The Farm

Hook Farm is a working dairy farm and is home to over 190 Holstein Friesian cows producing 1.6m litres of milk per year.  All the female dairy calves are reared on the farm to follow into the milking herd.  At present the Wiltshire farm is rearing approx 120 calves, giving a total of over 300 animals.  The farm is currently managed in partnership by Jane & James Woolford and their son Richard.  Richard’s wife Claire also works part-time on the farm.

The farm covers over 200 acres of rolling English countryside adjacent to Hook village and is crossed with numerous public footpaths, which the guests are free to explore at their leisure.  The farmland provides a safe habitat for many species of wildlife including roe deer, muntjacs, buzzards, lapwings, brown hares, rabbits, swallows, heron and a wide range of garden birds and small songbirds.  The footpaths also link with the cycle paths in the grounds of Lydiard Country Park, which lies only ½ mile away.

A peaceful and relaxing haven, Hook Farm self catering luxury holiday cottages are perfectly placed to visit Malmesbury, Chippenham, Cirencester, Swindon, Bath and Oxford

Any member of the Woolford family is more than happy to provide an escorted tour of the farm and the parlour during milking, subject to prior arrangement.  Appropriate clothing and footwear are highly recommended!

The History

It is reputed that Hook Farm has been farmed by the Woolford family or their close ancestors for over 8 generations.  Surviving records show that James’s grandfather, Elliot Woolford, took over the tenancy of Hook Farm in 1899 and was able to purchase the farm from the Bolingbroke Estate in the 1930’s.

James and Jane still hold diaries kept by Elliot Woolford from 1885-1940, which detail the daily farming activities and issues faced on the farm at that time.  These records provide a fascinating insight into the strong family history of Hook Farm.

Following Elliot Woolford’s death in 1940, James’s father and grandmother ran the business until James’s father died in 1971 at the age of 58.  James has farmed at Hook Farm ever since, firstly in partnership with his mother and later his wife Jane.  Richard joined the partnership in 2001, following 6 years working in London, and together the family hopes to continue to farm at Hook for many more generations to come!