CHRISTMAS HILL FARM
Lakenheath, Suffolk

The acquisition of CHRISTMAS HILL FARM gave one Suffolk family the chance to combine all their interests in Nature Conservation, their love of wild-life and the countryside and, in particular, protecting Rare Breeds of British sheep and cows

Wide acres.....

.....criss-crossed with waterways.

These almost 700 acres, in the heart of the fenland, are all planted with grassland pastures, criss-crossed with water ways and ditches, and bordered with new plantings of thousands of young trees. 

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme ensures that the farming is beneficial to the many birds, insects, mammals and water creatures which are found there, and a Woodland Scheme cares for the many new trees.

The farm borders an RSPB reserve so, together, the area available to the birds and wildlife approaches 1000acres.

Miles of new fencing were needed and a barn for winter shelter.

New barn for the winter

We had a successful hay time in 2006 and made thousands of hay and silage bales ready for winter.  

Michael and Jo

In January 2006, Michael and Jo Taylor agreed to manage the farm at Christmas Hill and moved, with children Hazel and Tom, from their home area in Buckinghamshire.  Along with them came their flocks of Rare Breed sheep and Longhorn cattle (as well as various rare breed chickens, some ponies and dogs!).

Michael and Jo have experience of restoring and maintaining wildflower and wild life meadows at their old home in the Chiltern valley.  Their knowledge and experience are essential in maintaining the grassland pastures at Christmas Hill, which have been reclaimed from the intensively farmed arable land of the fens.

The cattle and sheep formed the nucleus of the stock at Christmas Hill, and was expanded, during 2006, by the additions of the Elvedon South Devon Herd, and the Woolpit Belted Galloways and Jacob sheep.

Michael and Jo had run, in Buckinghamshire, a Rare Breed Survival Trust approved finishing unit and had an established customer base for Rare Breed meat – sold through local Farmers’ Markets and Rare Breed Box scheme (mail order).   

The demand for meat outstripped supply but they did not have the room to expand – so the chance to develop a larger Rare Breed Enterprise in an environmentally sensitive area appealed to them.

Their experience in developing and running a retail meat enterprise at Christmas Hill will be very valuable as the project progresses. 

This is not an easy task as half of the farm is rich black, wet fenland soil and the other half is sandy, free-draining loam. No artificial fertilizers are allowed, under the Stewardship scheme and we must ensure that the grass is neither over, nor under grazed – to provide the necessary breeding and feeding ground for many wild birds on the farm.

Grazing the lush grassland are herds of pedigree Belted Galloway cattle, majestic Longhorn cattle and golden South Devon cows.  There are also rare breed Whitefaced Woodland sheep (an old Yorkshire breed) and Portland sheep, which are high on the lists of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. 

Some of the well known Woolpit Jacob flock of sheep visit from time to time, though they live most of their lives at home in Woolpit.