Barleylands celebrating 40 years of being family go-to

The family-owned farm in Billericay initially opened its museum back in 1984, but has expanded massively over the years to include a showground, a craft village and horse livery, welcoming a whopping 150,000 visitors every year. 

Barleylands welcomes more than 20,000 children a year as part of its education programme (Image: Barleylands)

Despite the expansion, the Philpot family have been keen to retain their core value of “bridging the gap between farming and the public”.

The farm is home to an array of farm animals along with a reptile and birds of prey centre, and is an approved Rare Breeds Farm Park recognised by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. 

The farm museum, named “the Discovery Centre”, tells the story of farming over the years through interactive educational displays and vintage machinery. 

Such fun - Two youngsters (Image: Barleylands)

Peter Philpot started collecting agricultural machinery in 1976, and when the farm centre opened in 1984, his vision was for the museum to provide a focal point for schools.

Peter said: “It was 40 years ago that my son Stuart cut the ribbon, opening the museum to educate children how farming was carried out from the turn of the century.

“Some of the machines have some very inventive ideas which have been carried through and are still being used in our modern farming system.

“On opening day, there were over 6,000 items. The best ones are still in the Discovery Centre today. 

“Over the years, thousands of children have visited the Discovery Centre and been educated how farming was done over the years”.

Success - The Philpot family (Image: Barleylands)

Education is a vital part of Barleylands, and their education programme welcomes over 20,000 children a year, with schools visiting from Essex and London.

Paula Groves, education officer at Barleylands, said: “There is a big focus on STEM education, and we tailor-make days to support different subjects in the curriculum from geography, maths, history, literacy and science up to Key Stage 3. All our visits are planned to suit the needs of our visiting schools, and facilitated by our dedicated team”.

“We love to be creative and enjoy the challenge of bringing food and farming into any topic, which has brought schools back year after year. With such a disconnect between our food and where it comes from, we are a great choice for school visits.”