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Orford Farm?


Tracey Bennett

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I read the story about Orford Farm being set on fire. I'd never heard of the place despite having family living just round the corner - though a quick Google turned up some (ahem) interesting recent history! 

 

I've found the farm on a map of about 1845 (I think) but couldn't find any other information on it. Judging by the comments on the Guardian site it's not exactly held in high esteem by the locals but it seems sad to me that yet another historic building is being allowed to fall into disrepair. I just wondered if anyone could shed any light on previous occupants or anything about it's long existence? 

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Now i could be wrong on this,but i seem to remember my dad many years ago telling me that Shaw's Butchers  ,Orford Lane , were something to do with Orford Farm. I believe they used to wholesale meat to other Warrington butchers apart from doing their own retailing.

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I was taking photos of Orford Farm the last time I was in Warrington until I realized I was being observed by someone in the window of a household opposite, and then I thought it wise to move on just in case the police were on their way.

The White family owned it in the 50s and early 60s.  I have so many stories written in my diary of this place.

I remember being sent there probably every second or third day, even from before my 4th birthday,  with a shopping bag and money wrapped in a note. 

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I am a little bit confused as to which is Orford farm.  I use to pick potatoes at Millman's farm which was loosely where Poplars avenue now begins.   Pillings farm was in School road and I'm sure there were other farms in the area, which was nearly all rural in my younger days.

 

Don't know the full story of Shaw's farm - as far as I know their cattle were kept on the farm  in Alder Lane virtually opposite, by co-incidence,  Shaws avenue and virtually in Orford park, next to the bowling greens.  Of course they had a shop in Orford Lane.

 

Certainly in war-time days, Orford Lane traffic - what there was - was always held up by sheep and cows from many sources being driven to town.  Still. life was pedestrian in those days and no-one was in a hurry.  If you rode a bike you just went to town by Battersby Lane instead.

 

Happy days

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I also grew up just round the corner and there were three farms as I remember but the one that got into the news recently was Pillings Farm on School Road. I can't ever remember it being a proper farm as such because at that time the whole area was being developed and most of what would have been its fields had been given up for housing. The main farmhouse building was/is located on the junction of School Road and Povey Road but all the controversy centered round the use of the barn as some kind of kinky sex business or brothel.

 

Next to Pillings, right on the bend where School Road changes into Sandy Lane was an old building called "The Mount" but this was demolished sometime in the sixties and Whites farm was right next to this. Again from memory, there were no fields and the farm just kept a few pigs and chickens plus it ran a small farm shop where we would but our fruit and veg.

 

Bill :)

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Believe Ted Pilling (my age) still lives in the Isle of Man.  You couldn't tell how big the farm was cos most of it was hidden.  I seem to remember they sold a lot of milk and remember the farm shop well.

 

My aunt lived about 150 yards from the farm in Orford Tannery cottages.  Beyond that it was all fields.  On the other side Capesthorne road was the old houses and then they built the pre-fabs on one side.  Other than that all fields again, somehow leading to Polly homers and Turkey jack woods.

 

One man's nostalgia is another man's boredom.

 

Happy (and sunny) days

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This is all fascinating - thank you all. I had no idea it was a working farm so recently, I've only ever known the area as the housing it is today. It's nice on this board to be able talk about something in living memory instead of guessing about stuff as we usually do! The building itself looks like it could be nice if done up though I guess someone with the money to do that would want a home in a rather more, umm, salubrious area.

 

Demelzadoe - what are these stories you have in your notebook? (I'm assuming there're not about the dodgy club stage of it's life!)

 

Where was Turkey jack woods? Fab name, I've never heard it before.

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Re Turkey Jacks and Polly homers.  Hope Algy can find a map cos i haven't much of a clue.  We used to leave East avenue with a pop bottle of water and a jam butty.  Walk through Orford Park; Hallfields road; down the entry into Capesthorne Road(by the cobblers)  The last house on the right was obliging and would re-fill your water bottle. 

The pre-fabs weren't there in my early days so you just carried on along through fields till you came to Polly homer's, which i think was a farm/ nursery (Think they later had a farm type shop just off Poplars avenue/ near to Howson road which suggests where the farm was)  Carrying on. a bit to the right, you came to Turkey Jacks wood which was your destination, until evening.

 

To place it, I think if you went past the wood and turned right, you ended up in Croft, by the duck-pond.

 

Sorry about the 'ramble'.

