The Cholderton Estate

11/08/2024

you have been a JOY! We have loved watching and all the Olympians take on seemingly impossible feats and have felt all the highs and lows along the way. There are too many incredible moments to mention and we could watch them all again!

Our own Cleveland Bays have been reminiscing about the role of their ancestors in the Olympics, with the rare breed competing in show jumping at the 1964, 1968 and 1976 games! We couldn’t find any photos of them but would love to see them in action there.

02/08/2024

Harvest is here!

31/07/2024

Join Mythic Hippo Photography for another of her popular wildlife photography workshops here on the farm. The first is coming up soon on Saturday the 10th August, 10.30 - 3.30pm and is £55 with lunch included. There is plenty of wildlife and wildflowers to see on the estate at the moment so we can’t to see what is produced!

Jenny will run a second workshop on the 20th October when I’m sure the landscape and wildlife will be looking transformed again! Do get in touch with Jenny directly for more information and to book - [email protected].

12/07/2024

HOMEGROWN | In some corners of the walled garden, we are lifting and drying onion and garlic in the fleeting sunny days we have had recently, while in others, summer is in full bloom with stunning colourful displays ahead of our summer weddings. ⁣
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The apple trees are fit to burst with fruit and will soon be pressed into juice but in the meantime, we are enjoying these quiet moments in the garden.

08/07/2024

SWIFTS | Our newest blog post by Estate Owner, Henry Edmunds considers the distinctive and charismatic swift. Noticeably fewer this year here in Hampshire and Wiltshire, it is a continuation of an alarming trend.

Here we try to create the right habitat for them with the encouragement of wild areas full of the beetles and aphids they feast on and with the installation of Swift boxes, together with a repeating tape of Swift calls that plays in the early morning and late evening to attract them in.

The Breeding Bird Survey 2023 shows that Swift numbers are down 66% since 1995 which is devastating. They are fascinating birds, spending the first three years of their lives ‘on the wing’, feeding, drinking and sleeping in the air, only finally landing to breed.

How are swift numbers near you? Perhaps you might consider installing nest boxes in your eaves, they are a wonderful guest to have! If you would like to know more, the link to the blog post is in our bio.

The second photo is of drawings by , capturing the swifts in flight as they duck in and out of the eaves.

28/06/2024

PICNIC THEATRE | The Troubadour Stageworks will be performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in our walled garden tomorrow night! Tickets are still available by following the link in our bio.

We are so excited that the actors will be offering a free 45 minute workshop from 5pm for child ticket holders. Perfect for children new to Shakespeare or studying it at school. Not to be missed!

16/06/2024

THANK YOU! | A huge thank you to everyone who came along to the open garden today hosted by The Cholderton Estate Trust on behalf of the National Garden Scheme. It was so lovely to see so many of you and we have raised over £1,000 for charity!

We couldn’t have done this without the help of all at Cholderton. The Edmunds family came out in force to help along with so many of our brilliant team. Special thanks must go to Clare for her relentless work in the run up and on the day and to Sarah who kept our visitors very pleased with so many of her fantastic cakes. Thank you so much to you all.

If you missed this and would love to see more from the estate, take a look at our upcoming performance of A Midsummer Nights Dream by the on the 29 June. Booking in our bio!

30/05/2024

NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME | Calling all peony enthusiasts, walled garden lovers, nature fanatics and those who enjoy a wander around a garden on a summers day! We will be opening our gardens on the 16th June from 2-5pm for the National Garden Scheme, where you can wander around our garden and see areas not normally open to the public.

We spoke to Gardener Clare in the garden where she was tending the borders and asked her for what she has been working on in the organic garden.

‘The peony bed is such an attraction with interesting varieties planted. It would be wonderful to have a peony enthusiast to identify them for us! I’m also pleased with a new border of white foxgloves, sweet rocket and honesty. These were all grown from seed and have done so well.

