The Nene runs along the site's northern border and it is fair to say that the river corridor was the critical reason why Chester Farm was so important across the millennia.

To fully understand this you need to visualise the wide flood plain as it once was: ten or more shallow tributaries meandering across the wide valley floor – this was the best crossing point for miles around. The watery landscape was a further draw as it would have provided a great abundance of fish and birds, and hence plentiful food.

This photograph was taken after the heavy rains in March, 2016 and it gives a feel for how the valley has looked in the past and what a dominant presence the river can be.

This broad valley was formed by huge volumes of meltwater at the end of the ice age. The flood plain contains the meandering Nene and many gravel pits, sand and gravel being a bi-product of the large glacial deposits left in the valley as the ice receded.

The Nene is the 10th longest river in the UK and for its final 88 miles, Northampton to the Wash, it is navigable. In the 18th century to achieve this navigation the River Nene was canalised and the behaviour of the river was utterly changed. The new deeper channel was controlled within its banks and most tributaries were lost, although not the Chester River pictured below.

The effect today is that the river at Chester Farm is almost invisible, even when stood on higher ground. To get a view of the River Nene I would recommend walking right to the river bank along the edge of Holm Meadow.

In July I went to have a look at how the wild flowers sown in Holm Meadow were getting on. Seed looks to be setting and as it awaits its hay cut in late August it was busy with swallows, butterflies and dragonflies. As I look across the meadow I see the heads of two people plus a narrow chimney serenely, smoothly but purposefully passing by – I conclude, after some bemusement that they are attached to a narrow boat! Many are the ways that Chester Farm can be viewed and enjoyed!

Mary Powell

Why was this site important to the Romans?

As the invading Romans arrived at Irchester, they would have discovered a landscape studded with many small family-sized farms, and there are two known within the Chester Farm site. As an all-year river crossing, at the time of the conquest, this location in the Nene valley would have become especially important, a vital communication route which could be maintained between the conquered south of England and the military zone further north.

Geophysical survey has identified what appears to be the distinctive ‘playing card’ shaped ditch that may denote the presence of a small fort on the site, probably established to police and manage the river crossing. The Roman town possibly owes its origins to this fort, the troops there would have required various services from the locals, who in turn may have started to settle outside the fort gates.

Even when the troops moved on and the fort dropped out of use, that settlement and the passing traffic along the road would have continued, and the town developed further.

So the Roman town at Irchester is important nationally for our understanding of life in Roman Britain. Situated just north of the line of the current A45, but within the Irchester parish boundary, Chester Farm is the only site of its type in the county that has not been built over or substantially damaged by later developments. The area that was covered by the Roman town, including the central walled area, is protected by law as a scheduled Ancient Monument, a status reserved for remains that are of national importance.

The site has been known to contain a Roman town for many years; indeed parts of the Roman walls, erected in the late 2nd century, were still standing into the 18th century. But it is only more recently that we are beginning to develop a clearer picture of the development of the town, why it is where it is, what sorts of buildings existed and who lived there. We are piecing the story together from maps and photographs, geophysical survey, targeted excavation and research.

The town sits on the south side of the River Nene valley at a location where the valley is about a kilometre wide. What we regard as the ‘core’ of the town also sits on a saddle of ground, defined on its west and east sides by a natural tributary valley, and on the north side there is also a scarp down to the valley floor, making the site naturally more defensible. It also sits at a river crossing point: a route running down the eastern valley onto and across the flood plain, where the width of the flood plain had resulted in the river being a series of shallow fordable channels, that had probably been in use for hundreds of years. This landscape is a key reason why Roman settlement developed here.

Roman temples, ‘motels’ and the imperial postal service

There is still much to be explored, so far the town has only been explored in a limited way, as the site is mainly buried under the ground, safe under the grass. Geophysical survey has shown the shape and position of individual buildings and that there are at least two Roman-Celtic temples, though the name or nature of the deities worshipped is not known. The town was certainly important, as shown by the survival of some architectural fragments such as a sculpture and some column tops, as well as the wall itself. In the nineteenth century painted plaster and evidence of mosaics were also recorded, showing how very Romanised this small town was. At its height the town may have had up to 800 inhabitants.

Roads may give us one clue to the town’s role and importance; roads were not invented by the Romans but the significance of the roads in terms of Empire-wide communication cannot be underestimated.

At Irchester one structure has been identified as potentially being a ‘mansio’. These buildings served as ‘stop-overs’ for officials from both the civil service and military, offering people engaged in imperial business a sort of ‘motel’, and suggesting this town had an important role in the Cursus Publicus (the Roman Empire’s courier service).

This status may explain why this is the only small town in this area that was walled, probably late in the second century. Related to this the town may have had a role in the provision of horses for the state – the imperial representatives probably travelled on horseback and they would have needed to change horses here. The evidence is a tombstone to Anicius Saturninus, recovered in the nineteenth century; he was a ‘strator’, an official responsible for the acquisition of horses.

We do not know as yet the name of the town but it would have served as a local focus for trade, both local and regional, and one product the town may have had a role redistributing would have been the local wine. Several Roman vineyards have been found within a few kilometres to the north and south of Chester Farm. The white wine they produced would have been transported in wooden barrels presumably over a fairly wide area.

When the wall was imposed upon the previously sprawling town and suburbs, the line of the wall cut across at least two buildings.

Were they unoccupied at the time? Or were the residents expected to ‘relocate’? The grid design of streets so typical of the Romans is not to be found within the walled town at Chester Farm; it is a dendritic pattern (resembles a tree) and this design would have helped drainage, funnelling water down to the Nene.

The town had an east gate in the defences and possibly also a west gate but no convincing evidence exists for there ever having been a north or south gate.

There has only been limited excavation in the sub-urbs to the west and east of the walled town but there is already evidence of numerous buildings, some of which were presumably workshops for a range of crafts. In addition, several discrete small cemeteries have been identified containing inhumations within ordered graves. We do not know the exact date of these burials but the scattered locations might suggest they are from the period towards the end of the town’s existence. In the fifth century there was certainly a slow shrinking in the urban character of the town and a reduction in its population. This may have led to the abandonment of land that was subsequently used for burial. Through the Chester Farm project we plan to carry out some scientific dating on a number of the skeletons to see if they are late Roman or post-Roman in date.

Sarah Bridges, Programme Director, Chester Farm

Apples and Pears at Chester Farm

Sample material from some of Chester Farm's surviving orchard trees has been sent off to the Brogdale Collection for identification. The identification results are listed below the tree map.

November 2016 update

Not only have the Chester Farm gardens produced grapes (see the Thomas Messenger Greenhouse page) but this has been an excellent year for the orchard trees, some of which were absolutely laden. Our photograph shows the delicious Lord Hindlip apples.

The National Fruit Collection at Brogdale is the world's largest collection of fruit trees, holding some 2,200 varieties of apple from all over the world and 550 varieties of pear. They are therefore ideally placed to run a fruit identification service and the Chester Farm team, hoping that this would provide further insight into the garden’s development, sent off material in late 2015.

Various fruit tree tags have also been found during the course of excavation in this area of the site, including some good varieties such as Beauty of Kent and the delightfully named King of the Pippins. There was undoubtedly a Victorian orchard in the southern end of the walled area, and the species still surviving include ones introduced in Victorian times, such as Buerre Hardy pears.

However, it seems that the area was dug up and replanted in the late 1920s, with a mix of Victorian varieties and newer ones, such as the apple Lord Hinslip. This orchard, with double rows of trees, was again dug up in the early 1970s and the few surviving trees probably date from this period. That these include Victorian varieties is simply an indication that these were favoured fruit-producing varieties.

Tree map

Tree 1: American Mother

American Mother arose in Worcester County Massachusetts and was first recorded in 1844; it came to England in the latter half of the 19th century. American Mother was widely grown as a garden apple and remains a favourite amateur variety, it has recently become popular on the continent on account of its disease resistance.

Tree 2: Rootstock

This pear tree may be the rootstock that is fruiting rather than a grafted variety. The variety may have been lost a long time ago and the rootstock is now fruiting.

Tree 3: Vicar of Winkfield

Vicar of Winkfield used to be a quite popular pear in UK orchards, but is more commonly encountered in Northern Europe, where it is known as Le Cure’. It was found in 1760 in a wood by M. Leroy a curate at Villiers-en-Brenne, France. It was introduced to England by Reverend W.L. Rham of Winkfield in Berkshire and first listed in 1842.

Tree 4: probably Pitmaston Duchess

This pear was raised in 1841 by John Williams at Pitmaston, Worcestershire from Duchesse d’Angouleme x Glou Morceau.

Tree 6: Nouveau Poiteau

Nouveau Poiteau was raised by Van Mons at Louvain Belgium in 1827 and first fruited in 1843. It was named after the pomologist Poiteau. Pomology is a branch of botany that studies and cultivates fruit.

Tree 7: probably Beurré Hardy

Widely grown in gardens, this handsome pear with beautiful melting juicy flesh perfumed with rose water. Beurre Hardy was raised in 1820 by M. Bonnet in Boulogne France, named in honour of M. Hardy – Director of the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris and introduced 1840-45.

Tree 8: probably Williams’ Bon-Chretien

William Bon Chretien was raised before 1770 at Aldermaston, Berkshire and first named in 1814.The most widely grown pear in the world, although not grown widely in the UK.

Tree 9: Lord Hindlip

Lord Hindlip used to be a popular garden apple and remains quite well known among fruit enthusiasts. Lord Hindlip arose in Worcestershire and was named after the owner of the Worcestershire estate and introduced in 1896-1898.

Tree 10: Unknown

Unfortunately, in 2015 there was not enough fruit on tree 10 for Brogdale to make an assessment. We can only hope for better things in 2016.

