Where we'd like to be...

Here's a tour of the prospective site.

It's 12 acres of grassland, scrub, and trees to the west of Hill Farm Rise in East Hunsbury.

It was quarried as part of the Hunsbury Hill Ironstone workings - more of which later - then grazed, and has since been left to the rabbits and green woodpeckers.



Network Rail only fenced that which they had a use for, a boundary of densely planted trees separates the rest from the road.

This is currently used as a bike track by local kids, with some pretty good construction work.

We've no intention of changing this other than making it easier to access, and would keep this long band of trees outside our boundary fence.



At the base of the hill, beside the road, you find the oldest oak trees on the site.

Out of site from the houses, on a quiet road, it's also where things are often dumped.  Pushed through the old hedgerow from the path which is raised over a meter above the site at this point.  Did I mention there's a covenant requiring the owners to keep the place tidy and safe?  It's almost like Network Rail have never read the deeds! 

 

All the old maps of the area show a clump of trees here, and we intend to reinstate the original hedgerows that intersected at this point.


One of those hedgerows will divide the farm from the car park.  This area has had material dumped on it by Network Rail.  We thought it may be from the reservoir they dug to the south, but it doesn't appear to be local soil and only creeping plants seem keen to grow in it.  
It was spread right up onto the site, but we'll come back to that.  Ballast, hardcore, and building debris are mixed in with it, and it forms a large enough space for our requirements.

There is currently no vehicular access onto the site at all, and if our parking has to be at the southern end so does the entrance.  The logical answer is to share the access Network Rail have created for themselves.

The fence could be pulled back and the land levelled allowing vehicles into the car park, without Network Rail losing much parking space.  In fact, if the fence and gate is for security they really need to re-think it anyway.

There are bus stops into, and out of town, nearby, and there would be minimal impact on traffic day-to-day as we're not that kind of attraction.

That would be the logical place to have it, but if Network Rail weren't willing, there is the option of the original field entrance.  This surprised us when we found it on the old plans, but it makes perfect sense on the ground and links with a, now non-existent, footpath.
To have the access here would mean removing trees we'd rather not touch, and making some alterations to the plans, but it is possible.

The main gate to the farm would be to the north of the car park, a driveway leading up the site, following more of the tipped material.  A lot of Bristly Ox-Tongue along here, with it's disease-looking warty leaves, as well as teasel - which coincidentally can cure warts.
A wall either side, to the right you might hear the pigs, to the left... digging?

The driveway leads up to the farm yard and the main buildings.

The first will begin life as the mess hall and store, but when they're moved on it will be a shop/cafe.

That is the first of various side-projects that we'd be happy to franchise out as it could be a business on it's own.  There's plenty of room for more outdoor seating behind it, and the building would be extended to extent shown as needed.


This was originally going to look out at our market garden and polytunnels, but when we first spoke to them about the project the local parish council explained they've been looking to create some allotments in the area and wondered if we could help.

The site may be 12 acres, but 4 acres of that is covered in trees.  The farm itself needs at least 6.5 acres for grazing, buildings, etc.  So things were a little tight - there was no way we could offer the land required for a proper allotment site.

It was still a good idea, so we made some changes to the plans, and the way other fields could be managed, and found we could fit in around 25 'starter' allotments.

The standard allotment plot size is 10 pole, or 250 square meters, regarded as a good size for a family to work.  These days it's seen as too much for modern families with little time, and with a lack of allotments nationally they usually only offer 5 pole plots.
If the family have never taken on an allotment before it's also standard practice now to offer them a starter plot, easing them into the work necessary while they wait for a full-size plot to become vacant.
These are often hardly worth the trip to work them, so we made our starter plots larger, around 4 x 9m.  Dig-able in a day, yet would produce plenty of food for the family if worked sensibly.

Having seen most of the vacant land in the town, we have a suggestion for a larger allotment site nearby, but it's under a lease at the moment, and will be up to the parish council to negotiate over if they wanted to.  It would be nice to see people graduating on from our plots to something more substantial... or maybe they'll run our market garden.

We'd seen how badly allotments fitted in to other farms.  For the public to have to walk through them made working there feel like you were an exhibit.  Alternatively, creating an area out of the way would mean a separate entrance and parking, with everyone having keys to access it.
By placing them here, near the entrance, sharing the parking and facilities, yet out of the way of most visitors, we hope this creates a better feel.


Back at the farm yard, there's space for a workshop next to the messhall/store/shop/cafe - very useful on rainy days, but it would be available for craft demonstrations etc.

The main building is designed to be built up over several years rather than appear in one expensive go, but eventually will include: the toilets, office, platform for disabled visitors and small children to get eye to eye with the animals, and a courtyard which will finally have some kind of roof creating a classroom.

This is where the main handwashing sinks are located, although there would be others around the site as well.


There's room for a small barn next to this, as required, and opposite (amongst those trees that are not as dense as appear on here) is a duckpond.

The pigs should be in several pens in a lower area off the farmyard, keeping them out of the sun, and allowing them occasional access amongst a small copse of young oak trees.  It also allows visitors not wanting to mix with the pigs the option of by-passing them.

It's possible this won't be suitable, for various reasons, in which case there's an area in the centre of the site that could used instead.
If the pigs aren't here though, we have to find a use for this part of the site.  One idea is for a few workshops for start-up craft/art-based businesses along the driveway.  I must stress they'd be workshops, not shops, but no serious plans have been made.


There are two routes from the farmyard, west takes you to the market garden, which would eventually be mostly polytunnels, and the commercial chicken flock.

