Category: Agriculture: Farm: Warminster, Boreham, Boreham Farm

Wednesday 23rd October 2013

This photograph shows a scene by the old barn at Boreham Farm, Warminster, and was taken during the period when Tom Bazley was the tenant farmer. It may be in the 1920s. These days, the descendants of the Bazley family live in New Zealand. They very kindly sent this photograph to Richard Dombkowski in Warminster in more recent years (he thinks in the 1980s). Richard’s father Bruno Dombkowski worked for Tom Bazley in the 1950s. The farm buildings no longer exist ~ they were demolished circa 1969 and the rubble was bulldozed into the ground in situ, where the St. George’s Playing Field (Kingdown School’s Sports Field) is now. 

Richard Dombkowski writes ~ “The Bazleys sent me a letter with the photograph, as far as I can remember, explaining who the man and the woman were in the picture. I have temporarily mislaid the letter but I hope to find it soon. So, for now, I’ll let you [Danny Howell] share the photo on your website and will hopefully let you have the information later. I do remember the barn very well, going back to when I was about five years old (circa 1959).”

Our  thanks to Richard for sharing this wonderful photograph.  

Boreham Farm, 
on the east side of Warminster,
pictured in the mid-1960s, 
shortly before it was demolished.

Boreham Road runs left to right off 
the lower edge of the photo,
Boreham Crossroads is just off the 
lower right corner of the  photo, 
and Woodcock Road can be seen on the right.

The farmhouse and all the farm buildings
were demolished and bulldozed flat circa 1968.
All the rubble was spread out and buried
under what became the 
Kingdown School Sports Field
(St. George’s Playing Field).

The thatched cottages, near the top right corner
of the picture, remained untouched.

Tom Bazley was the last to farm Boreham Farm.

The entries for Farmers in The Warminster & District Directory And Local And Village Guide For 1922, include – Arthur Bazley, Boreham Farm.

The Warminster auctioneers D. & D.H. Waddington were instructed by Grenville N. Temple to sell by auction, “three good corn, sheep, dairy farms & water meadows, known as Bishopstrow, Boreham & Temple Farms, together with accommodation pasture fields, building sites, and cottages, the whole having an area of 2215 acres, 0 roods, 0 perch, in 20 convenient lots” in 1920. The sale took place at the Town Hall, Warminster, on Saturday 14th August 1920, commencing at 3.00pm.

Boreham Farm, which was Lot 2, was described in the sale catalogue, as follows:

“THE VALUABLE FREEHOLD RESIDENTIAL AGRICULTURAL AND SPORTING PROPERTY, BEING BOREHAM FARM, WARMINSTER, In the Parishes of BISHOPSTROW and WARMINSTER, about One mile from the TOWN of WARMINSTER. With exceptionally good and convenient Residence, Spacious Buildings, Dairy, 7 Cottages, Hill Barn, Buildings, and Yards. Good ARABLE, PASTURE and DOWN LAND, WATER MEADOWS, The HISTORIC ‘BATTLESBURY WOOD,’ good SHOOTING, having a total area of 936 ACRES 3 ROODS 14 PERCH.”

“The House which is approached from the Main Road by a Carriage Drive, is most substantially built in stone and roofed with slates and comprises the following accommodation: viz: – Entrance Hall, Back Hall, Large Dining Room, and Drawing Room, Breakfast and Sitting Room, Kitchen, Scullery, Larder, Cellar, 8 Bedrooms, Bath Room, and W.C., Situate near are Coal, Wood and other houses, Walled Flower and Kitchen Gardens, Greenhouse.”

“The Farm Buildings consist of a Range of Brick Pigsties and Meal House, Timber Granary, Wagon and Implement Shed, Nag Stable for 4 horses, Harness Room, Cowstalls for 10 Cows, Calf Pen, Cart Horse Stable for 10 Horses with Loft over, Harness House, Motor House, and Cart Shed. Cow Byre for 40 Cows, 6 Pigsties, Meal House, Open Cattle Sheds and Yards with Water Troughs, Cow Stalls for 18 Cows, Calf Stage, Large Barn, Engine and Implement Shed, Boiler House, Cart Horse Stable for 8 Horses with Loft over and Chaff House, Thatched Colt’s House, 2 Thatched Cottages, Row of 5 Brick and Tiled, each containing KITCHEN, WASH-HOUSE, 2 BEDROOMS; Dairy, Cheese Room, Coal House, etc., Hill Barn, Stable, Shedding and Yards.”

“The Farm House Buildings and Cottages are supplied with water from the Warminster