Our history
The Hampton Estate was originally established by a local inhabitant Thomas Parker through various land acquisitions between 1759 -1766. Hampton Lodge, the principal house was built in 1766 and the parkland and gardens laid out at about that time.
Thomas Parker sold the Estate in 1799 (Hampton lodge being described as an ‘elegant villa’) to Mr Edward Beeston Long who in 1825 was succeeded by his son Henry Lawes Long. The Estate passed to the Howard family in 1870 and was purchased by the Thornton family in 1929.
The Estate has seen many changes over the years both in boundaries and farming practices. The Guernsey milking herd established in the early 1930s was sold in 2004: the production of sugar beet and potatoes was phased out in the mid 1980s; commercial timber plantations were planted in the 1940s and 50s where once was scrub and bracken; cottages have been modernised; neighbouring fields have been purchased, some land has been sold. More recently a borehole was sunk to provide irrigation for better growing conditions, arable land has been let on Farm Business Tenancies and farm yards have been converted into offices, a craft centre and more residential properties.
The Hampton Estate continues to evolve today: its history gives it an enduring and important perspective.
