In the Netherlands, Volkstuinen, or allotments, date back to the C17th and today there are now around 240,000. They can often be seen from trains; the allotment-spotter will note that one significant difference between allotments in the UK and those in many European countries is that structures - cabins, sheds, summer houses - are permitted. As a result, these allotments fulfil many different social, creative, and familial roles, and not just the growing of fruit and vegetables.