Our History
Priory Farm has now been going for 65 years with the Shinner family at the helm. Our roots as a family business are humble and grew from the produce that our local farmland had to offer.
Since we threw open the farm gates in 1957, we have expanded from just a simple pick-your-own and pig farm, to an award-winning Farm Shop, family Nature Trail, events and wedding venue, Gift Barn and fishing lakes.
The business continues to grow and develop; some processes may have changed with the times but the vision is still the same here at Priory Farm; to provide outstanding customer service and to inspire our customers by creating exceptional experiences.
We’re always looking to improve and innovate so our most recent project has been the redesign and fitting of our brand new Butchery and Deli, led by eldest son Jeremy Shinner and completed in 2021.
The 1960s
John and Wendy Shinner bought Priory Farm in September 1957.
They ran the 140 acres as a mixed farm with a flock of 100 sheep, cereals, broiler chickens and a very small herd of pigs. By the end of the 1960s, it was becoming clear that economies of scale were becoming necessary in order to remain profitable.
In 1969 some land was sold and investment made in the pig enterprise. At the same time, the first acre of strawberries was planted for pick-your-own and Priory Farm had, unwittingly, become a pioneer in the concept of diversification to improve the livelihood of small farmers. Gradually the cereals, the sheep and the chickens were all phased out.
John and Wendy Shinner (1957)
Harvesting under Nutfield Priory Hotel with an old bagger combine
Lambing in the 1960s
Tony Turner in 1966. Tony was our pig herd manager from 1962 to 1992.
Loading up the broiler chickens
Erecting the first pig fattening house, which nowadays is the main farm office.
Tony Turner spreading pig slurry - a very smelly job!
The last harvest in 1969
Sheep shearing in the old courtyard in the 1960s
Alan Turner unloading the grain into an old Bedford lorry
Straw cart with Melanie, Nic, Tony and Michael
Alan Turner planting the first row of strawberries in October 1969
The 1970s
The 1970s was a period of great change and expansion.
The pedigree Landrace pig herd was becoming more and more important to the business. New buildings were erected and a new company was formed with other pig farmers in the south-east to market improved stock. The pick your own fruit enterprise was also experiencing exciting times, the demand by the public to get out into the country to pick their own fruit seemed insatiable and each year saw the introduction of new crops and increasing acreage of both fruit and vegetables here on the farm.
The Shinner family overseeing the first attempts at selling PYO produce
The queues and the cars at our Pick-Your-Own in 1975
Sid and Lil, who, together with their family, helped with the selling for many years.
Young, female pigs for sale in the barn beside what is now the Farm Shop car park.
Sandy Lane, 1971. Selling our strawberries for 10p/lb.
The Hat family building the first bridge across the lake
The completed bridge, allowing us to get customers from Lakefield car park to the picking fields.
The unloading of new sow farrowing pens from Belgium. They are now part of our industrial lettings.
Ian Ford in 1977 having a slight problem with a six inch cast iron water main!
Sandy Lane in 1971. This view would now show the Nursery on the left and in the middle in the distance, Hungerford Lake.
Pick-Your-Own in 1974
Tom Bassett with a new irrigation system, circa 1975.
The fields below the Nutfield Priory Hotel in the 1970s.
Nic and Anthony Shinner watching a digger prepare an irrigation pond.
The 1980s
The 1980s was a period of steady growth in the pick-your-own and pedigree pig head enterprises.
The plant centre and the farm shop had their beginnings during this decade. Francis Hallowes was given the responsibility to develop the plant centre, which started in 1983 with a small polythene tunnel selling bedding plants. Nic Shinner, John Shinner’s son, joined in the business at this time and took over the pick your own and the estate. In 1989, John’s other son Anthony also joined the family business to manage the fledgeling Farm Shop.
Nic Shinner planting asparagus in 1987.
Ian Ford planting strawberries, whilst Nic Shinner inspects his plants.
Pick-your-own raspberries and the new greenhouse.
Tractor rides to the pick-your-own fields.
Just a few of the crops we used to grow here at Priory Farm.
Our first attempts at providing tea, coffee and cakes.
Grandaughter of John and Wendy Shinner, Lara, enjoying the cherries.
View taken in 1984 of what is now the Farm Shop, from Sandy Lane.
Frances Hallowes on site, just before the new glasshouse was erected in 1985.
The first attempts in the development of the Farm Shop in a corner of the new Glasshouse in 1992.
John Shinner in 1989 persuading one of his boars to move in the direction of his choice!
Georgie, grandaughter, making friends with baby pigs.
The 1990s
The 1990s on Priory farm saw even greater changes to those that had occurred in the previous decade.
The farm shop, after years of planning and building, opened in April 1992 and the last load of pigs left the farm just prior to this. It was a period of gradual decline in the demand for pick your own crops, which made for difficult times, especially without income from the pig herd. However, despite the setback, the farm shop gradually became profitable and the plant centre was expanding fast.
Autumn 1992 in the Pumpkin Fields
Frances Hallowes and Peta Marshall enjoying the new Christmas tree wrapping machine in 1994.
Simon Brown TV Chef, Judi Dench and Anthony Shinner opening the Kitchen Demonstration Theatre in 1999
For a few years in the early 90s, we also picked strawberries to sell to the wholesale market.
John and Wendy Shinner with David Shepherd, at an event in the Farm Shop raising money for his Wildlife Charity
The view of the Farm Shop entrance, when it opened in April 1992.
One of the last batches of bacon pigs, about to be loaded onto the lorry to slaughter.
Strawberry Fayre in 1999.
Netting the cherry trees to protect them from the birds, and plum blossom in the background.
Tony Turner, officiating at the marriage of Pumpkin man and Pumpkin lady.
A view of the greenhouse in 1990s, with strawberry fields in the background.
London schoolchildren visiting the farm, with the Farm Shop entrance in the background.
Protecting runner beans with polythene tunnels, in the spring of 1994.
This is how the farm looked when we grew over twenty five fruit and vegetables.
The 2000s
The year 2000 saw the start of converting old buildings to let out as various units, for example to Chalk Hills Bakery.
All of our new buildings are energy-efficient and highly insulated and our ongoing building repair scheme ensures we do everything possible to make our historic buildings more sustainable.
2007 saw the birth of the Discovery Walk which was created by our Estate Manager Ian Ford, Ian started working at the Farm at the age of 17 and has invaluable experience and knowledge of the Farm.
In 2005, Will Edwards joined the farm as a teenager. Today, he is the General Manager here on the Priory Farm Estate.
After nearly 20 years running as a concession we decided to take the butchery in house to ensure traceability & quality.
Pictured here is Sandra, one of our longest serving staff members, in 2018 she celebrated 30 years’ service.
The year 2009 saw the start of the Farm Shop Food Festivals.
By 2010 we were quickly realising the Farm Shop was outgrowing its location, a 10 year plan of farm shop improvements was drawn up and in 2014 the first project started.
The 2010s
The Lambing Barn was built.
In May 2017 Nic & John celebrated Priory Farm’s 60th Anniversary with Dame Judi Dench. She joined us as we commemorated our landmark year by donating 300 kilos of coins to Macmillan Cancer Support.’
Priory Farm is still a family owned business, pictured here is Nic with his wife Sam and their children.
In 2019, we welcomed the third generation of the Shinner’s to the Farm, Jeremy.
The 2020s
As a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched a Delivery and Collection service for our customers.
In summer 2020, our Gift Barn opened.
In Spring 2021, our estate team built a treehouse for our Discovery Walk.
To explore more of our history here at Priory Farm, you can read Nic Shinner and John Shinner’s story.