been formed to help resettle unemployed workers and their families in self-sufficient, agrarian communes.) The objects of the colony were:
1). The acquisition of a common and indivisible capital for the establishment of an Agricultural and Industrial Colony.
2). The mutual assurance of its members against the evils of poverty, sickness, infermity, and old age.
3). The attainment of a greater share of the comforts of life than the working classes now possess.
4). The mental and moral improvement of all its members.
5). The education of the children.
6). To promote or help any organisation to organise similar colonies.
7). To demonstrate the superiority of Free Communist Association as against the Competitive Production of today.
8). To demonstrate the productivity of land under intensive culture. The ideas of intensive culture of land combined with industry occur in Kropotkin’s book, Fields, factories and workshops, and the idea of Mutual Aid is also one developed by Kropotkin. Personal improvement and education are important Owenite ideals. Activities:
The community ran an intensively cultivated market-garden on the 20 acres. They were supported by local members of the Cooperative Movement and of the ILP. After internal conflicts, the colony as such came to an end in 1898, but two members carried on the market-gardening as Clousden Hill Cooperative Nurseries until they went bankrupt in 1902. Sources:
“The Rise of Ethical Anarchism in Britain, 1885 – 1900” by Mark Bevir, University of Newcastle. Clousden Hill at “Utopia Britannica” Source: ”Roses and Revolutionists” by Nigel Todd, Peoples Publications, 1986.
26/09/2026
We’ve mentioned this quite a few times but please do not leave anything at the entrance to the allotments in the belief that we may ‘need’ it. This very much includes plant pots. We’ve got thousands. If you left these we’d be grateful if you could retrieve them and dispose of them in a responsible manner. The allotments are self managed, the council do not collect any of our rubbish and this includes any rubbish left outside. Not will the allotment holders dispose of it for you either.
12/09/2026
Thank you to all who gave us their support today for our annual produce sale. We really enjoy welcoming the community to our allotment and making available some of our fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers.
As always we don’t make any profits and all monies get reinvested in the upkeep of the allotment site.
A big thank you too, to all the plot holders who donated their produce, baked cakes and pastries, or helped out on the stalls.
Next sale will be in May 2027 which will be our ever popular plant sale.
12/09/2026
Produce sale now on, inc some plants. Rain has gone now, suns out so why not pick up some bargains before it’s all gone?
Cash only thanks
11/09/2026
Produce sale, tomorrow starting at 10am. If you’ve passed today you may have seen our hardworking team setting up for tomorrow. Right now they’re selecting the finest fresh produce you can get from our gardens for you.
The weather forecast says it’ll be nice and dry by the time the sales start, but whatever the weather pop in and bag a bargain. Everything is naturally grown and you can’t get more local than this.
09/09/2026
We’re pleased to announce our annual produce sale this coming Saturday, 12th September from 10am until 1pm.
As always we’ll have a fine selection of the freshest fruit and vegetables you can get, all hand picked from our allotment.
We can never quite tell what will be available as it depends on what is ripe or ready when we pick it for the sale.
There’s also some plants too which will be available. Almost certainly perennials but why not come and have a look?
Cash sales only please
See you all bright and early!
01/09/2026
Big shout out to local company Allweather Windows for coming to our aid and removing the fly tipped UPVC panels and door from outside our allotment. They’re now going to be properly recycled too. This is community spirit at its finest. Thank you again on behalf of the allotment and the local residents
01/09/2026
Do you know who dumped this rubbish outside the allotment gates? Some time late Saturday gone, over the bank holiday weekend. It must have taken a large vehicle to transport. Not only was it dumped, but it was originally left against the ‘sharing shelf’ causing damage to the fixings.
There’s a UPVC door behind the large glazed panel too.
No doubt in the inconsiderate mind of the fly tippers they’re probably explaining it away as the glass may have a use at the allotment….
As most of you know we’re self managed, not council. Any rubbish inside the plot is removed at our own expense. We certainly won’t be removing this.
Also if the sharing shelf sustains any more damage , yourselves and the local community are at risk of losing access to the fruit and veg we’re now regularly leaving.
Again if you saw anything please let us know. (Please don’t provide info directly onto this post if you do)
If you’re the one who dumped it maybe you’d like to remove it as soon as possible?
27/08/2026
This coming Saturday, 29th August between 10am and noon. We’ve some delicious ripe tomatoes available if you’re passing and want something way better than what they pass off for ‘vine ripened’ tomatoes in the supermarkets. The main gate will be open so just come on in and head to the new wooden cabin directly ahead.
You’ll get a warm welcome and a bargain to boot.
Note this isn’t the main produce sale which we’ll be posting about soon.
See you Saturday!
20/08/2026
Some trays of cherry tomatoes courtesy of our Honorary Member Steve Brodie. If you don’t know Steve he was integral to setting the foundations for Clousden Drive allotments to become what it is today.
He hopes you enjoy his tomatoes!
17/08/2026
If you know the song you know the song!
Ole ole ole ole
Ole ole ole ole
Yeah we go plum bum bum bum
Yeah we plum bum bum bum
Feeling hot hot hot
Feeling hot hot hot
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