This land was bought in 1895 from the Most Noble Spencer Compton Eighth Duke of Devonshire for the princely sum of £2,700.0.0d.by the Guardians of the poor of Keighley to be used as allotment gardens.
There is an old former substation on the allotments which in time will be brought into use by the tenants when they decide what to use it for. Also two plots on site will be turned into an orchard for the tenants which will have a couple of hives of honeybees (the least aggressive type) a couple of hedgehog hotels for them to hibernate, the plot holders must leave sufficient gaps in their fences to allow full access through the allotments for the hogs.
Arncliffe Rd Allotment site was created on the former grounds of St John’s Hospital that closed in 1970 when the last patient was transferred to Airedale General Hospital, in 1973 the Hospital was demolished and part of the land was allocated for allotments by the District Council.
In 1974 Keighley Town Council took on responsibility of all the allotments within Keighley using the power of the Small Holdings & Allotments Act 1908, ss. 23, 26, and 42.
This site accommodates upwards of 50 plots with a mixture of full and half plots plus 6 raised beds for the disabled, the site itself has gone through many design changes over the years with improvements added year on year from the time the Town Council became responsible for their upkeep.
This is only a garden allotment site with the option of keeping a few (4 to 6) chickens with the approval of other tenants.
The site is surrounded on three sides with metal fencing that was part of the improvements agreed by the Allotments and Landscapes Committee and approved by Council.
The Committee decided that this site would be the first one in Keighley to have raised beds specifically designed for disabled who are wheelchair bound, during late summer 2008. The ground was levelled and a firm base for wheelchairs to travers around each bed with minimum effort.
All in all, this has been a worthwhile project to invest in for the council and community alike.
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