Asked how to recreate a peony border such as the walled garden, Clare suggested narrowing the varieties down to a complimentary colour palette and ‘would veer towards historic peony varieties as they are rather lovely!’ Read the full blog post in the link in our bio.

13/05/2024

WEEKEND UNDER THE STARS | We have last minute availability in our Lapwing Shepherds Hut this weekend. Follow the link in our bio and use the discount code LASTMINUTE.⁣
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Our boutique dog friendly holiday cottages and cabins are ten minutes from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Stonehenge, have plenty of lovely walks around and also have their own private wood fired hot tub. We would love to see you! ⁣
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29/04/2024

We are welcoming our newest Cleveland Bay this week. A c**t foal, born to mother Scylla, is absolutely beautiful and currently nameless!⁣
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We will name him to begin with a ‘y’ and ideally along a Greek theme. His mother’s name is an Ancient Greek monster for example. We would love to hear your ideas! ⁣

22/04/2024

EARTH DAY | A day for celebrating nature, environmental protection and sustainability 🌎 . Estate Owner, Henry Edmunds, is a passionate advocate for the environment who says that ‘sustainable ecological principles to agriculture and land management is essential to combat climate change’. We asked him for his thoughts on how he farms alongside nature here. ⁣
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‘At Cholderton, we practice a ley farming system. All fertility is generated by the decomposition of manure and from the utilisation of herbal leys comprised partly of deep rooting legumes. These leys are dominated by Sainfoin, Lucerne or Red & White Clover. The grasses Meadow Fescue, Timothy and Cocksfoot are added to the mix.⁣
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Our land has been historically sheep grazed, but was ploughed during the war. It was suitable to return to downland and this was achieved with the assistance of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. This has been a great success with a wide range of downland plants present and several species of butterfly including the Adonis Blue, Chalkhill Blue, Small Blue, Marsh Fritillary and the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary ​returning to breed in areas where they have not been seen for 70 years’.⁣
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Henry believes in the benefits of ley farming, and dreams of a model of local self sufficiency, where grown feed is fed to local livestock and where local food is sold to local communities.
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‘We must achieve a degree of compatibility and balance with the limited resources of our planet. Sustainability, not necessarily economic growth, should be the focus of our and future generations. It is by adopting a fresh approach and a different economic doctrine that the planet can be safe guarded for the future’.⁣
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14/04/2024

There is much wildlife spotting going on here at the moment. We were absoluted delighted to spot the first swallow here on the 7th March, followed by another two a few days later. It is a joy to see them back and we look forward to them filling the skies and whizzing in and out of the buildings as they raise their young. We would love to know if you have spotted any yet and where? They are starting to arrive all over now! ⁣
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This photo though is of a violet oil beetle, a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species having declined over the past 100 years due to changes in countryside management. They love wildflower rich habitats and do very well here.⁣
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The beetles are nest parasites of solitary mining bees and they dig burrows into the ground to lay their eggs. Once they hatch, the ‘triungulins’ climb onto flowers and wait for a suitable bee to arrive collecting pollen, then they climb onto its back and disembark in the bees nest to feed in the store of pollen and nectar until ready to emerge. It is tricky business finding just the right bee (bumblebees and honeybees aren’t right, it needs to be a solitary bee) and it is estimated that fewer than 1 in 2,000 make it to adulthood).⁣
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We will be keeping an eye out for these brilliantly coloured beetles, so called as they do shine like oil in the light and of course lots of swallows and swifts when they arrive! ⁣
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07/04/2024

NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME | We will again be opening the garden for the National Garden Scheme on the 16th June 2024 where you can see our peony walk dating over 100 years old (scroll to see it just starting to grow in the rainy garden now!).⁣
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Visitors will be able to wander around our Victorian walled garden and working kitchen garden, then explore our arboretum teaming with wildlife, a maze and numerous tree species. Home made teas in the courtyard at Kingsettle Stud, our Grade II listed stable block.⁣
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We hope that you can join us to explore the estate then! ⁣

