Imberhorne Allotments

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The land that the allotment site occupies is referred to in 1597 when it was part of the  freehold called Pulters held by John Goodwin and was part of the manor of Imberhorne  being 8 acres and paying 8d per annum rent. In 1842 it was part of William Pattenden’s  tenement of 6ac with cottage and garden, the rest being meadows. In 1851 William’s  son John Pattenden had taken it over and he was described as being a farmer of  8ac.A map of 1876 shows there was still a Cottage at the site. Between 1876 and 1898  – the Allotments were formed, probably associated with the building of the Blount’s  workforce houses along the London Road at this period. 

In 1898 the area is shown as ‘Allotment Gardens’ on a map of the land owned by the  Imberhorne Estate (this included many of the new houses along the London Road at  North End). In 1911 it is shown as Allotment Gardens on the deeds to Clevecote the  market garden opposite. Sometime between 1876 and 1905 Sir Edward Blount  became the President of the North End and East Grinstead Cottage Garden and  Allotment Association – This would have included the Imberhorne Allotments as they  were on his land.  This was the same Sir Edward Blount who purchased Imberhorne  House (later known as Imberhorne Manor) in 1876. From 1905, Sir Edward Blount  (grandson of the 1st Sir Edward) was the head of the North End Allotments and Gardens  Association – This would have been the Imberhorne Allotments as they were on Blount family land. Before 1908 ‘there  was a public lime kiln at North End’ (from W Hills Book on East Grinstead, written in 1908) – the 1876 OS map shows a  circular feature in the rear garden of the cottage within what is now the allotments, this could have been the lime kiln (or  more likely the well on plot 13A). It probably ceased operating prior to 1876 as that OS series map tended to label lime  kilns that were operating when it was surveyed. On 14 Feb 1955 the land was sold to the Council by Marguerite and  Clare Blount to pay off death duties.  The allotments were then run by East Grinstead Urban District Council (as was)  until 1998 when the Imberhorne Allotment Association was formed. The prime reason for the formation of the  Association was that it was granted a 21-year lease for the allotments and this gave us some security of tenure (the  allotments are very conveniently located and could be considered prime building land).

Thanks to Jeremy Clarke of the Felbridge and District History Group for background information.