Metal tags found during digs include the following varieties: Lord Lennox, Lord Grosvenor, Beauty of Kent, King of the Pippins, Claygate Pearmain and Lord Derby.

(Tree 11: may be another Lord Hindlip)

Beauty of Kent

This variety, known since 1790 was a firm Victorian favourite on account of its large size and excellent flavour.

King of the Pippins

Known since 1770, but probably much earlier. A multi-purpose variety, used in France and England as a dessert apple, for cooking and for cider making. Widely grown all over England.

Claygate Pearmain

Discovered by John Braddick growing in a hedge near his home at Claygate in Surrey. In 1822 he sent specimens to the London Horticultural Society, who agreed that "it is unquestionably a first rate dessert apple".

The sheer variety of apples and pears grown shows that the Chester Farm household were aiming for self-sufficiency. There were both dessert and cooking apples and pears and there were early, mid and late ripening varieties which would have given them good succession.

Some of the fruits were noted for being good for pickling whilst others for their keeping qualities. Varieties like King of the Pippins would have been carefully packed away in the autumn in a cool, dry place and would have provided fruit for the household right through the winter.

We met Archaeologist Ian Meadows at Chester Farm during the July 2016 dig. This is the second week of the dig and there is an impressively long trench stretching from the end of Lime Avenue almost to the front door of Chester House. The first week was very hot which proved challenging for Ian and some 20 volunteers who help him each day.

Ian walks down the sloping trench with me explaining what everyone is doing and what they have found to date. The trench is about 30 – 40 cms deep, but at varying points there are deeper holes and in most is sat a knee-padded volunteer wielding a trowel and brush.

Some are bath tub in size, but others are smaller; volunteer Bruce is kneeling in a medieval hole but is digging out an adjacent Roman pit.

Starting at the top of the slope, Ian shows me 18th century wheel ruts which have been infilled with limestone which volunteer Frances is carefully removing. A Roman well comes next, annoyingly slap bang in the middle of the drive. Its position requires it to be cleared, but this is the second well that has been found in a matter of weeks, the first contained a broken Samian bowl.

The steepness of the road meant that water running down towards the house was clearly always a problem and at various points there are ditches, soakaways and culverts which all seem to have some flood alleviation role. A side trench leads off the main trench and here a limestone track, probably dating to the late 1700's was possibly an agricultural entrance to the middle courtyard. A circular wall has been found which is almost certainly a late medieval dovecote, a great indicator of the social standing of the site.

Some findings are less clear and require further investigation, but Ian is wondering if a series of pits that are spatially gathered together in a very deliberate way could indicate a former orchard; whilst a really compacted area set with large pieces of limestone is currently a mystery - clearly deliberate, but to date he is not sure what it is or why it's there.

Close to the house is the foundations of an ironstone building which predates Chester House (1600) and then even closer is a line of post holes, probably the wall posts of a timber hall, which could be late Saxon or medieval.

Ian gets out just a small selection of their finds for me to look at. A Roman bronze hair pin from the 2nd/3rd century. It is about 4 inches long and reflects the fact that hairstyles were becoming more elaborate and Romans were nothing if not fashion conscious. A section of a mould blown Roman bottle follows, it is thick glass and would have been hexagonal and chunky and used for storage; glass vessels don't appear in Britain before the Roman conquest.

A spindle whorl and another hair pin, both Roman and made from bone. There is a delightful mandolin shaped spoon which is almost two utensils in one, as Roman spoons always have thin spiky handles so they can be used to stab food in the manner of a fork. There are plenty of coins, using the magnifying glass to look at one I can see the letters CAR, so we know that this one is minted by Emperor Carausius. There is a 2nd century plate brooch, glass beads, a medieval ring brooch and a late medieval spectacle buckle.

Many of the items need cleaning and examination, like the two pieces of pot that Ian shows me that could be either Iron Age or early Saxon, he's not sure, but further investigation should resolve it.

Mary Powell, Web Editor

The County Council was delighted when the Northamptonshire Gardens Trust agreed to support further research into the gardens and landscape of Chester Farm. There is much more research to undertake, but the gentrification of the farm in the 18th century and the influence of its owners made for a fascinating insight for our ongoing series of Chester Farm Stories.

Sarah Ekins (1733-1788) is a pivotal figure. She was orphaned at 12, inherited the Chester estate, became the ward of the Rev Philip Doddridge, and later married Dr James Stonhouse, who is well-known for being one of the founders of the Northampton Infirmary. It was during Sarah and James’ tenure that the house was ‘gentrified’ and a certain amount of landscaping was carried out, recorded on a plan of 1756. This work appears to have remained largely intact in outline, though the exact timing of changes to the detailed layout needs further research.

More research is also needed into the exact relationships of the Ekins family, confusingly Thomas and John being family names that feature repeatedly across several generations.

17th century Chester FarmMore research is also needed into the exact relationships of the Ekins family, confusingly Thomas and John being family names that feature repeatedly across several generations.

We know that the house, a substantial two-storey building, was built before 1662. It seems possible that it was Thomas Ekins who purchased the land in 1616 who was responsible. This building may have been on the site of an earlier medieval house. Initially when the house was built, probably little was done to the surrounding garden area, apart from some basic terracing.

By 1756 the plan (shown above) depicts the gardens surrounding the house which follow the tradition of large productive and enclosed areas. The new additions to the house face west where four rectangular plots are cut into what is probably grass, the whole surrounded by either a fence or wall with an opening on the north leading to the plain terrace and slope to the river. This is possibly the only formal decorative garden, and beyond to the west is a small enclosed space, the Bee yard, which has openings shown in the wall between to accommodate bee skeps.

The north terrace of the house provides access on the east to the bridge over the River Nene whilst to the west it leads to a Shady Walk. From this terrace there would have been fine views over the river to the meadows beyond, and footpaths are clearly marked on the plan westward above the course of the river and across the Great Cinquefoil Close towards the Chinese Temple.

Adjoining the kitchen garden is a very large orchard with surrounding borders and which has a building at its north-west corner. There is no indication as to the function of this small building, but it is likely to be a decorative summer house rather than a utility building. The orchard was likely to have been in existence in Sarah's father's time, as it was noted in the 1720's that a hoard of brass coins was found in Captain Ekins’ orchard. Captain Ekins was also a Thomas!

At the time of the original research by the Gardens Trust, it was thought that the whole garden area was already walled by 1756. However, subsequent study suggest that the perimeter walls may not have been built until the 1780s when the avenue was also created. It is now clear that the Victorian layout included moving the line of the boundary wall further north and west in the lower end of the garden area.

Beyond the gardens shown on the 1756 map the names of the closes suggest an attempt to create parkland to the south, e.g. the Walk, Upper Park and Nether Park closes. The close labelled Walk on the 1756 plan indicates plans to create a grander entrance to the house rather than use Watry Lane, but the approach still runs between the utility areas of the farm buildings and the walled fruit and kitchen gardens. There are entrance gates on the main road boundary in the position of the present avenue, but it is not shown as tree-lined at this date.

It seems possible that the so called Lime Avenue was first planted in the 1780s at the same date as other avenues in Irchester parish were being planted. It was certainly well-established by the mid 19th century as shown in a later drawing of this southern entrance by George Clarke, dated c.1850 (see below) which shows the house framed by avenues of trees screening these areas, a view of which the Stonhouses would surely have approved.

The Burrow close, which contained much of the ‘Roman fortifications’ marked on the 1756 Plan, has a small building situated in its south-west corner marked Temple. The Northampton Mercury of June 1758 advertised ‘an act of vandalism by the locals, breaking down one side of the Chinese Temple recently erected by Dr Stonhouse.’

The naming of the recently erected ‘Chinese Temple’ is intriguing given the pious nature of both Sarah and James Stonhouse. Chinese buildings seem to have appeared in English gardens from the 1730s reaching their zenith by late 1750s. Chester Farm’s Chinese Temple is built on the edge of the ‘parkland’ landscape, on a mound which probably set the building as an eye-catcher on the Wellingborough to Higham Ferrers road. It is almost certain that the circular stone foundation of 30 feet in diameter on a mound, recorded during by the Rev. Baker’s excavations in 1878 was the base for Stonhouse’s Chinese Temple.

Recent excavations in the area of the garden have revealed that the tennis court created in the late Victorian period has not destroyed the earlier archaeology (including Roman and medieval remains), so some of the earlier history of what became the Stonhouse’s garden remain to be told in our series of Chester Farm stories.

Thomas Messenger was the foremost designer of greenhouses in Victorian and Edwardian England. His company, Messenger and Co, based in Loughborough, defined the standard for conservatories and greenhouses for generations and his designs are still copied today.

The Thomas Messenger Greenhouse may be a complete wreck, but to our surprise still a productive one. Despite being open to the elements this vine is still growing well and producing grapes! Probably due to 2016 not being the hottest of summers, these grapes are quite sour so as all gardeners say ‘maybe we will do better next year’.

Describing themselves as horticultural builders, heating engineers and iron founders, their designs typically had half brick walls supporting a white painted hard wood glazing framework. Temperature was controlled by means of hot water pipes and forged iron ratchet window controls. Many were bespoke to the client.

In the 1920's the Chester Farm estate was purchased by the Whitworth brothers and in 1924 plans and a bill of quantities was drawn up by Messrs. Talbot Brown and Fisher, architects for proposed alterations to Chester House. These were major alterations to the interiors, modernising it before Newton Whitworth moved in.