02/04/2024

LAPWING HUT | We have last minute availability in our Lapwing but this weekend. We had some lovely feedback recently which we are always so happy to hear.
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Come and enjoy plenty of fresh air, good walks and exploring our local area, maybe a trip to Stonehenge. Use the code LASTMINUTE on stays between the 2nd and 9th April. ⁣

19/03/2024

REDWOOD TREES | There is lots in the UK press at the moment about the number of Giant Sequoia, or Redwood trees, growing in the British Isles. The Guardian estimated numbers to be around 500,000, compared to around 80,000 in California. This huge number is thought to be the result of the Victorian penchant for seed collecting from overseas, an equivalent of the modern souvenir, with travellers bringing back these impressive seeds to plant at home.⁣
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We have lots of Giant Sequoia growing here in Cholderton, planted in 1880 and they are a much loved part of tree history on the farm today. The species does not appear to be invasive (and they need enough heat to open their cones in order to reproduce, usually produced by forest fires in their native homes) but can live for 3,000 years.⁣
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We wonder how they will shape the landscape of our Estate here as they continue to grow in size!⁣

29/02/2024

THE FOLDED FLOCK | In our newest blog post, Henry Edmunds reflects on how our rare breed Hampshire Down sheep have been lambed over the years. ⁣
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A particularly celebrated character on the farm was Sid Rayment, a third generation exclusive Hampshire Down Shepherd. ‘A most endearing man with a face, tanned and leathery, deeply fissured, torn by winter squalls, and spring hail, and yet locked in an expression of permanent benevolence and joviality’. ⁣
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During lambing, Sid lived in a Shepherds Hut (scroll to see the hut that visitors to Cholderton Farm Shop & Cafe will know well!) drawn up close to the outside pens and there he stayed until the lambing was over. ⁣
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We have loved reading Henry’s memories of Sid, who may be the last of the great downland shepherds and hope you might enjoy reading them too! Link to the full post in bio.⁣
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24/02/2024

REAL BREAD WEEK | The smell of freshly baked bread awaits guests to our Shepherds Huts and as it is real bread week, we thought we would share how we make our bread here!

For our loaves, we use our active starter and then we…
- Empty the starter jar into a bowl and add 600g warm water, then stir.
- Add 800G flour (we use Shipton Mill Organic) and mix by hand, then leave covered for one hour.
- Next we add 21g salt and 30g water and knead, which should easily form a silky dough.
- We stretch and fold the dough a couple of times.
- After 6 – 8 hours, we empty the dough onto a floured surface, divide and shape into two loaves by stretching and folding to trap air.
- Place the loaves in bennett’s that have been dusted with rice flour to prevent sticking.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight, then in the morning heat the oven to 250 degrees with cast iron dishes in there so they get hot too.
- Turn the loaves out onto baking paper and bake in the dishes uncovered for one hour at 250 degrees,

Delicious! We hope you have baking plans this weekend too!

23/02/2024

The Cholderton Estate are looking for someone to assist with our BnB and Wedding Venue business. The role is Monday-Friday, around 20 hours per week and would suit someone looking for flexible work during school hours. The role involves changing over our BnB huts and cottage between guest checkins, and cleaning/managing the wedding venue for viewings and between weddings. The ideal candidate would be organised and conscientious. We are a very friendly, family run business; salary is competitive and the cabins are in a beautiful setting! Do DM if interested or preferably e-mail me at [email protected]

12/02/2024

Heading out today in the glorious sunshine to reunite this sweet lamb with it’s mother. We number each ewe and set of lambs so that we can easily match them back up! Ewe and lamb were happily reunited and all was well ☀️ 🐑

04/02/2024

WALLED GARDEN | The first signs of spring are showing, our snowdrops are opening and we are getting our walled garden ready for another season of growing.

This garden has been a working garden for the estate since Victorian times and remains a much loved part of the farm now. We use it to grow our vegetables, apples, plums and pears, the borders are full of flowers and we also host weddings here.