North from the farmyard takes you into the open run-around area of the 'fried-egg fields'.  The shape was dictated by the tree line and contours, but it seems fitting.  This first open area will have seating and a few things for kids to play around with, as well as give them a view of many paddocks.

The track here follows the long-gone footpath that would take you through houses and gardens if it still existed.
 
These smaller paddocks allow us to control the grazing easier, with the animals being moved day-by-day to fresh grazing - so, yes, some days some of them will be empty.

There's a walk around the 'yolk' taking you over the pond at the west boundary.  According to the old maps there was a pond here before, but Network Rail seem to have filled much of it in with more of their dumped soil.

The two tracks converge as we head up the site, taking you between two more paddocks.  Much of the boundary lines from here on have formed naturally by hawthorn and elder. Laying them and planting more, we'll create hedgerows where views aren't needed.


That old footpath keeps heading straight north-west, but we'll come back to that and follow the track to the centre of the farm and the limits of the public section, where you can turn to see this view.

That's Gayton on the horizon somewhere.



The main field at the top of the site would be just less than an acre.

This would be available for events etc. organised by whoever would like to use it - the only limit is damage caused to the grass. Our rear gate at the top of the site can provide a separate access if needed.  While smaller than other parks can provide, the added night-time security hopefully offers something different to other spaces in the town.


Just beyond the gate from the public section is where our cow shed will be, and any other buildings we may need creating a secondary hub.  To begin with that's no more than a stable on a concrete base, but there's space to grow.

Beside it is space for a small lodge.  Security on the site is important, as are the finances.  If one of the farm workers could live on site, even for only part of the year, this could help with both.  It's also likely we'll need extra help in the summer, and so having accommodation on site gives us the option for holidaying volunteers.

We have other plans for this spot, but you can find out about that on our tenth anniversary (think positive).

Beyond the buildings are five fields which would be part of a rotation.  Rested for a year, grazed for a year, ploughed for high yield crop such as wheat for a year, beans or something adding nutrition to the soil in the fourth, and an extra crop in the fifth year.

These are large patches of land, so various crops would actually be tried in each, including more vegetables, alternative crops, energy crops, even flowers – fields as diverse as farming in the UK.

There aren't any conifers on the site, and the difference between the conifers and deciduous trees (undergrowth etc) is something we'd like to include, and this scrub area in the centre makes a perfect spot.  It's also good for wildlife which we are eager to include in the education mix we'll offer.

All of these areas would be closed off to the public, only open permanently from the summer until harvest time – mainly because there would be nothing to see.

Beyond the conifers are the summer meadows. 

These would be left for silage or hay, saving us in feed bills later in the year, and also allowing wild flowers to grow.

Running through them in an avenue (that has already partially formed naturally) will be the orchard.


At the very top of the site is the largest woodland.  Originally we intended to keep this outside the farm and leave it accessible, however, as the project developed we realised we needed an area of woodland that we could allow the kids of our various clubs to explore and play safely in.
The exact location of the fence line has yet to be decided, but it would be hidden within the wood so from the outside there would appear to be no change.



Within this wood ran the railway for the ironstone quarry linking it by rail to Hunsbury Hill and on to Duston Mill beyond Briar Hill.  It didn't follow the route across the site we originally thought, but we've now plotted where it went.  They dug a tunnel for it under the old Towcester Road (now Hill Farm Rise) from this site to the east, and it's still there.

Flooded and filled with rubbish, we thought it should be cleared and dredged, but kept as a pond – the water protects it from serious vandalism.

Its not very large, so when they were using it they had to cut down the railway engine cab and funnel so it would fit through.



Back on the farm then, let's go back to the lost footpath where we left it, and follow it north east.

We toyed with the idea of a wind turbine here. It would have been the smallest commercial type available, not very large at all - but the reaction by the parish council to the very mention of it put us off.  There would be problems of it casting long moving shadows that may scare the animals anyway.  It was just an idea and not worth the hassle.


Continuing on we reach a very steep slope dropping down to the real railway tunnel.  It curves around until it faces almost directly south.

It doesn't seem too bad in the photos, but standing on it you realise how steep it is.

This slope is roughly 30 degrees, which coincidentally is the angle you need to position solar panels.  As this sudden drop is fairly useless to us (goats would love it, but no one would see them) we've looked into a small solar farm on the part most facing south.  This would need additional investment, but could make money – again this looks likely to be another side project others could profit from.


However, thanks to the government there's much uncertainty over such projects now, and it would need far more detailed investigation nearer a realistic time.  As additional infrastructure would need to be designed into the plan (not too difficult), this would need to be some time before our second, maybe third year.

Also on this well drained slope, a vineyard would work very well (not marked on the drawing above).  Who knows, maybe a whole bottle of wine might be produced!

As the slope curves around to face east, the amount of sunlight falling on it drops and so does the agricultural uses.  There are also several trees growing at the base.  It forms a lovely ampitheatre though, so we're thinking of culture as much as agri-culture (sorry... that's terrible).

It would be quite easy to put in steps and a stage amongst the trees.  Yes, a train passes every 20 minutes, but that adds to the character.  Around 200 people could be sat on the grass bank.
We're not suggesting it would be used constantly, it's just another venue available for everyone to use.  It hopefully leaves you with the idea that we're keen to emphasise - that an urban farm is far more than just a bunch of animals.  It's a managed space for all the town to enjoy, be involved in, and help create.

Come and join the team, and let's see this thing actually happen.

If not the site might be like this instead...

 

(funny what you can find in NBC reports).