During his occupation of Chester House, Newton installed a very large Messenger greenhouse between the two walled gardens. The Messenger catalogue (c 1934) records him as a client. The works order which more accurately describes the greenhouse as a 'Planthouse and Vinery' and notes that the gardener is a Mr Chas. Ford of The Ivies, Wilby, near Wellingborough. The building was heated, having a boiler in a lower section which fed heat through underfloor channels. Oral evidence indicates that the greenhouse was still in full use in the 1970's.

As you can see from our picture, today the greenhouse is totally dilapidated, but some of the iron work remains such as this door handle (pictured); other pieces of ironwork occasionally emerge such as a piece found by site manager Andy Russell on The Drift (north ramparts of the Roman town). The Messenger greenhouse won't be restored in this first phase of work, but is certainly an exciting and challenging project for the future!

Successful Australian novelist Rosa Praed (1851-1935) was briefly a tenant at Chester Farm and she is recorded as saying “We spent the summer of 1885 at a quaint farmhouse near Wellingborough”.

Rosa grew up in the Australian bush on her father’s Queensland cattle station and in 1872 married Englishman Arthur Campbell Praed, younger son of a banking and brewing family. After the failure of their cattle station after several tough and lonely years, the Praeds moved to England for Campbell to enter the brewing trade in Northamptonshire. He purchased Woolston’s brewery in Wellingborough and renamed it Campbell Praed.

Rosa established herself as a writer and in 1880 her first book ‘An Australian Heroine’ was published. She has been described as the first Australian novelist to achieve a significant international reputation; her prolific output included some 45 books, frequently based on her native country. Her novels were unusual for the time for their inclusion of Australian Aboriginal people as characters and for pleading their case. Rosa also documents a female perspective on the Australian bush and her conviction that women could not achieve a decent life there.

In 1885 Rosa Praed writes in ‘Our Book of Memories’ a vivid description of the views from Chester Farm:

"The place had an odd picturesqueness of its own, standing as it did above the River Nene, the town of Wellingborough poeticized by distance, mistily visible on one side and the beautiful old steeple of Higham Ferrers Church rising two or three miles away on the other. In dry summer weather the Nene meandered placidly between rushy banks, through meadows filled with water daisies and meadow sweet. But in autumn when the rains came, that smiling Nene valley became a roaring sea, and the wind, swooping fiercely down it, made a wild onslaught on the front of the house.

Across the river, opposite the terrace, there was an iron foundry and the tall chimney, belching flame, made a picturesque effect at night. Then, too, the express trains crossing a long railway bridge, would flash upon the horizon line, leaving a fiery trail, like the tail of an enormous comet, coming out of the dark unknown, to disappear again into unknown blackness. One saw gorgeous sunsets from the small terrace, red as the fiery trail of the trains and the rising flames of the foundry.

And the river, a pale winding stream with an occasional barge or boat gliding between the rushes, caught glints from the dying sunshine, and looked more a river of imagination than of reality. And when the wind tossed the pollard willows along the banks showing the undersides of their branches, one seemed carried by fancy far away and to be seeing the olive trees of the south turn silvery grey by the passing of the Mistral”.

In 2010 at the age of 83, Christine Nicholas (formerly Clarke) sent us her recollections of Chester Farm.

The Clarke family went to live at Chester Farm when she was 3 or 4 years of age. Mother, father, grandfather and six children of whom Christine was the youngest.

She talks about harvest time, roaming the farm on her pony and learning to swim in the Nene. Christine also mentions her war time memories, and this is the first in a regular series of war time stories.

"All changed when the war came," recalls Christine. "The youngest of my three brothers was called up, as he was not in a reserved occupation.

"Part time help from the village stopped as they were called up too and so came the Prisoners of War. The Germans were brought by truck every day with 2 armed guards – they were surly and uncooperative men who did only what they had to do.

"The Italians were different. We had 2 living in the house, Toni and Michel. They were no trouble at all, kept to the rules, did as they were told and were friendly and helpful. They were Roman Catholics and asked to go to church so my Father was told to take them to Kettering once a month. He did not complain as he got an extra petrol ration!

"After the war one of them wrote to ask if he could come back and work as before – apparently they were the happiest days of his life."

Food production was very important during WWII and Christine talks of her father's work: "In the early days we had four carthorses. I liked a black one called Captain and a white one called Snowball. We had a field across the road towards Irchester, where my father was ploughing one day. The horse suddenly came to a halt and would not budge. The poor animal was looking down a hole with an unexploded bomb in the bottom – would a tractor have stopped!"

As the River Nene flowed through the meadows these were often flooded, as they still do today. Christine recounts that "a man in a suit came from the War Agricultural Ministry – the 'war ag' – to tell us what to plough up and what to plant. There was much derisive laughter when he told us to plough the flooded field and plant potatoes and this was not done."

"Some childhood memories stay with you forever" says Christine. "I remember playing in the garden alone when I was very small and suddenly being absolutely petrified. My mother came running out, as I was so terrified of this enormous 'thing' looming, hovering and hanging just above me, making a faint droning noise.

"It was the Airship, the R101, based at Cardington, Bedford – not far as the crow flies. The hangars are still there. With hindsight I realise how extremely fortunate I was to have seen it, I don't suppose there are many left who have seen it – like Concorde, gone forever."

Editor's Note:

The R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airships completed in 1929, part of a government programme to develop civil airships capable of long-distance routes within the British Empire. Built at the Royal Airship Works at Cardington, Bedfordshire, it was at 777 feet in length the longest airship in the world at the time.

It crashed on 5 October, 1930 during its maiden overseas voyage; 48 were killed and only 8 men were able to escape from the wreck. The crash of R101 effectively ended British airship development.

Read memories of the Clarke family at Chester Farm by Richard Clarke (son of George) and Richard “Ricky” Lyne (son of Pauline):

The Family

Our Grandfather, Captain William Bailey Clarke MC, was born in Bugbrooke, Northants, in 1885 and joined the Royal Field Artillery in 1902. He married Charlotte Clarke (nee Clarke), a Book-Keeper from Athlone, Ireland, in 1911. He served in France during the First World War and resigned from the Army in 1920 with the rank of Captain and a Military Cross award.

Captain Clarke’s movements after that date are not known for certain, but we do know that he lived at Southview Farm (off the B571 Wellingborough to Irthlingborough road), then Chester Lodge, which was apparently built for him, before he moved into Chester Farm (as it was then known) in 1929.

Newton Whitworth (Of Whitworth Bros) lived at Chester Farm until his death in 1929. Captain Clarke and his family moved in, becoming tenant farmers. The family photo above, dated approximately 1936, shows himself, his wife Charlotte, her father George and their six children, Joyce, Eric, Harry, George, Pauline and Christine, born in that order between 1912 and 1926.

Of William and Charlotte’s grandchildren, only three were born whilst their parents lived and worked Chester Farm and were too young to form real memories of it. However, Ricky and I met with Michael Webb* in December of 2021 at Chester House as he knew the Clarke family well whilst they farmed there. Therefore, whilst family history is from our own research, most of this Chester House memoir comes from Michael Webb’s excellent memory.

Farming Chester Farm

All of the children were involved in the running of the farm before their adult lives took them on differing paths. Eric to the Milk Marketing Board, Joyce to Whitworths (Frank George’s secretary), Pauline into Ellis & Everards Builders Merchants, George into British Road Services, Christine into Nursing. Harry, with his wife, Lilian and children Jane and Michael, continued farming, living in one of a pair of adjoining cottages (now gone) at the top end of the farm. He worked the farm with two or three labourers.

Among Michael Webb’s earliest recollection, as soon as he was old enough to walk across the field between Chester Lodge (now his family’s residence) and Chester Farm, was going down to ‘bottom meadow’ with Harry to fetch the cows in for milking and being given a ride back to the farm on the back of a cow named Granny!

He also remembers Harry teaching him to drive the old Fordson tractor before he was heavy enough to hold down the combined clutch and brake!

Captain Clarke was able to purchase two new Fordson Tractors, one narrow, one wide track in order to be able to perform necessary farm work – and of course the children would ride along – sitting on the mudguards. Harry often took the tractor out in the public roads even though it had no, or broken, lights with Michael (Webb) hanging on.

George Clarke suffered a broken ankle when one of his brothers pushed him off a haystack. The culprit shall not be named! All in all, not very health and safety!

During the Second World War, two German and three Italian prisoners of war lived at and worked on the farm. One of the Germans was very pro-Nazi, the other far less so. Pauline recounted to Ricky how one of the Germans used to steal eggs and to use on his hair in order to maintain his blonde colour!

One of the Italians enjoyed his time there so much that he wrote to the farm after the war and asked if he could return. Sadly, we don’t know if he did.

Michael also recalls that the farm grew wheat (not supplied to Weetabix – they imported from Canada and Australia, requiring stronger wheat than grown in the UK), mangelwurzels to feed the cattle and kale.

The flood plain off the Nene was always allowed to flood in winter as the water prevented frost attack on the grass (which grows under water). Also, sediment from the river proved nutrition for the grass when the floods receded making for good grass for hay.

Living at the Farm

There was originally a corridor running the length of the first floor (Destroyed with so much else by the devastating fire of 2010). In Christine’s bedroom off that corridor (now the large room on the 1st floor, down the flight of three steps) there was a priest hole.

As a small boy, Michael Webb remembers being in the bedroom with Christine and Pauline who threatened to put him in it if he misbehaved! Michael recalls it as “a scary dark hole”. This does tally with Christine’s few words about the priest hole being off her bedroom. Obviously, all trace of it was lost in the fire which destroyed so much of the house.

Ricky (who, with his parents, did visit the farm as a child), Michael and Michael (Webb) recall the snooker table in what is now the Cafe, just inside the front door.

The wood panelling throughout the house was “very dark” back then, compared to today’s refit.