In June, the peony walk, dating over 100 years old, are filled with pink blooms and are an incredible sight. We will again be opening the walled garden on Sunday 16 June 2024 as part of the National Garden Scheme, when these should be looking at their best. We hope you can make it along!

26/01/2024

RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH⁣
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This weekend the are inviting us all to watch our gardens and green spaces for one hour to count the number of species we see. It’s an important bit of citizen science which we are all ready for here on the estate! ⁣
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Our guests in the Shepherds Huts have been invited to participate too. On our walk over to the huts this morning, we saw Kestrel, Buzzard, Kites, Great T**s, Blue T**s and Long Tailed T**s so we hope it might be an exciting hour of bird watching.Our feeders are topped up and we shall be peering out the window looking, although our hut residents will have the best view and won’t even need to get out of bed for it! ⁣
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16/01/2024

Amidst Christmas, New Year and a brief but impressive blizzard, we have welcomed our little rainbow (no name yet!) to the world.

We are so happy that she is here, Zephyr is being a fantastic big brother and we are looking forward to lots of stomps on the farm as a family of four.

Apologies if we are a little slower to respond to emails whilst we enjoy this time!

07/01/2024

WINTER NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP | Jenny Grewel will be running another of her photography walks and workshops here on Saturday the 10th February. ⁣
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The sessions run from 10.30am - 3.30pm and cost £55 per person, including lunch. No photography experience necessary (just bring your camera!). Contact [email protected] to book. ⁣
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This is jenny's photo of a charm of goldfinches, which we absolutely love. The hedgerows here are alive with them at the moment, along with redwings - looking forward to seeing the photos from this session!⁣
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04/01/2024

Looking forward to Jenny’s Winter Nature Photography Workshop on the 10th February. Head over to Jenny’s profile to book!

Winter Nature Photography Workshop! On Saturday 10th February I'll be running another photography walk and workshop at The Cholderton Estate (and hoping for more frosts like this one!). It will run from 10.30am-3.30pm and cost £55 per person (which includes lunch). No photography experience is necessary, you just need some sort of camera!

31/12/2023

With 2023 drawing to a close and the shortest day now passed, we are enjoying glimmers of sunshine lighting the farm today. Groups of goldfinches are flitting from the teasels and the graceful Roe deer are wandering the resting pastures.

Thank you very much for following our organic and regenerative farming stories this year. We wish you a very happy new year all! 💫

28/12/2023

LAMBING | Even our Hampshire Down sheep are feeling that snuggly twixmas feeling. Though they are outside grazing on grassland all year, we do bring them in for lambing which is starting imminently now.⁣
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The pens are ready and the barn will soon be full of low bleeting, as the ewes settle in to the background of classical music which Henry plans to them all day. It is a special and busy time in our farming year! ⁣
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22/12/2023

WINTER SOLSTICE | Up to the border of the border of the estate today on the ancient boundary of Windy Dido, looking out towards Quarley Hill. A cloudy start, then the mists descended before clearing up to a gorgeous sunrise!

The winter solstice marks the 24 hours with the fewest daylight hours in the year and the word comes from the Latin ‘Solstitium’, which means the ‘sun stands still’. Though the sun rises in the East, it was an unexpected treat to see it rise directly above the hill fort today - at the winter solstice, the position of the sun reaches its most southerly point and so was not quite where we thought it would be!

09/12/2023

HAMPSHIRE DOWNS | Our flock of Hampshire Downs, a rare pedigree breed, being fed by Henry in a favourite corner of the farm. In a few weeks, the lambing pens will be up in the barn and the ewes will make their way inside in preparation for the arrival of new lambs. ⁣
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On this far-reaching part of the estate, away from the hustle of the farmyard, we always keep an eye out for any wildlife overhead and darting out of the hedgerows. Today, we spotted plenty of buzzards and red kites, which are now plentiful around the farm and had the bonus of a stonechat perched at the end of a thistle, glimmering in the sunshine. ⁣
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