Plotlands of Shepperton

The author went to Portsmouth to study architecture in 1966.The discomfort he felt with the profession resulted in his 'Survival Scrapbook 1 Shelter' which was published by Unicorn Bookshop in Brighton in 1972.'Food' and 'Energy' followed in 1974 and a Schocken Book edition of all three was published in North America. It was around this time that he first came across a colourful plotland community in Ovingham outside Newcastle, whilst touring with the Scratch Orchestra.The buildings seemed to be a form of architectural improvisation akin to the free form collective music making he was experiencing. Later he set up a building project for the musicians and this was shown as 'The Scratch Cottage' at Art Spectrum 1971. It was later in 1983 whilst teaching in Hull that he met Philip Wren whose thesis showed him how the Plotlands were an integral part of the pursuit of leisure by the working class. By now the plotlands had become a core interest in his wider study of working class culture. It was in the early 1990s after fifteen years of squatting that he had the good fortune to become a member of Sharsted Street Self-Build Co-op in Kennington. In three years from 1993 to 1996 ten families built ten houses. It was a dream come true, even if it wasn't a plotland! However Shepperton-on-Thames where the author lived from 1959 to 1966 had hundreds of plotland houses which had gone un-noticed as he grew up there. His mum continued to live in Shepperton until recently so there were occasional opportunities to take photographs.This book is the result of that informal documentary activity between 2004 - 2016.