A visit to Manor Farm and Country Park
Tin Box Tot loves talking about farm animals and tractors. In fact, she is a little bit tractor obsessed. So when we found ourselves pitched up right next door to Manor Farm in Hampshire last weekend we would have been failing in our parenting duties not to pay it a visit.
Manor Farm is where the BBC’s Wartime Farm series was filmed. The farmhouse itself dates back to the 1400s and the adjoining country park is packed full of wildlife, walks and picnic areas. During the Second World War the land was secretly used by the Marines for training.
When you walk through the entrance of the farm it’s a bit like being transported back in time. This isn’t a modern farm experience. A lot of the ancient buildings have been saved and brought to Manor Farm from other parts of Hampshire. There’s also old tractors and farm machinery, some of which is still working for demonstration purposes.
Tin Box Tot enjoyed feeding the chickens and ducks. She had been keen to meet the pigs – Peppa Pig is very popular in our house at the moment – but wasn’t so impressed when she saw them. What she did love were the donkeys. We spent quite a while chatting to them.
The best bit for me was the farmhouse and Wartime Cottage, which featured heavily in the BBC programmes. Ever since I was a child I have loved looking around historic houses. Whether they are stately homes or traditional dwellings like this one, I am always fascinated to see how people used to live.
A Victorian schoolroom has been recreated as part of the Wartime Cottage. Tin Box Tot thought the desks were good fun and enjoyed opening and shutting the lids to look inside. She might not have been so impressed if one of the period costumed farm staff had been telling her to sit on her bottom and be quiet.
There was even a tin box…well, a shepherds hut. These were common on the Hampshire Downs in the 19th Century and were used when flocks of sheep were kept far away from the farm. It looked quite cosy really, but maybe not up to Tin Box’s standards.
Every day on the farm there are activities for visitors to take part in. There’s milking in the dairy, lessons in the schoolroom, walks and a chance to meet some of the farm’s smaller animals.
When we visited the farm was celebrating the 150th anniversary of A.A.Milne’s Alice in Wonderland. There were Alice story times, dressing up, a special trail for children to follow and Wonderland inspired treats in the cafe. The farm holds additional events on a regular basis so it’s worth checking out what’s going on.
A visit to Manor Farm costs £7 per adult, £6 for senior citizens, and £4.50 for children over three-years-old. Entrance to the country park is free but there is a charge for parking.
Have you ever been to Manor Farm?
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Love the little wartime school room, I remember having desks like that in my primary school! Manor House Farm looks like a wonderful day out – you do like visiting TV-related places at the moment 🙂 ps. Still loving the new look! Thanks for linking up with #MondayEscapes
What a great place! My kids would have loved this too. I love visiting historical homes and teh kids would have enjoyed all of the outdoor spaces. The perfect day out!
Bronwyn
http://www.queenbcreativeme.blogspot.com
I love this, it looks so pretty and so quintessentially English! Love that the pigs were a disappointment 🙂 #MondayEscapes
I really want to visit here. I LOVE looking around historic houses and imagining how people used to live. It's so interesting seeing all the old farm machinery. It makes you really realise how much we take for granted everything we have now and how easy it is to get food from the supermarkets because of our big modern machinery.
It sounds like you had so much fun. What a cute picture of your family feeding the chickens. It's adorable that you had little chats with the donkey too. I love visiting farms and animals with my daughter, they get so excited to see anything feathered or furry. 😀
Thank you so much for linking up to the new #whatevertheweather linky. 😀
Chloe xx
What a lovely place to visit! So funny that the pigs didn't live up to Peppa Pig's standard. But great that there is so much to see. I do love looking around historic houses, I much prefer the traditional places to big mansions and castles, that shepherds hut definitely looks surprisingly cosy! Thanks for linking up to #whatevertheweather linky. 🙂 x
it always makes me laugh when kids see animals for the first time, esp when peppa Pig is muddy, not pink and smells….lol
I really want to go there – I love tractors … and animals … and the wartime tv series!
Thank you for adding your visit to #AnimalTales.
It's tractor heaven – there's loads of old-fashioned farm machinery to keep little people entertained. Thanks for the opportunity to share!
Thanks! It was a lovely day so I think that really made the pictures 🙂
Hope you had a lovely farm day. I'm very jealous about your visit to the Chatsworth pigs. My folks were up there recently too x
It was a great value day out 🙂
Looks like a gorgeous farm and Monkey adores tractors too so I think he would love it there! thanks for linking with #MaternityMondays
That sounds like a great time. I love to look around old houses too! Lovely photos 🙂 #mummymonday
http://www.mummandmore.blogspot.com
Looks fab Claire – ~TBT and the Toddler would get on well and bond over a love of tractors!! We are off to the farm again this weekend having already visited the Pigs at Chatsworth! #maternitymonday x
I love a bargain that sounds like you got lots for your money. Looks brilliant #mummymonday
I agree, I love seeing how people used to live and this looks a lovely spot to do it. #countrykids
They did have a pregnant pig – she was huge when we visited and due any day. I expect that visitors this weekend would have had some lovely little piglets to coo over 🙂
We were only paying for adults too so it was very good value. The farmhouse is gorgeous at this time of year when it is surrounded by flowers.
I love the look of Manor farm, I've not been but I have heard about it. the old farmhouse interiors look wonderfully restored to give an idea of life as it would have been and how perfect to be up close with the animals too. They have the same breed of pigs as us, I wonder if theirs are pregnant too? A lovely place to find yourselves pitched up next to. Thank you for sharing with me on Country Kids.
This looks wonderful – I love how it is not only a farm but a lot more! Entry seems very good value too and the cottage is picture perfect. #countrykids