The small room under the main staircase is where Charlotte kept her sewing supplies. We believe her sewing was mostly clothing repairs for the family.

The outside toilets adjacent to the end of the house used to be the generator room. Next to that was the garage for Captain Clarke’s J Type Vauxhall which we assume came from York, Ward and Rowlett which was then and still is today, a Vauxhall dealership. York, Ward and Rowlett is also where George worked as an apprentice before WWII.

George had been a Japanese Prisoner of War during WWII and upon his release and eventual return to the farm, Michael Webb recalls being warned by his mother that when he first saw him, he should not look at or talk to George, due to his extreme poor health.

Captain Clarke died in 1958, which effectively ended the Clarke’s time and tenancy at Chester Farm. By this time, Frank George of Weetabix (and previously Whitworths) now owned Chester farm and there appears to have been friction between him and Harry resulting in Harry not taking on the farm. (Reported by Michael Webb as Frank feeling that Harry was the “wrong sort of chap” due to keeping Greyhounds). Harry moved to Allotment Farm, which was years later developed into housing (now Buckwell Close, off Hardwick Road) in Wellingborough.

Michael Webb went to Captain Clarke’s funeral and subsequent wake which was held at the Farm, having been delegated to fetch the sandwiches etc from Saxby’s in Wellingborough. At the time, Saxby’s produced wonderful Pork Pies and other meat and pastry products. In a super link to the Estate of today, Saxby’s produce excellent Cider which is sold from their shop on the Estate.

Captain and Charlotte Clarke’s grandchildren, great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild were privileged to be able to hold our annual family reunion at Chester House in October of 2021. A memorable and moving occasion for us all.

A memory written by Christine Nicholas (nee Clarke) entitled “Wartime memories: Agriculture and Airships” features on the Chester House Estate Website

* Michael Webb was born at Chester Lodge adjacent to the top of Lime Avenue, just off the A45, and lived there between 1936 and 1957. He spent much of his early years, from seven years old (1943) in the company of Harry, helping out on the farm.

The finds from the site to date have mainly consisted of pottery. However, several Roman bronze coins have also been found including one of the emperor Carausius (286-293), Britain's very own Roman emperor.

Carausius was a military commander of humble origin who usurped power in 286, declaring himself Emperor in Britain and northern Gaul. He was very aware of the political importance and propaganda value of coins and minted his own which were usually very well made. Carausius used his coins to appeal to the native population's dissatisfaction with Roman rule as they featured legends such as Restitutor Britanniae (Restorer of Britain) and Genius Brittanniae (Spirit of Britain). He held power for seven years but was assassinated by his finance minister Allectus, who then assumed power.

The sherds of pot found to date at Chester Farm belonged to various vessel forms from jars, bowls and dishes, flagons, mortaria, beakers, cups and amphora.

An amphora is a type of container, usually ceramic, of a characteristic shape and size and were used in the Mediterranean by the Romans in vast numbers for the transport and storage of a variety of products, but usually wine or olive oil but sometimes even a sauce made from rotten fish.

Mortaria are a unique type of Roman pottery kitchen vessel. Bowl shaped they often have a pouring spout formed in the rim and have grit embedded in the inner surface to aid the grinding of food. Helpfully Mortaria often feature stamps indicating the potter's name and location so they are great indicators for archaeologists of trade networks.

Within the finds there was a vessel with finger-tipping on the rim dated from the Iron Age. Other vessels ranged from the 1st – 4th century with grog tempered, grey samian and imitation samian present. The range of fabrics and forms indicates that the pottery was derived from mixed activities spanning both utilitarian and domestic and including some which might be considered as being of a higher status. Much of the pottery assemblage is likely to have been produced locally with possible sites for some of the wares being in or near Irchester.

Pottery from regional production centres in the Lower Nene Valley, Mancetter-Hartshill , Oxfordshire and south Dorset are also represented and much of the later shell-gritted ware is probably from the kilns at Harrold in Bedfordshire. Continental imported wares comprise South and Central Gaulish samian ware and Spanish amphora.

Samian ware is a glossy brick-red tableware and the most recognisable Roman pottery found in Britain. Produced on a huge scale, first in north Italy, but by AD43 nearly all made in Gaul (France), although there were small scale producers in Colchester and perhaps London. Some samian ware features elaborate designs, produced by pressing into a mould. Many vessels are stamped with the potter's name. Samian-style pottery of inferior quality was also produced.

Further excavations will take place at Chester Farm in the next few years and who knows what will be found. This will develop our understanding of the surviving archaeology and give our volunteers the chance to 'have a go'.

However, we already know a certain amount – from recent digs and also from those done by the Rev. Baker, the excavator in the late 19th century. We know that a tenant had taken up the stones in the Roman encampment as the Rev. Baker, writing in 1891, had given "leave to Mr Blott, the tenant to remove the upper courses of the foundations as they rather interfered with the ploughing, so that any future digger will find the walls shallower and perhaps some gone".

This fascinating geophysical survey of the area of the Roman walled town matches nicely with the bird's eye view. We have put an overlay on it to help you interpret some of the buildings.

Key to geophysical survey map below

Modern track running along the line of the northern wall of the walled town
Small trench here as far as the robbed out wall was excavated in 2012
Possible location of the temporary wooden fortlet
Romano-Celtic temple
Possible ruined burned down building
Possible location of the mansio
Possible location of the eastern gate into the town
Romano-Celtic temple, partially excavated in 2012
Retail/shops facing onto the main street? Shop frontage with domestic space behind is probable
Possible bath house
Enclosure - Iron Age farmstead
Site of mock Chinese temple
The edge of the Roman town was 'clipped' by the road widening
Roman house cut through by wall being built

Geophysical survey map

The path of any project doesn't always run smoothly and we had a very low moment in 2010 when the farmhouse of Chester Farm was severely damaged by fire, due to an electrical fault. Known for much of its life as Chester House, this Grade II* Listed Building dating from the 17th century was internally gutted.

Whilst the fire was a disaster, setting the project back by about two years, it also unexpectedly provided a previously impossible opportunity to analyse and appreciate the building's fabric. This has provided a step forward in our understanding of how the layers have built up from its 17th century core. Since then much research has been undertaken and shows that much reordering of the internal layout had taken place in 1925 and that the assertion that there was a medieval building within the structure has been disproven.

The alterations of 1925 lost its country farmhouse layout leaving it with two faces. An exterior face of well-worn age, but an interior which reflected this only where the layout still suited the occupants and dramatically upgraded when they felt it was backward looking.

Huge piles of charcoal, ash, scorched rubble and pulverised stone and mortar filled some rooms. Timbers, fittings and other recognisable items were set aside for assessment. Our picture shows two iron hinges from the front door.

Amongst the remains spared by the fire, contemporary catalogues and magazines, such as Homes & Gardens of 1926, corroborate details such as fireplaces and electrical fittings, held up as top of the range examples of their day.

Since the fire the house has been made watertight with a new roof, but the inside, as shown in our picture (above) the farmhouse awaits restoration which began October 2016. In future Chester Farm Stories we will talk more about the internal fixtures and fittings that are to be installed, including an oak staircase that will take some 26 weeks to make.

The Threshing Barn is probably the most impressive of the 20 buildings at Chester Farm.

A five bay barn built of stone with 17th century roof timbers and a Welsh slate roof, although originally the roof would have been thatched. It has a wide single cart entrance on the south side and a small door onto the north side. Another doorway leads into the smaller adjacent Barn (which has a date stone of 1690) which it predates, but doubtful whether it is earlier than 1600.

The two central trusses have tie-beams and queen struts whilst the end trusses have collars and simple arch bracing. The variation in truss design is to allow the sheaves of wheat to be stacked higher.

The building shows three different types of ventilation slits: triangular, longitudinal and a four-light square form with crude stone mullions and transoms. These would have functioned as owl holes, allowing access to owls who provided an excellent service keeping vermin from the stored grain.

Staples can be seen in the beams. These could have been used for hanging carcasses when the barn was used as a slaughter house. The floor (see picture) is cobbled.

The importance of this barn is that it has been so little changed and we intend to keep it that way with absolutely minimal intervention. Simplicity will be our watchword with the look and feel of the walls and windows being retained. After restoration, the amazing soaring space of the threshing barn will be used for community and educational uses and it has the potential to be a very atmospheric event space.

Northamptonshire Archives hold a 1756 plan of Chester Farm. Simply drawn but nonetheless enormously useful to us. In beautiful copper-plate handwriting it names every field and marks every building.

It was drawn on skin, probably sheep's skin and as a result is irregularly shaped and quite small, just 635mm by 575mm at its widest and deepest. It is ink drawn with some few lines shaded in red. In one corner every field is marked with its ARP, that is, its size in acres, roods and perches.

The whole Chester Farm estate at that time being 107 acres, 1 rood and 9 perches. One rood is a quarter of an acre and there are 40 perches in one rood.

Some of the names like Cherry Tree Ground, Upper Pear Tree Close and Nether Pear Tree Close are self-explanatory. Others like Nether Lug and Upper Lug need more research and the area that we call 'Badger Wood', as they have clearly taken it on as their own, was known simply as Twitch.

The Bleaching Ground close by the farm buildings would have been where washing would have been laid out. Spreading laundry in the sun was the best way of whitening it and the stretch of grass set aside for this purpose was called a bleaching ground or green. Also close to the house is Bee Yard, Fruit Garden, Kitchen Garden, Wood Yard, Hog Close and Shady Walk.

The field where the new visitor car park now is was called Leys, which meant land under temporary grass. The water meadow, then split in two by a water channel, was called Great Holm and Little Holm. Holm translates as either flat ground by a river or an islet – both true in this case as both fields form islands surrounded by the Chester River and the Nene.

