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Stockwell farm and Relocation Relocation

KIRSTY AND PHIL FIND A LABOUR OF LOVE ON RELOCATION, RELOCATION

It is not often that 21 acres of pure love appears so close to Valentine’s Day. Stockwell Farm near Toddington in Bedfordshire reveals its secrets on Channel 4’s Relocation, Relocation programme on 18 February at 8pm. It contains the remains of a medieval village that mysteriously vanished, and has almost 6,000 trees planted to mark co-owner Norma Congreve’s fiftieth birthday plus a natural spring-fed fishing lake.

Norma and her partner Mark Burley had great fun showing the researchers from Channel 4 around their property in glorious weather, last May. It was also a great thrill to meet the show’s presenters, Kirsty Allsopp and Phil Spencer.

“The programme featured a young couple who were searching for their dream property. With a budget of around £1.4 million, they wanted a property with plenty of land, period accommodation and a large barn conversion (big enough to hold wedding receptions) in Hertfordshire. The researchers suggested that this would be unrealistic and persuaded them to look around Bedfordshire, which included our farm,” explained Mark.

“They were looking for a luxury wedding venue and we were almost perfect - a house with plenty of bedrooms for their client’s guests and a range of barns with potential, all set in 21 acres of woodland and grass with a picturesque fishing lake. I think they also liked the idea of having enough room to run their media company from home,” added Norma.

The young couple appeared to love Stockwell Farm but their budget wouldn’t stretch to the whole estate.

“We do not know if they have found the place of their dreams or not. Our farm is still up for sale but since the programme we have obtained planning permission to convert and extend our listed barn and are working on plans to increase the office space here.” said Mark.

As heartfelt environmentalists, Mark and Norma have worked hard in their professional and home life for 14 years to create such a beautiful place which has become a wildlife magnet. It has provided a habitat supporting warblers, three types of woodpecker, insects, ducks and geese. Anglers take advantage of Fancott Fishery’s peaceful surroundings and well-stocked lake containing roach, perch, tench and carp.

As designer and photographer at Waterhouse Design, they are naturally imaginative and continue to create. They have planning permission for three more lakes and an angling clubhouse.

The 5,785 native, broadleaved trees, planted to mark Norma’s fiftieth, will not reach full maturity during her lifetime, but they are already 25ft tall and have become home to sparrowhawks, merlins, kestrels, deer and badgers.

According to maps dating back as far as 1581, the entire residential area of Toddington’s medieval village – spelt Fancott, Fancote, Fancourt or Fancoat depending on era – is thought to be privately held within the grounds of Stockwell Farm. The original village green, which is still down to grass today, used to be surrounded by a horseshoe of at least seven houses, which were mysteriously demolished.

The farmhouse that stands today dates back to 1839 and was probably built from bricks made at Fancott brickworks which capitalised on local sand and clay. This beautiful family home replaced something much older and much larger. The manorial map of 1581 shows a main house, made of wood, much larger than today’s farmhouse.

The layer of clay suggests that Fancott used to be rather wet under foot for medieval residents. Its micro watercourse and topography have not changed because the fishery is in exactly the same spot as two lakes shown on the 1581 map.