The Farm, Today
The Firs Farm is a 250 acre farm located northwest of the A34, M4 J13, in Leckhampstead, Berkshire. Housing office and industrial units, as well as being a working farm, contracted out to extended family, it is still very much a family run business. Located amid the farmland, a well established 600m airstrip has been running since the '80s.
History of the farm
The Farm was first brought into the families history in the 1920s.
The farm was moved from Mapledurham nr. Reading to Leckhampstead all in one day. All the animals were walked from early morning and arrived late that night at Chapel Farm. There were 3 sons; Geoff, Jim and Bryan (known as Bunt by many.) Geoff had no interest in carrying on the family farm, and so Chapel farm was then split into two farms for the two remaining sons.
Chapel Farm kept its name to this day, going to Jim Brown, meanwhile Firs Farm was established on the west side of the B4494 by Bunt. The erection of the farmhouse in the '50s began the expansion of the farm to what it is today. Bunt's son, Nigel, was responsible for the diversification of the farm, starting with his interest of flying in the '80s, which saw the introduction of the farm strip, which is still in use to this day, 40 years on.
The office units now stand in the original turkey barns and stables, being carefully restored over the years, and the cow sheds and grain barns have been converted into workshop units to house Carpenters and Mechanics.