Where the Roman walled town is found, in 1756 was three fields. These were ned Great Cinquefoil Close, Little Cinquefoil Close and Burrow.

Cinquefoil is a plant with five lobed leaves like clover which is used as a fodder crop. The words 'Roman Fortification' are written on all four sides and at the time the plan was produced some of those walls would still have been standing.

In England the process of Enclosure began during the 16th century and it became a widespread feature of the agricultural landscape, with common land ceasing to be for communal use. The word field came to mean only the unenclosed and open arable land; most of what would now be called 'fields' would then have been called closes.

The path along the Roman north ramparts which takes you from the visitor car park towards Chester Farm is marked as The Drift – so that is what we will call it from now on.

Nationally during the 20th century 97% of wildflower meadows were lost. They were once common along the Nene valley but many were lost to gravel extraction and intensive agriculture.

Holm Meadow at Chester Farm was identified in 2014 as having great potential for restoration and it was felt that this riverside field could be taken back to the wildflower meadow that it would have been for much of Chester Farm's history. Due to lack of management the coarse grasses had taken over and the wildflowers once present were gone.

Thanks to a grant from the Nene Valley Nature Improvement Area programme, Holm Meadow will become a healthier network of habitats for wildlife to move through and thrive in. It is through projects like this that Northamptonshire can now claim that between 2008 and 2014 it has gained 60% more lowland meadow.

Creating a wildflower meadow is no quick fix and it will take five years or more for it to achieve its full potential. Preparation is everything and restoration a long term commitment.

Andy Russell, Operational Site Manager, began by flail mowing the meadow, cutting as close to the ground as possible. It was then scarified – strips of loosened grass were created, opening up the sward in preparation for sowing. Seed was sown using 'fiddlers' a traditional seed spreading device; the seed was a meadow mixture for wetlands. The seeded areas were then rolled to help germination.

Hay cuts will continue once or twice each summer. This is to ensure that meadow grasses and flowers can flower and set seed but are not overwhelmed by less desirable thuggish plants.

Some of the aerial shots of Chester Farm below were taken over 40 years ago, but they give a great sense of the whole site and, even better, extraordinary outlines of the Roman walled town.

Every schoolchild knows that Roman towns were built on a grid street pattern. But not at Chester Farm!

The Romans settled at Chester Farm because of its strategic importance as a crossing point of the River Nene. Their walled town was designed on a dendritic pattern (like a tree) and this would have helped drainage, funnelling water down to the Nene.

This shows clearly on this aerial picture dating to 1994. Not only the street pattern can be seen, but the outline of buildings too. Note that the larger houses are on the highest ground – the best end of town?

A 'mansio' was a building that provided accommodation for officials, offering those engaged on imperial business a sort of 'motel' – showing that this town had an important role in the Cursus Publicus, the Roman Empire's courier service.

This picture dating from 1973 gives an overall view of the whole Chester Farm site. Note that it pre-dates the dualling of the A45. The River Nene and its tributary, the smaller River Chester, Lime Avenue, the walled gardens and the many farm buildings can all be seen.

This picture, also dating to 1973, shows how the Nene valley was an important transport route. The River Nene, which previously had been a rather sprawling river with many tributaries, was canalised and made navigable in the 18th century. The nearby Victoria Mills, founded in 1886 by the Whitworth family, still has one remaining jetty from when the river was used for the transportation of goods. The railway viaduct which crosses the Nene was built to carry the Leicester to London line.

Each year we will be noting the increasing bio-diversity of birds, flowers and animals at Chester Farm.

Holm Meadow will see:

a gradual colonisation of wildflowers
butterflies such as meadow brown and ringlet
bumble bees
pipistrelle bats
birds such as skylarks and swallows as well as grazing Canada geese
hares
field mice attracting owls in the evening and basking grass snakes

On the rest of the site look out for:

grasshoppers and crickets in the long grass
buzzards and sparrow hawks and at dusk owls
Grassland butterflies such as meadow brown, whites, skippers and gatekeepers
Badgers of course, from the extensive sett in the centre of the site
Birds such as blackcap, goldfinch and wren
Birds from the nearby gravel pit such as lapwing, swan and the little egret, pictured here at Chester Farm in February 2016
Kingfishers and tern along the river as well as dragonflies and damselflies
Red kite, barn owls, green woodpecker, muntjac deer and foxes have all been seen recently

This dramatic picture taken at Chester Farm after the heavy rain of March 2016 illustrates how the Nene Valley acts as a flood plain. In the Roman period the valley would be easily forded whatever the time of year, using its great width to accommodate and spread the volume of water to produce quite shallow coverage overall.

When you visit Chester Farm if you note or photograph interesting flora and fauna do let us know - you can email us at chesterfarm@northamptonshire.gov.uk

I meet local historian Jon-Paul Carr who undoubtedly has the largest collection of photographs, maps and papers covering the Irchester parish which includes Chester Farm – an extraordinary 20,000 items and still growing.

History has played a major role in the life of the ebullient Jon-Paul, as a student, through work and as a volunteer. I can be certain that this is a life-long passion when Jon-Paul, who grew up in Wellingborough, tells me that “I have been volunteering in museums since the age of ten”. He has also traced his family history back for well over 500 years so he clearly has a sense of belonging to the community.

His degree was in Modern and Contemporary History; followed by an MA in English Local History; Museum Studies and a BTec in Conservation and Restoration were also squeezed in. He has looked after the archive of The Northamptonshire Regiment and worked at Market Harborough Museum, Wellingborough Museum and Kettering Museum and Art Gallery. He is now Northamptonshire Studies Manager for the county library service looking after family and local history, which involves school visits, talks to community groups, family history research and partnerships with local societies and organisations. Jon-Paul believes that “If you feel you belong, it makes you feel part of the community and therefore makes you feel better”.

His grandparents were village bakers in Irchester and he not only now lives there but is also a councillor representing the Irchester Ward on Borough Council of Wellingborough. “Everybody in the village knows my interest” he says “so for instance I have recently been given a further 300 pictures”. He is a member of the Irchester Parish History Society, set up in 1995 and with around 80 members is clearly thriving. Jon-Paul has used a fraction of his photographic collection to produce a series of books 'Irchester: Pictures Past' and he has kindly lent us the delightful pictures shown for this article.

I tell him that I have yet to find a period in its history when something interesting wasn't happening here and our conversation roams far and wide, of the people who lived and worked at Chester Farm or those that just passed through. In World War II there were POW's at Chester Farm and an anti-aircraft gun was placed in the middle of the field where the Roman town sits below the surface. Of the Great War when a Belgian refugee drowned here swimming in the Nene and the viaduct was guarded by the Volunteer Training Corps (the 'Dad's Army' of the day). The Osier beds at Chester Farm where willow was collected to be made into mats at Irchester to the impact of the Navvies who came to build the railway line in the 1850's, returning for a second phase of building in 1881.

Chester House had many owners and tenants making for a complex story, but just a few examples as illustrated by these photographs.

This delightful photograph was taken on the banks of the River Nene near to Chester House in 1911 and shows a local Irchester family having a summer picnic.

The picture at the top of the page is Chester House, circa 1880 at the time that the Rev Jacob Tomlin, Vicar of Irchester lived there. He had previously been a Missionary in China, India and the East Indies.

I am sure that we will be asking Jon-Paul for more stories and photographs: just for eccentric starters an Australian novelist; a retired decorated Artillery Captain from the First World War, and Parsons Pork Pie Factory!

Interview with Mary Powell, Web Editor.

Photographs: copyright Jon-Paul Carr

Wherever excavation is undertaken on site, artefacts are recovered and these can date anywhere from Mesolithic times to the present day. Very recent work has included the excavation of a Roman well - the first time one has been investigated in the project. Wells are very useful, especially in providing information about the environment at the time they were in use.

The stone-lined well is thought to date from the 2nd to the 4th Century. Included in the material found were small animal bones, insects, stems, roots, seeds and two complete vessels as well as a large number of broken ones.

Pots are fragile by their very nature and they are generally recovered only as sherds (broken pieces).

When whole vessels are recovered they are usually found in the original kiln, in graves or in a well. In the case of the latter, the pots are usually there by accident, maybe falling in from the top or during the process of being lowered into the well on a cord. Once in the well the owner would have found it hard to retrieve the item and their 'low value' meant they would just be left there, awaiting excavation by an excited 21st century archaeologist!

The two complete pots were made locally, Roman Britain had thriving ceramic industries, with the Nene Valley being one such centre.

The redoubtable Pollie who played county tennis and hockey.

This elegant group, possibly St Katharine's Church Women's Bible Class, was taken around 1902. On the front row, wearing a boater is Bible Class Leader Miss Mary Helen Simpson (Pollie), daughter of William Simpson who owned Chester Farm. She was a superb hockey player, a skilful golfer
and represented the County at tennis. William is on the far left of the picture and also wearing a boater.

William and Helen Simpson lived at Chester Farm from 1890 to 1903 with their eight children. William Hirst Simpson was born in Lincolnshire in 1847, marrying Helen Clark in 1870. They later settled in Northamptonshire when he acquired a solicitor's practice at Higham Ferrers, William also became a County Councillor and a much respected figure in the county.

Mary, always known as Pollie, was the eldest of his children and she loved country pursuits. She was a fine horsewoman, hunted regularly and had a reputation for being able to master any horse using kindness and understanding.

She loved all animals especially dogs and she bred and showed dachshunds. She was good at golf, played tennis for the county and became a brilliant hockey player;
captaincy of the 'invincible' Ladies' Team at Higham Ferrers was followed by captaincy of the county team. As a skilled gardener she showed sweet peas.

