Britain’s Garden Museum to exhibit – The Good Life – 100 Years of Growing Your Own

Gardens at Hammersmith Allotments by Francis Dodd, 1929

The Good Life – 100 Years of Growing Your Own

6th October 2009 – 7th March 2010

2009 has been a year of ‘Growing Your Own’ – from allotments to balconies and window-boxes, people throughout Britain are growing their own and enjoying a slice of ‘The Good Life’.

Our winter exhibition traces the story of growing food in Britain over 100 years. Starting with the Allotment Act of 1908 and visiting key moments such as the Dig For Victory campaign of the Second World War and the Self-Sufficiency movement through the 1970s, paintings, photographs, personal memoirs and even the odd home-spun sweater will tell the story of why, how and what we have grown.

The exhibition also encourages a debate about whether the current enthusiasm for ‘Growing Your Own’ is driven by today’s economic climate or whether people in Britain are passionate about growing food for other reasons: perhaps because they have a desire to be healthier and more in touch with nature, or maybe because it’s something they have grown up enjoying as part of their family and community life?

Ultimately, is ‘Growing Your Own’ something that is now deeply embedded within the nation’s psyche and will continue for many years to come, or will interest come and go?

Visit the Museum site here.