Highford Farm

The History of Highford Farm

Highford farm was originally part of the manor of Clovelly. It was much larger than it is now and was mostly gorse-covered moorland, bog and culm grassland. Unfortunately most of it's early  records have been lost in a series of fires at Clovelly Court, the home of Clovelly Estate, where the parish records were kept. 

The farm  was sold off from the Estate in 1887 to James Berriman who was the landlord of the New Inn Hotel in the centre of Clovelly village. Due to it's location the New Inn has always had the donkeys of Clovelly to carry baggage and other goods up the cobbled street as wheeled vehicles can't get to it.

James Berriman  was an enterprising businessman and in true Victorian fashion he set about displaying his wealth by showing the world how he felt farming should be done!  He was famous locally for the very large pooh heap he had been collecting for some years before buying the farm.

He began by 'improving' the land draining it and adding huge amounts of manure from his famous heap. He drained the bog and captured the water in a reservoir to serve the needs of the farm and the animals. Although the farm is now on mains water the reservoir still exists and some of the fields still have his self-filling water troughs with brick arches over them. 

For the farm buildings he proceeded to build his vision of a model farm, embodying the newest farming innovations and with ostentatious architectural flair using coloured bricks, carvings and statues, stone gateways and arches. Much of his work is still in evidence and has led to the buildings being Grade2 listed.  

As you enter the farm, you pass through a pair of stone pillars topped by Lions and Lambs, bearing the inscription 

Oh How peaceful thou art, O! Highford. JB 1896 

Leo

Clarence

One of the lions was stolen but found by chance in an Architectural salvage yard and brought home.
Clarence has survived being knocked off his post by a local farmer recently.
They both are in need of restoration which hopefully will soon be done.

These are not the only fancy posts he built; there were a pair beside Providence chapel, about ½ mile before you reach Highford.
Although these are now lost, the modern replicas still carry Berriman's inscriptions

Heading to the West, if you take the road signposted to Hartland lighthouse there is a third pair, now leading into a field, which carry another inscription:-

Omega thou art last I'm sure
As Alpha is in the East
And thou'lt be last for evermore
'til endless ages cease.
When I'm dead and gone
these verses will remain
to show who wrote thereon
by working of the Brain.

Js Berriman New Inn Clovelly Jan 10 1902

As you pass down the drive the first cottage on the left is possibly the original farmhouse and parts of it are several hundred years old. It has been extended and enhanced and has fancy ridge tiles.

The next building was Berriman's farmhouse; the core of the building could be a medieval long barn, but it has been extensively altered with two Victorian extensions.

The house is tied into a long range of Berriman's farm buildings; impressive two storey red brick and stone structures which form two sides of the yard. 

Along the third side is a single storey building that was added in the 1950s to be the new milking shed.

The Granary which had the old milking shed below it.

Between the arched windows eagles look out into the yard and the purpose of each building is given on stone plaques on their pillars.

The Eagles were made by the North Devon Pottery which became the famous Brannam Pottery.

The stables housed 6 horses and there was a harness room, cart house and a shed for machinery.

There were originally two arches giving entrance to the yard but the one near the drive was removed when farm equipment became too big to get under it.
However the other still stands and still has it's own eagle.

When new industrial pig units were put up in what is now the gardens behind the Buttery and Byre the piggery was converted into a pottery.

The Granary building from the back with the stables and arch.

The arch, Swallows' Rest and Long Barn

A Plan of the Farm when is was last working.

In the 1990s the farm was sold and the present owner sold off the buildings to a developer.

The buildings were converted to holiday cottages and sold off individually.

Highford Farmhouse was bought by the owners of the Clovelly donkeys - so we think Mr Berriman would be pleased !