During the First World War Mary volunteered for war work becoming an organiser of the Land Army and involved in the beginnings of the Women's Institutes in 1915. In 1925 she was appointed agricultural organiser for the W.I. and was closely involved
with the establishment of the Moulton Farm Institute (now Moulton College).

Pollie was renowned in the Institute movement for her endless fund of good stories. One being when she and two brothers got up early and undid every cottager's pigsty in the village. In the ensuing chaos the children volunteered, unsuspected and unblushing, to catch and identify all the pigs.

As some of the children married and left home, William Simpson bought the Old Rectory at Chelveston where Pollie remained until her death in 1947.

The photograph above of Chester House taken around 1880 clearly shows a tennis court in the foreground. Evidence of a further tennis court has been found to the west of the walled garden. The main tennis court was in the terraced walled garden to the west of the main house, easily accessible from the house and with ample room for an audience around its side. The one shown on this photo may have been a practice court.

A much longer appreciation of the redoubtable Mary Helen Simpson written by Helena Deneke can be found on the Rushden Research Group website. Also thanks to Jon-Paul Carr for permission to use these photographs.

The majority of the works at Chester Farm involve restoration, but there is also an exciting and major new build – the provision of an Archaeological Research Centre (ARC).

Northamptonshire's archaeological archives are a unique and irreplaceable part of our county's rich heritage. They are largely hidden from public view, housed in a number of stores across the county and beyond; so dispersed that it is hard for them to be looked after effectively and allowing little opportunity for education and learning.

Chester Farm, a multi-period archaeological and historic landscape, provided the ideal location for the ARC, a facility that can manage and make accessible over 50 years of archaeological excavations from the county, not to mention the material from future excavations. They comprise the bones, artefacts, building materials and environmental samples, together with the records created during their excavation. The ARC will contain material from every single parish and community in the county.

Northamptonshire's rich archaeological archive is of national and sometimes international importance. If we can treat and manage this collection as a single and integrated resource the value is increased immeasurably. Our geographical position straddling the north-south divide gives significance.

At times a boundary zone, for example, dividing Anglo-Saxon England from part of the Danelaw; such areas have their own character and are worthy of intense study. From prehistoric times to the present day, it will be possible to explore and study the various 'ages of man' from birth to death, the family, local communities, industry and commerce, transport by road and river, food and agriculture, pastimes, shrines, temples and churches, the military and warfare.

The ARC will create a storage area that can accommodate the county's archive with room for at least 25 year's expansion; space for curators, researchers and volunteers; the space to hold small exhibitions and to host group visits. The aspiration is that the ARC will become a model of good practice that can act as an exemplar for other counties struggling to address the crisis facing archaeological archives.

The Archaeological Research Centre will have the same ridge height and a similar footprint as the semi-derelict corrugated iron building it has replaced. It will be timber clad to look like a modern barn, but inside it will be ordered and functional, with carefully monitored environmental controls to protect the artefacts that will be housed there.

Our pictures show the site before we began and building progress as at June, 2017. We will update on a regular basis.

Chester Farm’s crumbling limestone walls are receiving much attention at present. The conservation and restoration of historic buildings require a particularly sensitive approach, especially when tackling structural issues. Any structural intervention has to make a minimal impact on the fabric of the building, preferably be reversible, and, at the same time, avoid making any visible alteration.

This picture shows the installation of Cintec anchors, a clever and invisible way of stabilising loose rubble and old walls. The anchor rod comprises a steel section within a mesh fabric sock which is inserted into the wall and a specially developed grout is then injected under low pressure. The sock restrains the flow, expanding and moulding itself into the shape and spaces within the walls and providing the mechanical bond.

This anchoring system dispenses with the need for unsightly plates on the exterior of the structure, creating an invisible mend which traditional repair anchors cannot achieve.

However our next picture shows that traditional skills are still a vital part of the restoration of the buildings. A team of stone masons, using lime mortars, are painstakingly working their way around the limestone walls, repairing as they go.

A fundamental characteristic of traditional construction is its ‘breathability’ and flexibility. Breathability is the ability of materials to absorb moisture and release it again as conditions change without causing long-term damage to the building itself.

Until the mid-19th century, stone buildings were pointed with lime putty or earth based mortars. Lime, when used in mortar, has a high degree of breathability. Coupled with ventilation through roofs, doors, and windows, it allows buildings to dry out through evaporation.

Much damage has been caused to historic masonry by the use of cement-rich mortar. Soft lime-based mortars are preferred because their elasticity allows slight movement and their porosity allows the wall to breathe. The mortar should ideally be weaker and more porous than the masonry in which it is placed. A cement-based mortar will force moisture to evaporate through the weaker stone causing much damage.

At the time that David Dickinson was farm manager, Chester Farm was owned by Whitworths who were based at Victoria Mills, Wellingborough.

Under the chairmanship of Mr Frank George, Whitworths had grown hugely from just flour milling to producing a whole range of grocery products including dried fruit, Weetabix, bakeries, dried peas and savoury stuffings.

"A business man through and through" is how David describes Mr Frank George, "he may have been ruthless in business but he was the kindest man you could hope to meet." Though David admits that he had quite an ego, rather demonstrated by the fact that Mr Frank George liked everyone to refer to him as 'The Guv'nor'.

Every five years he would hold a birthday party to which everyone was invited and David shows me two programmes which were produced for Frank's 75th and 80th birthdays. These were clearly grand affairs, the 75th party in 1962 features a packed cabaret line-up that includes amongst others, David Jacobs as compere, Des O'Connor and ballroom dancing champions Bob Burgess and Doreen Freeman.

The 80th birthday programme includes details of his business successes and his sporting interests which included breeding gun dogs and pigeon racing. The programme says "In a crowded life, 'The Guv'nor' has still found time to enjoy outdoor pursuits – and enjoy them to some purpose.

A splendid array of sporting cups show that he has the knack of succeeding at anything he puts his mind to…" There is even a picture of his most successful pigeon 'Fecham Lass' with the caption "Pigeon-racing is a flourishing sport in this country and 'The Guv'nor' has long been one of the leading owners – as his numerous trophies testify."

80th Birthday

David remembers that one of the two houses on the A45 layby just on the edge of Chester Farm was where Mr George's pigeon racing manager Horace lived with a large pigeon loft in the garden. He goes onto tell me that Frank George would never accept the prize money for his pigeon racing, but would give it to those who came 2nd and 3rd. His advice to David was whatever you do "always buy the best".

Clearly Frank George wasn't a heritage fan and would never allow any archaeologists on site, but he did give instructions in around 1970 to plant what we now call the West Wood, and this was to provide cover for partridge.

The Guv'nor's rise

Frank George's rise to power is detailed in the 1967 birthday programme:

1904 - The Apprentice who became 'The Guv'nor'

At the turn of the century, 6am was the time for an apprentice to begin his day. This was the time that 17 year old Frank George first walked through the gates of Victoria Mills – to be greeted by a ferocious-looking foreman, watch in hand for checking arrivals. Young Frank was not the man to be dismayed by over-zealous foremen; he liked his work and set to it with such a will that he was soon earning promotion.

1922 - Return to Wellingborough

Leaving the company in 1912, Mr George managed two St Albans mills with such a conspicuous success that in 1922 he was invited back to become Mills manager at Wellingborough. It was a challenging time – a period of post-war depression and short time for the workers – but thanks to Mr George's ability and drive, Whitworth's were soon on the road to their present pre-eminent position among the independent millers of this country.

1934 - The beginnings of Weetabix success

This was the year Mr George was elected to the board of Weetabix. He had previously helped this small company during its struggle to get established as a breakfast cereal manufacturer: but it was not until his hand was at the helm that Weetabix began to go ahead.

1967 - Big companies that are growing bigger

Sixty three years after young Frank George first walked in as an apprentice, Whitworths and Weetabix have become famous companies whose products are household words throughout the length and breadth of the country. Companies that are poised for even greater expansion in the years ahead, and who owe an incalculable debt to the skill and energy of one man – Frank George, 80 today.

Jayne Clayton and her husband came down from Yorkshire to volunteer on one of our Digs last year. What was the draw of Chester Farm to them?

It turns out that Jayne's father was farm manager here from 1958 to 1972 and lived at Chester House together with his wife, daughter Jayne and son Robert. David Dickinson is now 86, retired and living in Lincolnshire and keen to share his many memories of Chester Farm. We are equally keen to hear them as it brings Chester Farm's more recent past alive and fills in the gaps in our knowledge.

I spend a very happy August day with David and Jayne asking lots of questions and furiously scribbling down the stories about the farm and the people they remembered. They find some lovely pictures for me and in return I have brought progress photos of the build which David is fascinated by. So much came out of our conversation that I have divided the stories into three, of which this is the first.

Early years

David didn't start out farming. After he left school in Bedfordshire he became an apprentice cinema projectionist which he did for the next four years, but became increasingly fed up with finishing so late at night. He took up farming being fortunate to work for someone who was an excellent teacher. He then went as livestock manager on the Wakefield Estate of five farms in Northamptonshire, with the promise that when the manager of Home Farm retired he would be promoted.

Unfortunately the rather eccentric owner suddenly decided to sell the whole estate. He then went as farm bailiff in Warwickshire for the splendidly named Captain The Honourable Robert St Vincent Parker-Jervis, who was a descendant of Admiral Jervis who won the Battle of Cape St Vincent. Known as PJ for short, he was little seen until the hunting season, being often abroad for skiing or at St Tropez.

Arriving at Chester Farm

David didn't stay there long, coming as farm manager to Chester Farm in 1958, accompanied by his wife Phyll, Robert, aged ten and Jayne who was just two. They described Wellingborough as a lovely little sleepy market town and that when they arrived at Chester Farm both the buildings and land were in a very poor state. They moved into the oldest part of Chester House, the later Georgian section remaining empty and semi-derelict, although well used by Jayne and Robert as their personal adventure play space!

