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Ridley Farm, a new beginning

At the dawn of the then new millennium, the County Council decided that it would aim to replace a rather large and wonderful but impractical range of traditional buildings with new farm premises; the first new complete set of farm buildings on the estate since 1950.

2001 saw the arrival of Stuart Dennison who bravely took on the old, rather tired farm with inadequate facilities in the hope that his dream of a modern and efficient farmstead would indeed come true. With Foot and Mouth, very poor trading conditions and practical challenges that would see most people into their grave, Stuart, his wife Julie and family have not only coped with great fortitude but created a highly acclaimed dairy herd and invested in the long term environmental features of the holding.

Six years on, Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council granted consent for the conversion of the old buildings to residential use, planning consent was granted for the new premises; funding of £1.1 million was approved and what started as an ambitious aim became a real prospect.

Work on site began in October 2007 and from a green field site the beginnings of a new farm are emerging. How appropriate it is then that in this the centenary year for County Farms Service, 2008 will see the dreams of an ambitious and capable young farmer become a reality a reality that will serve many generations of young farmers to come. The images that follow provide flavour of how this scheme is progressing so far.

From the existing farm that you can see above, the new premises are progressing well to this in November 2007 and on through January 2008: For more information download the Ridley Farm Fact Sheet

August 2008

Work has now finished on the farmhouse and farm buildings. Stuart, Julie, Robert and Andrew plus cows have finally moved ‘down the lane’ into ‘Centenary Farm’ as it’s been named, in celebration of County Farms Centenary this year.

Centenary Farm 2008  Click on the following for an interactive tour of the new premises Internal |  External

The new buildings provide housing, feeding and milking facilities under one roof for the whole herd and storage for 1000 tonnes of silage

This has been an exciting and challenging project and the culmination of years of planning, preparation, input and advice from many sources.