The Farm

Shirehill Farm is a generational small holding where seasonally cattle graze its wild flower grassland steep valley slopes. The high plateau fields are limestone brash arable, with the stone walls showing Cotswold limestone as grey in colour once weathered. This contrasts dramatically to the newly quarried stone you can see in our own quarry at Shiresbarn. Being at quite a height Shirehill farm gets the wind and is many degrees cooler than the nearby city of Bath which is at a significantly lower level.

A brook winds its way through the valley fields providing water for the cattle, as does a spring, which also supplies water to the farmhouse from a well inside a pumphouse. Other buildings of note include at Tythe barn at the valley bottom, a Dutch barn at Shires Barns, and as old Cattle Byre here which has now been converted into a craft studio where Alison spins and weaves.

An ancient woodland nestles in the valley. Here a rotational coppice system is worked, this encourages wildlife and the growth of ground flora and fauna. Within the woodland a ‘camp’ area has been created, an excellent base from which to explore the wood.