On 31 May some 60 liverymen and guests congregated in the Master’s home county of Gloucestershire for the annual Summer Visit.
We were treated to a private tour of the King’s private 17 acre garden at Highgrove and after lunch to a visit to Duchy Home Farm, courtesy of the Duchy of Cornwall, now under the stewardship of William, the new Prince of Wales.
The group next to the wicker elephants at Highgrove
The gardens were started 40 years ago from simple parkland and have achieved remarkable diversity and harmony over that time. The range of planting and attention to detail were astonishing. The farm visit in the afternoon covered the centre of the 1,250 acre Home Farm business, managed under organic and agro-ecological principles by a dedicated young team led by new tenant Henry-James Gay.
Duchy of Cornwall Agent Mathew Morris explains the philosophy behind Duchy Home Farm
The long term approach of the landlord – granting tenancies of 25 years – was very much appreciated by the Duchy’s tenants, but Mathew Morris, the agent for the Duchy, was realistic about the ability of some tenants to survive the withdrawal of state support. The Ayrshire dairy cattle certainly looked very well, with a good crop of youngstock following on. The day was rounded off nicely with a delicious formal dinner at the hotel, accompanied by a very skilful and amusing magician.
Astonishing magic tricks at the formal dinner
The second day saw the group at FarmEd, an educational centre promoting regenerative and agroecological farming systems near Burford in Oxfordshire. We were shown round the crops, especially the herbal ley system, and compared the soils there with those under a conventional system.
Examining some 40 species of heritage wheat at FarmEd
It was impressive that soil organic matter had increased by 0.5% and the number of bird species observed up from some 40 to over 80 in just 5 years. After lunch in the cafe ‘FarmEat’ – based on produce from the farm – PM Whitlock thanked the Master and his wife Terri for arranging such a stimulating and enjoyable couple of days.
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