 

Happy days

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The circle on Algy's map is most definitely Pillings farm (Orford Farm) while White's farm is the small area on the map directly above the Mount. It's amazing how memory works because I can still picture both Mr Pilling and Mr White like it was just yesterday. I've just used street view to check out the buildings and they're both still there although you'd have to look hard to recognize Whites as an older building because of all the upvc modifications.

 

I moved from the area in the early seventies but still take the odd detour down that way as a bit of a memory jogger.

 

Bill :)

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Are you talking about Orford Green Farm if so it is on the map below.

 

 

[img=http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af19/algyb/historic%20warrington/orford_zpse7d11c6a.jpg]

 

 

Great picture Algy.

 

My house is here but the map is a little before my time. This must be late 1930's as the estate is still being constructed. Good to see the avoiding line when in use.

 

It looked a lot quieter round then, than it does now.

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Looked up some old articles on Orford Farm, aparently they had an open day for all the neighbours, yer despite living round the corner I was not invited.

 

How long has  orford farm been empty.

 

While we are in Orford what was the history of the big house that used to stand opposite povey rd and on school rd. My gran worked there for a short while for an American who own house or rented it

 

also the house Orford Green and next to the car repair garage, it looks different then all the other houses

 

Last one the car parts shop, I know it used to be a pub, but before that.

 

I wonder why orford green has so many nice houses, it looks out of place if you know what i mean

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No Tracey, no dodgy clubs around there back then. My diary input is innocent stuff about me getting stuck knee deep in mud and the horse breaking loose and coming to visit me.

 

Harry, for us to get to Turkey Jack's we followed the brooke which joined Capesthorne Road at the top end until we could go no further, Turkey Jack's was then just around another bend, Dickinson's farm was opposite. If we carried on walking the dirt road came out at Crab Lane where the duck pond was.

Nothing left of it now, There is a housing estate built on it.

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Could it be a wee bit further north? The brook which meets Capesthorne Road seems to be Padgate Brook, which looks like it then becomes Black Brook and then Mill Brook (I think). I've been trying to see a wood opposite a farm but not sure I can spot a likely candidate. 

 

turkeyjacks_zpsb87eb513.png

 

 

Coffee - I know what you mean about these odd houses, I love to see a bit of history peeping through the housing estates. I always felt like that about Cinnamon Brow Farm, as kids we used to walk up to the adventure playground and then go around to the farm to see the donkey looking over the fence. There are also numerous little cottages and Farm Houses dotted around Fearnhead/Cinnamon Brow. 

 

Anyway, you all seemed to go to great lengths to get to Turkey Jack's, what was there exactly? Free bar? Dancing girls?!

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It's lovely reading all your old memories of growing up and playing in the Orford Farm area :) 

 

I was taking to my dad last night and he said mum always used to talk about the farm as she and her elder brother both grew up near there too  (in Marina Drive just near School Road and the farm) and they were always out and about playing.  Mum (Anne) was born in 1939 and her brother John was born around 1935. 

 

I wonder if any of your paths ever crossed and I sincerely hope my mum never thumped any of you as she was always sticking up for her older, quieter, brother.  I'm not sure how long they lived there for as they later moved to Algernon Street... which is where I was born many years later.

 

I meant to post some pics of the grade II listed cottages, barn and farm the other day and forgot.  Probably a bit late now but I'll post them anyway.  Shame whoever bought it in 2007 (which I'm guessing is when these photos were taken) didn't do it all up as it could have been lovely.

 

OrfordFarm1_zps51c67546.jpg

 

orfordfarm2_zpsf4541a79.jpg

 

Outline showing the freehold land and buildings when they were up for auction.  Big plot of land and just imagine how many new houses could be built on there if the 'unthinkable' happened.  

 

orfordfarmmap_zps1937651f.jpg

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I found this picture too and the description read ' Edwin E Pester & Family at Orford Farm, Warrington pre WW1'.

 

I have no idea who they are, whether they lived there (very smart for farmers so maybe not), but to me the large brickwork on the building behind them doesn't look like a farm building,  I wonder if it's Orford House which was directly opposite the farm and maybe the two were connected.

 

 

edwinepesterfamilyorfordparkpreww1_zps9d

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Tracey,

Nothing there but nature; fresh air, and a breath of adventure  Trees to climb,,and I think there was a small patch of water, which you could swing over.   On the way  you passed loads of hedgerows and bird life.  Warrington borough itself was a grimy place in those days.

 

Might just add, their were sky- larks a plenty plus lots of aeroplanes in the sky,   each one scanned "is it one of ours".

 

Happy days

 Postings may have crossed.  some excellent maps; photos; and snippets posted.  much enjoyed.

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