This picture shows Jayne clutching Ming, the Siamese cat outside Chester House.

Jayne with Ming the cat

David had the Messenger greenhouse restored and made a vegetable garden where the tennis court had been (site of the July 2017 archaeological dig) and the orchard planted by Newton Whitworth was very productive with apples, pears, damsons, plums and greengages and figs, peaches and nectarines growing along the wall and forced rhubarb under big chimney pots. David also bred canaries so he grew chickweed especially for them.

They referred to the Chester River as the 'back water', the viaduct as '14 arches' and the land where the Roman town is, as 'Barrow Field'. The two fields either side of Lime Avenue were known as 'The Park'. There was an ice house built into the bank beneath the kitchen window and Newton Whitworth had it converted into a boiler house.

"The most idyllic place to grow up in"

The ironstone quarrying had finished but it provided another great space for the children to play in and as Jayne says "Chester Farm provided the most idyllic place to grow up in". The River Nene was popular with pleasure boaters and the water meadows would flood all winter from November to April and "it was great for sliding on when it froze over" says Jayne. "The stench when it went down!" remembers David, but ever the farmer "the silt deposited made it very fertile".

The cottages near to Chester House were in a terrible state and although an Irishman and his wife lived in one, David believes they did so rent free. The adjacent garages used to house a generator which supplied electricity to the house, and they both remember the huge glass bottles wrapped in straw which contained the distilled water for topping the batteries up. The cottages in the top yard were in much better condition, Kenny who worked on the farm lived in one and a Captain in charge of the Wellingborough army cadets in another.

For the last two years that the Dickinsons were at Chester Farm they lived at Chester Lodge up on the main road as it provided more modern accommodation. They left in 1972 when David got a job as farm manager on an estate in Lincolnshire. He retired nearly 20 years ago aged 67. David and his wife Phyll, who was a nurse were married for 61 years but sadly she passed away recently. Jayne is a nurse in Yorkshire and Robert lives in Canada.

Grateful thanks to them for giving up their time to be interviewed for the three Farm Manager Stories.

David Dickinson, farm manager at Chester Farm 1958-1972 describes the farm as being "in a pretty awful state" when they arrived.

This picture of Chester Farm above was kindly given to us by David – it is particularly interesting because it predates the fire of 2010.

The land and buildings were in a very poor state of repair, so he was kept busy getting the land into good heart and building a Dutch barn and housing for the cattle. The farm then was about a 1000 acres and it was a mixed farm with cattle and sheep, and growing wheat, barley, turnips and kale.

Child in snow

They grew 60-70 acres of potatoes and when they were ready to harvest gypsy families would come each year to pick them. Jayne remembers one potato picking time when she had chickenpox, the gypsy children would visit her bringing bunches of wild flowers, but all hoping to catch chickenpox too!

The farm was at this time owned by Whitworths (see story about Mr Frank George of Whitworths) and they used to fatten the cattle on Weetabix from their factory at Burton Latimer. Jayne describes going into the granary to nibble on the still warm from the oven Weetabix as they were delivered from the nearby factory.

The A45 was then just a quiet country road and David would think nothing of driving 400 sheep down it with just one sheepdog who would lie down in each gateway to ensure the sheep stayed on the road. Apparently Rex was a wonderful sheepdog but if he got too hot would leave the sheep to their own devices while he rushed down to the river to cool down.

In the Barrow Field, where the Roman walled town is they were forbidden to plough any deeper than four inches and when David first arrived at Chester Farm he sent samples of every field off for analysis. The Barrow Field was revealed to have impossibly high levels of potash and phosphates and we are looking into why this might be.

David told me that it was commonplace to find bones and pottery all over the place and he shows me an arrow head that he found on top of a mole hill. At one time he had a large collection of Roman coins that he had found, but sadly these were stolen.

There were many stone coffins found and a previous tenant had broken these up to make the end of culverts. David does remember making a fireplace in Chester House using Roman stone collected from Barrow Field.

This lovely picture is of gamekeeper Jack Neil, nicknamed 'The Professor' by Mr Frank George. He was supposed to be shooting rabbits but Jayne's brother Robert had crept up on him to take this photograph of him taking a quick nap!

On arrival, David was horrified to find out from the local vet that much of the Nene Valley, including Chester Farm was infected with anthrax. This had come from imported hides and had passed down the Nene from water used in the tanning industry in Wellingborough.

Sheep never became infected but all cattle had to be immunised on arrival and before they were turned out. The police were allocated a ton of wood and a ton of coal and if any cattle became infected they would be cremated in pits for a minimum of 36 hours.

In 1963 a Roman coin hoard was found by workmen involved in road alterations along the A45 from Little Irchester to the railway bridge. The hoard was in a pot containing by weight 42,000 silver-washed copper Antoniniani of the mid to late 3rd century AD.

David was called to inspect the pot which was buried about 3 feet under the topsoil, in clay; it had been covered with a Collyweston stone tile and he agreed that the coins should be sent to the Northampton museum.

From 1965 onwards Wellingborough began to change and grow. Land was compulsorily purchased for a prison and then for housing and an industrial estate and the 1000 acres of Chester Farm was gradually whittled down to under 400.

In 1972 David Dickinson decided to leave, becoming farm manager of the Tumby Estate in Lincolnshire. He tells me that they were sad to leave but very excited about the new job.

In 1853 the Midland Board decided to extend the railway line south from Leicester to Bedford and construction began under the direction of the celebrated contractor, Thomas Brassey.

Money was short, there were labour difficulties because of the Crimean War, and Brassey was limited to a budget of under £1m for the 63 miles of line, yet it was done, and done well, in spite of considerable problems with the crossing of the River Nene opposite Chester Farm.

The railway line and viaduct would have been built by 'navvies', the term abbreviated from navigator and coined in the late 18th century when a network of canals, often known as 'navigations', were built across the country. Navvies turned to railway construction from 1830 onwards as canals were superseded by trains.

They worked using hand tools, supplemented with explosives for tunnelling and moving large objects. Steam-powered diggers were introduced in the 1840's but were not considered cost effective against experienced labourers. Navvies were frequently killed or injured as safety was poor and for each mile of rail laid, there was an average of three work related deaths, higher if tunnelling was involved.

Many of the navvies employed to build railways lived in poorly built temporary accommodation referred to as 'shanty towns' and local newspapers tended to portray navvies as drunk and unruly and the natural tension between locals and outsiders bred distrust which occasionally blew up into violence and rioting.

Newspaper

However it was a different story here, as reported in the Northampton Mercury of 14 October, 1854. The curate of Irchester had exhorted his parishioners to contribute to the fund being raised by the "Central Association in aid of the Wives and Families, Widows and Orphans of Soldiers ordered to the East" (the Crimean War). A collection was made at the church door which raised £2 0s. 10d. and a further 19s. 8d was later received from parishioners.

"But what is perhaps still more worthy of observation, is that on the following morning, Mr Clark, railway contractor, who very properly considers it the duty of every master to teach his servants to be charitable, judging this to be a most humane cause, and such as no one can refuse to assist upon any reasonable pretext whatever, determined at once to endeavour to persuade all the navvies employed by him to subscribe sixpence each towards it.

"He accordingly made this proposition to them, that if they would contribute this sum, he himself would give half-a-sovereign, although he had already put into the plate at the church-door as much as he had originally intended to bestow. Every one of them, to a man, responded to his call, and the collection, including Mr C.'s ten shillings, amounts to £2 14s. 6d. They also expressed a wish that this their generous act might be published, in the hope that every navvy in the kingdom would follow their example."

The line opened in May 1857, public holidays were declared locally and free excursion trains ran taking Sunday and National School children on their first railway journey. The celebrations were justified, for the advent of the railway was to stimulate the boot and shoe industry right across Central Northamptonshire, as well as the developing iron industry.

The viaduct is 107m long and has 14 arches to carry the Leicester to St Pancras railway. Not long after completion the weight of the clay embankment pushed the completed abutments and wings forward causing the death of several navvies although not a single brick was displaced. Much rebuilding had to be done. Subsequently a second viaduct was built behind the original doubling the capacity of the line, this was completed in 1883 and with its easier gradient was used specifically for freight.

Thomas Brassey (1805-70) was a civil engineering contractor who in the 19th century built much of the world's railways, in fact by the time of his death he had built one in every twenty miles of railway in the world. During Britain's "railway mania" there was massive investment, but not all lines were built to Brassey's high standards and he was careful to choose his contracts and investors so he could maintain his standards.

Brassey paid his navvies a wage and provided food, clothing, shelter and in some projects, a lending library. He had much skill in choosing good men and would set on agents of considerable capability who would have overall responsibility for the project, working for a fee plus a percentage of the profits, penalties for late finishing and rewards for early completion. For over 20 years Brassey was employing over 80,000 people across four continents. Despite this he had neither an office or office staff and he held much of the detail of his works in his head. Brassey dealt with all his correspondence himself, although his supportive wife acted as interpreter for all his French undertakings.

Railways were not his only passion, he built part of the London sewerage system for Joseph Bazalgette and he gave money to Isambard Kingdom Brunel to build his ship The Leviathan.

In 1870 when Brassey was dying, he was visited by many of his work force, not only his engineers and agents, but also his navvies, some of whom had walked for days to pay him their respects. His estate was valued at £5.2m, making him one of the wealthiest of that generation of Victorian self-made men. Many of his ideas were ahead of their time as he had failed to interest governments in both the idea of a tunnel under the English Channel and a canal through the Isthmus of Panama.

