Surveying our sprawling estate, the beholder might be tempted to imagine its history to be one of unadulterated pastural romance: men and women, at one with nature’s rhythms, revelling in their glorious surrounds and the sheer nobility of living by the sickle where so many before them lived by the sword. In fact, these rolling fields and imperious hedgerows harbour many tales of hardship, toil and endurance - many of them unfolding during the 110-plus years that the West family, whose farming roots date back to 1643, has tended this land.

The relentless pressure to purchase tractors and lorries as machinery took over from horses in the wake of the first Great War; the falling of grain and livestock prices to pre-war levels in the recession of the 20s; the railway strikes, the conscripted labour forces, the fluctuating economic nuances - all of these factors and more have created choppy waters that could only be navigated with entrepreneurial zeal and dogged industriousness.

This deep commitment to nurturing our land, livestock and surroundings continues to shine bright in the 5th generation of Wests, manifesting itself these days with our diligent approach to conservation and sustainability. Along with Jo West's customer-focussed approach to running the Wild & West Barns, this continues the tradition of diligent stewardship that is at the core of our heritage.

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