Manor Farm is steeped in history, the origins of which date back to medieval times. The historic farmyard keeps the feel of a traditional Hampshire farmstead and offers a valuable insight into times gone by.
When a parish church was built here in the thirteenth century to serve the local village of Botley, farm life would have looked a little different.
Over the following 800 or so years, as farm buildings have been added and restored through the centuries, Manor Farm has grown into the bustling site it is today.
One of the most notable buildings in the development of the farm is the beautiful fifteenth-century farmhouse, home to many generations of farm workers and their families. The graves of some, including Isaac and Sarah Earwicker, who lived there with their nine children in the late 1800s, can be found in the churchyard.
After falling into disrepair, the farm was bought by Hampshire County Council in the 1970s with invaluable support from local volunteers during the extensive renovations. In 1984, the site was opened to the public as the ‘Hampshire Farm Museum’.
