It all began in late 2001 when I decided that I would try and buy a small plot of land adjoining my also small back garden. The plot which sloped from east to west, and measured approximately 50ft x 22ft had a double garage on it, and a forecourt fenced off from the pavement by a rickety 7ft tall fence with an access door. Behind was a piece of land smothered in self seeded sycamore . I thought this had the makings of rather a nice vegetable plot. The land used to be part of the garden to the corner house next door. Sometime in the late 1960's the house was converted into 5 flats, and a piece of its back garden was sectioned off and sold separately.
The garages appeared to be occupied but I never saw a tenant. So it was quite a long time before I was able locate the owner, eventually discovering that he'd gone to live in San Francisco. I then found that his mother lived locally. I got an address and wrote to her asking if she could put me in touch with her son. She eventually responded, and asked me to write a letter to her son which she would forward to him. So I did. No response was forthcoming, so I wrote again. Still no response. Then an auctioneer's board was put up, to say the plot was to be auctioned within a couple of weeks! Having no idea how many other people might be interested, and what the competition might be, it was with enormous relief that I got it for the reasonable 'guide' price. This was in March 2004.
In the years that followed the plot filled with fruit trees, artichokes, raspberries and all kinds of vegetable growing projects - some more successful than others. The pink fir apple potatoes were unbeatable, but every year the slugs ate more salad than we did, though the tomatoes and green beans were always successful. Inside the garage Dave built a beautiful Caterham kit car and then a shepherd's hut, while in the garage forecourt we processed tons of birch from Old Copse into useful logs for the fire. So, we'll miss looking forward to eating our own vegetables in the summer and having the little old fashioned 'cottagy' looking garage almost hidden behind Summer's rampant growth.
In 2013 I began to think of trying to obtain planning permission to build on the plot. I was becoming a little tired of living in a draughty, quite difficult to heat, fairly large late Victorian house, and was hankering after something smaller, less wasteful of gas and electricity, and if possible, architecturally 'interesting'. I found an architect in 2014, and the planning process began. The first application was refused because it was said to threaten the primacy of the Church Hall (which by the way, is enormous). So the Planning Department insisted that the proposed building be moved back 8 inches, yes, 8 inches !) and lowered a further 18 inches into the ground. As for 'something architecturally interesting', I was to be disappointed. Brighton and Hove Planning department is (apparently) notoriously conservative, and the proposed build would be in a conservation area. Therefore it wasn't allowed to be in any way startling to the architectural sensitivities of passersby, and had to use materials found in the local area such as render for the lower part of the building , and flint for the front wall. At least they didn't insist on a late Victorian pastiche, so that's something to be grateful for. There I was imagining lots of glass, unusual shapes, perhaps a roof garden facing west. No such luck. Planning permission was given in late 2015. Next step, find a builder.
The garages appeared to be occupied but I never saw a tenant. So it was quite a long time before I was able locate the owner, eventually discovering that he'd gone to live in San Francisco. I then found that his mother lived locally. I got an address and wrote to her asking if she could put me in touch with her son. She eventually responded, and asked me to write a letter to her son which she would forward to him. So I did. No response was forthcoming, so I wrote again. Still no response. Then an auctioneer's board was put up, to say the plot was to be auctioned within a couple of weeks! Having no idea how many other people might be interested, and what the competition might be, it was with enormous relief that I got it for the reasonable 'guide' price. This was in March 2004.
In the years that followed the plot filled with fruit trees, artichokes, raspberries and all kinds of vegetable growing projects - some more successful than others. The pink fir apple potatoes were unbeatable, but every year the slugs ate more salad than we did, though the tomatoes and green beans were always successful. Inside the garage Dave built a beautiful Caterham kit car and then a shepherd's hut, while in the garage forecourt we processed tons of birch from Old Copse into useful logs for the fire. So, we'll miss looking forward to eating our own vegetables in the summer and having the little old fashioned 'cottagy' looking garage almost hidden behind Summer's rampant growth.
In 2013 I began to think of trying to obtain planning permission to build on the plot. I was becoming a little tired of living in a draughty, quite difficult to heat, fairly large late Victorian house, and was hankering after something smaller, less wasteful of gas and electricity, and if possible, architecturally 'interesting'. I found an architect in 2014, and the planning process began. The first application was refused because it was said to threaten the primacy of the Church Hall (which by the way, is enormous). So the Planning Department insisted that the proposed building be moved back 8 inches, yes, 8 inches !) and lowered a further 18 inches into the ground. As for 'something architecturally interesting', I was to be disappointed. Brighton and Hove Planning department is (apparently) notoriously conservative, and the proposed build would be in a conservation area. Therefore it wasn't allowed to be in any way startling to the architectural sensitivities of passersby, and had to use materials found in the local area such as render for the lower part of the building , and flint for the front wall. At least they didn't insist on a late Victorian pastiche, so that's something to be grateful for. There I was imagining lots of glass, unusual shapes, perhaps a roof garden facing west. No such luck. Planning permission was given in late 2015. Next step, find a builder.
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| Garden cleared, garage ready for demolition. Sarah dug out out the soil, enriched by years of care , compost, and manure.. and wheel barrowed it to the back of the plot, to be used for the new, much smaller garden area. Looking at this photo the garage looks somehow reproachful - I think it's something about those two windows. |
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