Hardwick Court Farm
Encyclopedia
Hardwick Court Farm is a large farm in Chertsey
, Surrey
and was first established during the Saxon period. A Saxon main road to Chertsey once ran through it but is now reduced to just a farm track.
The "Court" in the name refers to the manor court held in the tithe barn
which was built in the mid-15th century for Chertsey Abbey
, who then owned the farm, to store tithes or taxes in kind. The court was only for minor offences or to settle arguments. The barn is now a rare survivor of its kind, was Listed in 1952 and has recently been dated by London University using dendrochronolgy to 1445AD. It suffered a fire at the South end in 1978 but the damage was repaired and this splendid building remains in agricultural use today.
During the reign of King Henry VIII, the farm was taken over by The Crown
following the dissolution of the monasteries and became part of the Royal Estates.
During the English Civil War
the farm was held by the Royalists. The Parliamentarians captured the farm and kept a document listing all of the land owned by Parliament. After the war the farm was returned to the royal family and was a present from King Charles II to his wife.
The farm remained in royal family ownership until the Georgian
period, when it was sold off. During World War II
the farm was hit by three Luftwaffe
bombs in 1940. One landed on the East side of Cockrow Hill where the crater still remains. Another hit one end of the farmhouse and destroyed the kitchen, part of the dining room, a bedroom and part of the attic. The house survived and but was not rebuilt in its original form and size. A third bomb damaged the South end of the tithe barn which was later repaired.
In 1963 the farm came up for sale and was bought by veterinarian Dr Carl Boyde. The farm was divided up and a small part of the farm had a small narrow gauge railway built on it called 'the Great Cockrow Railway', which survives to this day. A leading local historian, the late Bernard Pardoe, researched the history of the farm in detail (and apparently published his findings circa 1964) and journalist Howard Johnson also featured the history of the farm in an unidentified local newspaper in the 1980s.
Over the years, Dr Boyde has treated many animals and on two separate occasions, he even had two elephants live on the farm plus a llama, a camel, an African cow and two Spanish donkeys.
More recently, the farm unfortunately was further reduced in size when the M25 motorway
was routed through two of its fields and separated the farm from Chertsey. In 2007 the farm was at the front line in the fight against foot and mouth disease as it was only three hundred yards away from where hundreds of cattle had to be killed.
Chertsey
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and was first established during the Saxon period. A Saxon main road to Chertsey once ran through it but is now reduced to just a farm track.
The "Court" in the name refers to the manor court held in the tithe barn
Tithe barn
A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing the tithes - a tenth of the farm's produce which had to be given to the church....
which was built in the mid-15th century for Chertsey Abbey
Chertsey Abbey
Chertsey Abbey, dedicated to St Peter, was a Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the English county of Surrey.It was founded by Saint Erkenwald, later Bishop of London, in 666 AD and he became the first abbot. In the 9th century it was sacked by the Danes and refounded from Abingdon Abbey...
, who then owned the farm, to store tithes or taxes in kind. The court was only for minor offences or to settle arguments. The barn is now a rare survivor of its kind, was Listed in 1952 and has recently been dated by London University using dendrochronolgy to 1445AD. It suffered a fire at the South end in 1978 but the damage was repaired and this splendid building remains in agricultural use today.
During the reign of King Henry VIII, the farm was taken over by The Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
following the dissolution of the monasteries and became part of the Royal Estates.
During the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
the farm was held by the Royalists. The Parliamentarians captured the farm and kept a document listing all of the land owned by Parliament. After the war the farm was returned to the royal family and was a present from King Charles II to his wife.
The farm remained in royal family ownership until the Georgian
Georgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
period, when it was sold off. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the farm was hit by three Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bombs in 1940. One landed on the East side of Cockrow Hill where the crater still remains. Another hit one end of the farmhouse and destroyed the kitchen, part of the dining room, a bedroom and part of the attic. The house survived and but was not rebuilt in its original form and size. A third bomb damaged the South end of the tithe barn which was later repaired.
In 1963 the farm came up for sale and was bought by veterinarian Dr Carl Boyde. The farm was divided up and a small part of the farm had a small narrow gauge railway built on it called 'the Great Cockrow Railway', which survives to this day. A leading local historian, the late Bernard Pardoe, researched the history of the farm in detail (and apparently published his findings circa 1964) and journalist Howard Johnson also featured the history of the farm in an unidentified local newspaper in the 1980s.
Over the years, Dr Boyde has treated many animals and on two separate occasions, he even had two elephants live on the farm plus a llama, a camel, an African cow and two Spanish donkeys.
More recently, the farm unfortunately was further reduced in size when the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
was routed through two of its fields and separated the farm from Chertsey. In 2007 the farm was at the front line in the fight against foot and mouth disease as it was only three hundred yards away from where hundreds of cattle had to be killed.