Hi Everyone,
I have just got back from an amazing staycation in Michelmersh which is near Southampton, UK. I can’t remember where I found Michelmersh Manor Farm but I have a feeling that it came across my Instagram a while back and thought it’d be great for the kids.
A little bit of background, in the medieval period the Manor of Michelmersh was in the possession of the Priory of St Swithun, Winchester. The original farmhouse, which is lived in by the current farmers, incorporates the original solar wing of the Prior’s Manor house (dated by dendrochronology to 1231/2). The map also indicates the farmhouse is listed as a Grade II building.
The main farm buildings (stables and accommodation) dates from at least the 16th century; attached to the north-west end of it is a late 18th or early 19th century open-sided barn (calf shed). The size and plan of the larger building and lack of smoke blackening in the roof suggests this was an agricultural rather than domestic building. Most probably a stable for horses, perhaps with accommodation on an upper level.
Michelmersh Manor Farm is a working farm which was set up in 1983 as the family relocated from London to be in the countryside. They currently have 300 dairy cows as well as 5 Robotic milking machines. They also have a flock of 200 ewes which are lambed over the Easter period. The farm has chickens, guinea fowl, peacocks and horses as well as various crops are grown throughout the year adding a mosaic of scenery.
They have six different types of accommodation that you can stay in depending on how many people are staying as well as what type of facilities you’d like. We stayed in the Bluebells which is a 3 bedroom cottage that has a fully functioning kitchen as well as a living room that has a tv and board games. This accommodation can sleep up to 6 persons.
Bluebells is the first accommodation you see when you drive into the farm and it’s situated right next to the calves which you can see from the windows of the cottage.
While staying on this farm we were able to help the owners feed all the animals. We started by feeding the calves some warm, hot milk before moving onto the turkeys, horses and pigs. My son loved ‘talking’ to the turkeys, every time the turkey gobbled he would gobble back.
There are also a lot of countryside walks from this farm as a lot of public paths run through this farm. We didn’t get to go on any of these walks but we plan on coming back in the future to do some of these walks as well as spend more time seeing how the farm works. They also have a vending machine located in Michelmersh Village Hall where you can get their fresh cows milk dispensed into there bottles as well as local cheeses and eggs. I can’t wait to come back sometime next year when the weather is better to explore more of the area.
Until next time, stay tuned.