about home farm

This web page provides a little information about Home Farm as well as pictures and details of some of its former residents.

Home Farm is situated in rural north Bedfordshire, about eight miles from Bedford, and a similar distance from the Cambridgeshire market town of St Neots. It lies in a sort-of no-mans-land of England, not quite East Anglia nor the South-East, and not the Midlands. Once a commercial farm, growing amongst other things flowers and corn, most of the land was sold off in the 1970s leaving a smallholding of about three and a third acres. A further four and a quarter acres were added later, and there is now just over seven and a half acres. The original farm buildings were knocked down and replaced with eight wooden stables (or loose boxes) and the farm would nowadays make an ideal equestrian holding. Between 1987 and 1997 Home Farm was home to Graham Irwin, author of A Farm of Our Own, and his then partner, Rosemarie, and their menagerie of farm and domestic animals.

• farm layout • visit the animals •

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Layout of the Farm

An aerial photograph of the farm taken in summer 1989
showing the house and stables, the orchard behind,
and the Tringle at the front left

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The farm is divided into five main areas, all of which were given highly original names: Back Field, Farmyard, Orchard, Paddock, Tringle.

Back Field

The Back Field is about four and a quarter acres in size. A small area of about a third of an acre, known as The Copse, is fenced off and was planted with about 120 oak and hazel trees. The field is used for grazing the sheep, goats and cows in rotation with the Paddock. It is also cropped for hay. It contains a small barn, used for storage of hay and as a shelter for the animals.

The "barn" under construction

Orchard

The orchard is home to the ducks, geese and chickens and over forty apple trees.

The vegetable garden at the side of the orchard;
it sometimes seemed to be more successful for growing
poppies and roses than vegetables

Paddock

Sunset over the paddock at Home Farm

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The Animals

Bees

A swarm of bees hanging from an elder bush in the hedge

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Poultry

The ducks: Dilys, Bumbly and Rubber

A maran hen and her chicks

The geese: Sid, with Polly behind, Gozzy-Gozzy, and Georgie

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Cows

Angie

Angie at about a week old in her stable

Name: Angie
Breed: Aberdeen Angus cross
Sex: Female
Born: about 1 May 1989

Chumpie

Name: Chumpie
Breed: three-quarter Hereford
Sex: Female
Born: 10 February 1992
Dam: Fudgie

Fudgie

Fudgie at about three weeks old with Rosemarie

Name: Fudgie
Breed: Hereford cross
Sex: Female
Born: about 1 May 1989
Died: 19 January 1995 - put down with BSE

Ollie

Name: Olive (pet name: Ollie)
Breed: Hereford cross
Sex: Female
Born: 12 June 1994
Dam: Fudgie

Wellie

Name: Wellington (pet name: Wellie)
Breed: Hereford cross
Sex: Female
Born: 31 May 1993
Dam: Fudgie

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Goats

Goats are one of the earliest domesticated animals. Originally believed to have come from the mountain regions of Europe and Asia, goats are chiefly kept for their milk. There are over 200 domestic breeds. The most common milking goat in Britain is the Saanen, a Swiss breed, or the British Saanen variant, both breeds being notable by their all-white coat. Other breeds include the British Alpine, distinguishable by its black coat with white markings, the Toggenburg and the Anglo Nubian. The Angora goat is a relative newcomer to Britain and is noted for its fine silky fleece which gives rise to Angora wool. Goats tend to feed on leaves and shoots rather than grass and, contrary to popular belief, make very bad lawn mowers! In captivity, particularly when milking, goats usually need to have their feed supplemented with a milled "goat mix."

Brolly