Burton Latimer - Agriculture: Memories of Buccleuch Farm

By John Meads

Memories of Buccleuch Farm

In 2006, on a visit to the Heritage Room Museum, Bill Ross, the great–grandson of Alfred Downing provided some recollections of Buccleuch Farm and Glendon Lodge:

Photograph taken at the front of Buccleuch Farmhouse showing Mr Pike, (farmworker) Louisa Downing, Polly Downing, Alice Downing, Nell Downing, Fred Downing, Rosa Downing

The people on the group photograph are: Standing L - R: Mr. Pike (a live-in farm worker), unknown, unknown, Louisa Downing (Bill Ross’s step-grandmother), Polly Downing, Alice Downing and Nell Downing. Seated are: Fred Downing and Rosa Downing.

My great-grandfather was the first tenant at Buccleuch Lodge. He died in 1903 (click here for report of Alfred's death and that of his wife in 1901). (Click here for details of deaths of other family members.) I lived at Glendon Lodge where my father was the estate manager.

I remember large stone vats in the cellar at Buccleuch Lodge, which must have been built in there, and there was a brewing copper in the scullery. There was a very deep well in the front garden.

At Glendon Lodge there was a stone pit where the Dutch barn can be seen on the aerial photo and also one near Buccleuch Lodge.