Over 60 people attended the ever-popular February daytime meeting. This year the topic was ‘Fairford Farms’. Edwin Cuss showed about over 100 slides on an agricultural theme. He started off with a general section about local agriculture and the associated trades and activities in the area, including blacksmiths, saddlers, butchers, the Young Farmers, markets, fatstock events and ploughing matches.
After the coffee break he covered the local farms in the area: Home Farm that provided foodand rehabilitative therapy for the patients of the asylum (now Coln House School); Horcott, Waiten Hill, Milton, Totterdown and Rhymes Barn farms on the west side of
town. Manor Farm Park Farm, Moor Farm in the centre and east of the town. He also covered smallholders.
As always each picture was accompanied by an excellent informative commentary and this year with the added expert knowledge from local farmer Chris Peachey, which gave the whole event an extra dimension. As well as technical information about breeds of animals and types and uses of farm machinery, Chris commented that Bert Cuss’s horse ploughing was the straightest and cleanest furrow ever ploughed with horses and there were some of his former girlfriends among the photos!
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the morning and we wonder what the topic will be next year. The two pictures show Park Farm about 1870 and Bert Cuss showing a fine example of a furrow at a ploughing match
