Nigel feeding the cattle
Nigel explained that Little Thorness Farm has been run by the Hayward family for over 120 years. Formerly it was part of a 3,200-acre (1295 ha) estate administered from Northwood House in the centre of Cowes. At one time Northwood House was owned by the architect John Nash, who designed several properties on the island including the Guildhall in Newport. Nash retired to live on the Island and died in Cowes in 1835.The farm, too, has had to change. “There is less emphasis on livestock now,” said Nigel, “although we still run 20 to 30 beef cattle in the summer and keep a few through the winter.
“Over the last 10 to 15 years we have tended to make more hay and this we supply to local livery yards and stables. To keep the pastures in good condition we rent grazing ‘keep’ to a local shepherd and he runs 150 ewes across the farm in the autumn and early winter. “We also do a small amount of farm contracting locally and have installed our own photovoltaic solar panels on the farmhouse.”
All these small investments in time and money collectively make up the farm income, without leaning too heavily on any particular item. The beach and the marshland on the farm have many environmental designations designed to help protect them. The foreshore is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and the marshlands are Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
In addition, the area forms part of the Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar designation, which marks it out as some of the more important wetland areas in Europe, if not the world. Nigel explained, “In 1991, with the help of countryside advisor, Mark Simmons we entered these areas into the Countryside Commission’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme, and they have been in ever since, although that is now overseen by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.”
“At first there were some discrepancies between the various environmental agencies involved” said Nigel, “though in 2001 all the groups met, and we agreed on a way forward. I think the whole process has been very successful.”
Grazing the wetlands is a key piece of that conservation management: “We have found that older cattle, being a little wiser, are the best way to do this, explains Nigel. “We let them onto the marshes early to mid-July and they stay down there until it becomes too wet, which varies depending upon the season.”
“We are very fortunate on the Island in that we have many people with both the knowledge and time to survey the marshes and we get a lot of feedback on the flora and fauna. For example, 10 years ago, entomologist Adam Wright discovered a species of hoverfly (Eumerus sogdianus) that had never been recorded in the UK before.”
The erosion of the beach is an ongoing problem and Nigel explained that the farm has lost three acres (1.2ha) of rough grazing since it was purchased in 1919. It would be both difficult and expensive to make any meaningful difference to stop the erosion.
The dynamic of the shoreline changes often. Together with increased human activity, this makes it difficult for birds such as the plovers and oystercatchers to find suitable sites to nest. The general consensus, Nigel believes that this part of the coast will eventually be allowed to evolve naturally with minimal human intervention.
However, one of the benefits of the erosion is that it uncovers some of the archaeology in the bay. In recent years there have been various wooden post structures uncovered. These range from the Bronze Age (around 1060-840 BC) through Roman times (210-410 AD) to what is possibly a Tudor fish trap from around 1520. In addition to the posts, artefacts contemporary to these periods, such as pottery shards, have been found.
On the foreshore, there are the remains of 18th century saltworks and to the east of Thorness Bay, the remains of the Pluto pipeline (Pipe Line Under The Ocean).
Pluto was laid in 1944 to supply fuel across the channel For the D Day landings. This section was called Bambi and went to Cherbourg in France. Most of the pipes were recovered after the war as they used a lot of valuable metals, but at low tide the remnants can still be seen. In 1995 John Hayward was filmed explaining how the pipeline was brought ashore.
It's also possible to find fossils: Nigel recounts how his older brother was always looking for fossils when they went down the beach as children, and Nigel followed suit.
With patience, sections of turtle shell such as Emys or Trionyx can be found in the gravel, as well as the bony plates of crocodiles, called scutes - all dating back to approximately 40 million years ago.
“One of the great joys of walking along the bay, as I do most days,” said Nigel, “is that you are never sure what you will find. It may be something lost the day before from a passing yacht – or a flint tool from the end of the neolithic period. I like to imagine the last hand that touched these objects before mine.
“All this evidence of what has gone on in the distant past,” says Nigel, “shows that people over the generations have wanted to live by, or make their living from, the shoreline. Although the techniques and technologies have changed over the centuries the objectives remain very much the same.”
Note: The film Operation PLUTO. Directed by David Croxson. 1995 (You Tube) explaining the Isle of Wight’s role with PLUTO, with John Hayward talking about how the pipeline was brought ashore at Little Thorness Farm.
Pete Johnstone 20/02/23
The extent of the marsh can be seen from higher up the farm
Coastal erosion does put pressure on the farm, though it is now expected that this part of the coast will be allowed to evolve naturally.
The estate was purchased by the Ward family in the early part of the nineteenth century. In the late 1890s Simeon Hayward secured the tenancy and finally bought the farm at auction for £2,100 in 1919, when the Ward Estate was broken up. Prior to this his annual rent had been £105.
Nigel said, “My father, John Hayward, managed a small dairy farm of about 40 cows, with the milk being bottled and sold in the Cowes and Northwood areas. He moved out of dairy in the early 1980s, but retained the milk round, selling milk bottled by Unigate in Newport.
“When my father retired, we kept the milk round going for another 12 years, until it became unviable. By this time, we had started to convert the older farm buildings into holiday lets.
“We were keen to offer something to visitors who would possibly find mainstream accommodation unsuitable for their particular needs. We made all the cottages wheelchair accessible and provided riser chairs and other equipment to make their stay more comfortable.”
Thorenss Bay forms an important element of the Solent seascape, an internationally important area for over wintering wildfowl including Brent geese.
One of the cows used for the grazing of the marsh.
Managed by grazing at the right time of year, the marshland on the farm, supports a rich array of wildlife.
