The farm at Hollycombe replicates a typical working farm from the early 1900's including period building styles with thatched roofs, barn machinery, threshing equipment, ploughing engines and of course animals. The way farms developed their use of power can be seen, as we have shire horses, steam power and early petrol and diesel tractors.
An open fronted building houses the only comprehensive collection
of barn machinery driven by a long line of shafting and a steam engine.
The engine is a Robinson single cylinder horizontal built at Rochdale over 100
years ago. The engine and boiler came from Basing House at Basingstoke
where it drove the well pump that supplied the estate with water. The
whole range of machines required to prepare the feeding stuffs for farm animals
on a large farm is represented in the buildings, as well as a dairy and a cider
room. Machines include a Butter Churn, Cider Mill, Cider Press, Root
Pulper with Elevator, Sussex Hay Wagon, Clover Huller, large Root Pulper, Chaff
Cutter, Dynamo, Water Pump, Oat Rolling Mill, Steam Cabinet, Winnowing Box,
Stone Grinding Wheel and Corn Grinding Mill.
Outside is a threshing machine driven by a traction engine, and a baler driven by a portable steam engine.
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In the adjacent field are a pair of ploughing engines which demonstrate the way in which fields used to be cultivated by hauling the cultivator across the field using a cable on a winch drum under the boiler of the engines. The ploughing engines are an Allen and a Fowler, both of which are described in more detail on the Road Engines Page.
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Whilst down at the farm, be sure to visit our animals. There are ponies, a shire horse, goats, sheep, ducks, geese, and chickens.