Situated on the High Street, Home Farm is situated on pre-dominantly clay soil and is situated on either side of the Over Road. Apart from a settlement at Green End, the heavy soils suggest that in the past Home Farm was probably used as summer grazing for villagers and was not heavily populated in pre-medieval times. Wet in winter, the early inhabitants of Longstanton appear to have favoured the gravel areas of the village for habitation.
Most recently Home Farm has become known for the new development of houses that has been built over the last few years. Below are some old photographs of Home Farm showing the area that is now covered by houses.
101 (103?) High Street – Mrs Peppercorn’s cottage.
Photographs courtesy of: Neil Stroude; Hilary Stroude; Harold Stroude and Peter Stroude.
Thanks must also be given to Peter and Harold’s oldest brother Kingsley and their sister Sarah for providing LDHS with information on Home Farm. The parents of Kingsley, Harold, Peter and Sarah were Harold K Stroude and Janet Stroude. Harold, a draper’s son from Wallesey, originally farmed at Billesdon, Rutland before coming to Home Farm c 1936. Harold was a modern, progressive farmer and one of the first people in Longstantonto own a car. He worked hard and played a lot of sport for village teams. He was instrumental in securing the recreation ground on Over Road. There are still residents of the local villages who knew or worked for HK Stroude. Without exception all of these individuals remember him with great fondness and immense respect.
In addition to his farming work and passion for sport, Harold played a significant role in the development of post-war agriculture and was a member of many boards including NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany) based in Cambridge. At the time NIAB farmed Hill Farm at Lolworth and Noon Folly Farm – the latter they still retain to this day. Harold K Stroude was one of the first commercial growers of sweetcorn in the UK – an additional farm was even purchased in Sussex for this purpose. For the sweetcorn enterprise Harold went into partnership with Den Harradine. It was a successful partnership that lasted many years. Sweetcorn production at Home Farm ceased c 1993. Increased competition, increased difficulties in securing labour for harvesting and packing and a farm with a marginal climate rendered large scale sweetcorn production un-viable here in the village. Harold and Janet retired many years ago and went to live in Wansford.
We do have more information and photographs which we will add in due course.
