The Forgotten Fields project has begun to explore the food heritage of Cringle Fields and the Highfield Park area of Levenshulme, which was well known locally for smallholdings known as the Piggeries.
Forgotten Fields is a project focused on the heritage of food production and availability in Manchester from 1750’s to present day. It concentrates on six communities from across Greater Manchester that have expressed a need to explore a particular food heritage.
Students at Levenshulme High School are helping with the research into the history of farming, smallholdings and the availability of local food by conducting interviews with local residents.
Topics of research and study include:
- The tithe map and apportionment details from 1845 (held at Manchester Cathedral) which gives indications of crops, shows field names, land ownership and occupancy.
- Census details from 1841 to find out about local farming families for example at High Farm (formerly on the site of Levenshulme High School) Shore’s Fold, and Highfield Farm.
- Levenshulme Library has helped with archive photographs of the farms, smallholdings and shops.
- Personal recollections of the smallholdings and market gardeners who supplied the markets or who sold their produce locally (eg. Rigby’s and Rickett's on Highfield )
- Trade directories and local shops.
- Dig for Victory.
- Historic allotment sites in Levenshulme.
- Historic private and contemporary Community Orchards.
- Residents currently ‘growing their own’ on three allotment sites, Highfield, Tonbridge and the newly formed Acorn Close Allotments.
- The experience of those shop and cafe owners who are trying to supply fairly traded, local, organic food to the local community.
If anyone has any information about this food heritage, no matter how small or would like to know more, please email: fiona@kindling.org.uk or phone 07848 026257
Forgotten Fields is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.