The Northampton Mercury began in 1720 and in an edition dated 8 August 1869, describes itself as ‘Being a Collection of the most Material Occurrences, Foreign & Domestick. Together with An Account of Trade’.

When it ceased publication in 2015 it was the oldest continuously published newspaper in the UK.

The bad news

For those of us researching the history of Chester Farm it is a great source of information. Just like today bad news sells newspapers and so court cases can provide rich pickings and we can find Chester Farm mentions under bankruptcies, assaults, thefts, accidents and deaths.

"Thomas Nourish, of Irchester, was charged with stealing potatoes to the value of 8d, the property of Mr Wm. Blott. – It appeared that the defendant had been engaged to dig potatoes and had purloined some and sent them home by his little girl. – The prosecutor begged the Bench would be as lenient as they could, and a fine of 15s and costs were inflicted."

Northampton Mercury 12 December 1868

“Edward Wykes, labourer, was brought up in custody on a charge of stealing potatoes, value 6d, the property of Mr. William Blott, of Chester-house….The prisoner pleaded not guilty, and made a roundabout and most improbable defence. – The Bench said that, but for Mr Blott's recommendation, they should have dealt differently with the case, as there was no doubt he had taken them with a felonious intent – Discharged with a caution.”

Northampton Mercury 6 February 1869

"William Bugby, a lad in the employ of Mr. William Blott, was charged with stealing pears, value 1s, the property of his employer…..Mr Blott did not wish to press the case, but only to show that the defendant and others must not gather the fruit under the trees. – Defendant was discharged on payment of costs."

Northampton Mercury 2 October 1969

"Accident at Chester House – On Saturday evening last an accident happened at Chester House to a man of the name of John Wood, of Burton, manager of a thrashing machine.

He had been thrashing during the week for Mr W. Blott, and was finishing up to depart with his machine when he fell from the top, in consequence of stepping on a broken board. Several ribs were dislocated and other bodily injuries sustained, and he was not able to be removed home for several days."

Northampton Mercury 31 August 1867

"Fatal Accident – An accident, which terminated fatally, occurred on Wednesday to a labourer of the name of William Parrot, in the employ of Mr. William Blott.

The deceased was engaged…in thatching a hayrick, when he lost his balance and fell headlong to the ground and sustained such severe spinal injury that he died the following day. The deceased lived at one of the cottages at Chester House, where he died after the accident. He has left a widow and 10 children."

Northampton Mercury 14 August 1875

“Serious Accident – On Saturday morning, a horse-keeper named Taylor, at Chester House, in the employ of William Blott, was run over near the Gas Works by a loaded wagon, and received such injuries that it is feared recovery is hopeless. He was taken to the Infirmary the same day. We have since heard the man is dead."

Northampton Mercury 14 August 1886

The good news

All is not gloom and doom as the occasional flower show, ploughing match and the like introduces a more everyday feel to the cycle of the rural year.

"North Northamptonshire Agricultural Association – A sweepstakes of five sovs. each was proposed by Mr. Nathaniel Goosey, for the best 50 long-woolled wether tegs, bred and wholly fed on the exhibitor's farm."

[A wether is a castrated male sheep and a teg is a sheep in its second year.]

Northampton Mercury 26 September 1840

“Northamptonshire and Wellingborough Agricultural Societies -To the ploughman, being in the employ of a member, who shall plough in the best manner, with two horses abreast, without a driver, half-an-acre of land, not less than 4 ½ inches deep, within 3 ½ hours - £5 to George Bond, ploughman to Mrs Goosey, Chester House…..A tea-pot, value £10 to Mrs Goosey , Chester House, owner of first team.”

Northampton Mercury 8 October 1859

"Irchester Flower Show…The show was well attended during the day, the Rushden Silver Band being present to play selections, as well as for dancing. In the evening there was swarming a greasy pole for a leg of mutton, and other amusements."

Mr H Daff, gardener to Mr Simpson, Chester House won prizes for begonias, cut asters, pears and plums.

Northampton Mercury 7 September 1889

Auctions

Of enormous help and interest are the notices of auctions and their accompanying catalogues which list every item of furniture from the grandest Sheraton barometer to the more prosaic patent mangle. On each occasion when an auction is held at Chester Farm we get an intriguing glimpse into the social status of the inhabitants at that moment in time.

George Clark sketch of Chester Farm dating from early to mid 19th century

"Valuable Manor Estate, Northamptonshire To be Sold by Auction – A Valuable Freehold Estate most eligibly situate in the Parish of Irchester, nearly contiguous to the capital Market-Town of Wellingborough, and easy Distances from Higham-Ferrers, Thrapston, Kettering and Northampton; comprising the Manor , or reputed Manor, of Chester by the Water.A capital farm, with a substantial old Mansion-House, Offices, Gardens, Orchard, and Demesne Land of fine deep Staple Meadow, Pasture, and Arable, containing about three Hundred and Eleven Acres, Tythe-free, except about one Hundred and four Acres, subdivided with excellent Quick Fences, Part bounded by the navigable River Nen, in which there is a Right of Fishery; also about fifteen Acres in Irthlingborough Meadow.The Whole, except twenty Acres in Hand, in the Occupation of Mr Stephen Goosey, Tenant at Will. The Estate is situate in a fine fertile sporting Part of the Country, capable of the greatest Improvement, to render it a complete Residence for a genteel Family, or Gentleman Sportsman or Farmer."

Northampton Mercury 2 July 1803

"To be sold by Auction by Mr Cleaver, For Ready Money, on the Chester House Farm….About 100 superior Ash Trees, many of them of large dimensions; and 70 Elms, of good quality, and useful dimensions. Also, about 1,600 capital Fagots, and a large quantity of other Fire Wood in lots."

Northampton Mercury 7 February 1835

"To Be Sold By Auction…By direction of Miss Smith, who is leaving the district….Including: A pair of William and Mary Chairs…Sheraton Barometer…Very Fine Oak panelled Dower Chest…Pair Terrestial and Celestial Globes on Sheraton Stands…Walnut China Cabinet with Ormolu Mounts, 2 bordered Mirzapore Carpets, Axminster, Brussels and Tapestry ditto…Handsome Full Tester Bedstead in Maple, Ditto in Mahogany…"

Northampton Mercury 27 March 1925

"Chester House Farm, near Wellingborough. Excellent Live and Dead Farming Stock To Be Sold by Auction – The Auctioneers call special attention to this Sale, the Beast and Sheep being of exceptional quality, the Cart Horses a powerful team, and the Implements and Machinery in good order and up-to-date, many being as good as new."

Northampton Mercury 5 October 1928

"Commodious Family Residence, with Beautiful Gardens, and Grounds, excellent Greenhouses, Courtyard, Garage, Stabling, etc., Known as "Chester House" which commands Charming Views over the Nene Valley, To Be Sold By Auction"

Northampton Mercury 12 July 1929

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Chester House Story Archive

Chester House Story Archive

The Crossing Point

The Nene runs along the site's northern border and it is fair to say that the river corridor was the critical reason why Chester Farm was so important across the millennia.

The Romans at Chester House

Why was this site important to the Romans?

Roman temples, ‘motels’ and the imperial postal service

Orchard trees

​Apples and Pears at Chester Farm

November 2016 update

Tree map

Tree 1: American Mother

Tree 2: Rootstock

Tree 3: Vicar of Winkfield

Tree 4: probably Pitmaston Duchess

Tree 6: Nouveau Poiteau

Tree 7: probably Beurré Hardy

Tree 8: probably Williams’ Bon-Chretien

Tree 9: Lord Hindlip

Tree 10: Unknown

(Tree 11: may be another Lord Hindlip)

Beauty of Kent

King of the Pippins

Claygate Pearmain

The 100m Trench

Gentrification of Chester Farm gardens

Thomas Messenger greenhouse

​Thomas Messenger was the foremost designer of greenhouses in Victorian and Edwardian England. His company, Messenger and Co, based in Loughborough, defined the standard for conservatories and greenhouses for generations and his designs are still copied today.

A quaint farmhouse near Wellingborough

Successful Australian novelist Rosa Praed (1851-1935) was briefly a tenant at Chester Farm and she is recorded as saying “We spent the summer of 1885 at a quaint farmhouse near Wellingborough”.

In 1885 Rosa Praed writes in ‘Our Book of Memories’ a vivid description of the views from Chester Farm:

Wartime memories: Agriculture and airships

In 2010 at the age of 83, Christine Nicholas (formerly Clarke) sent us her recollections of Chester Farm.

Editor's Note:

Three generations of the Clarke Family at Chester Farm 1929 to 1958

Read memories of the Clarke family at Chester Farm by Richard Clarke (son of George) and Richard “Ricky” Lyne (son of Pauline):

Can you tell your Mortaria from your Amphora?

The finds from the site to date have mainly consisted of pottery. However, several Roman bronze coins have also been found including one of the emperor Carausius (286-293), Britain's very own Roman emperor.

Hidden but not invisible

Further excavations will take place at Chester Farm in the next few years and who knows what will be found. This will develop our understanding of the surviving archaeology and give our volunteers the chance to 'have a go'.

Geophysical survey map

After the fire

The Threshing Barn

Naming rights

Northamptonshire Archives hold a 1756 plan of Chester Farm. Simply drawn but nonetheless enormously useful to us. In beautiful copper-plate handwriting it names every field and marks every building.

Meadow sweet

Nationally during the 20th century 97% of wildflower meadows were lost. They were once common along the Nene valley but many were lost to gravel extraction and intensive agriculture.

Bird's eye view of Chester Farm

Nature notes

Local historian Jon-Paul Carr

In one piece

Mary Helen Simpson 1871-1947

Building the ARC

Traditional skills and modern magic

Meet the Guv'nor