I often get asked about my studio and the field it’s hidden away on, which has come a long way since my grandad first bought it nearly 50 years ago. So, I thought I would share some family history behind it and where it all started.
The field was bought in 1975 by my late grandad as a riding space for my Mom and Auntie to keep their horse Prince when they were young. Nestled amongst glorious open fields it was originally bought as five acres but with a lot of upkeep to do throughout the year, they sold half of the land in 1976.
The stable was built around 1980 by my Auntie’s boyfriend at the time and it was originally built with a slanted roof like a pig pen, but one day discovered it had blown off. My dad being the handy guy that he is, rebuilt the roof with a wooden beam structure and finished it with corrugated roof sheets. Running water was put in place with a cattle trough for the horses to drink out of and the water bill was as little as £6.80 every four months.
By the time the stable was built, they never actually ended up keeping any horses at the field. My Mom and Auntie had grown up and found other interests so it was used for storage and rented out for some time to a landscape gardener. Over the years the field has been used for family fun, bonfire night and walking the dogs (three laps to be precise).
My dad takes great pride in maintaining the field to ensure the grass is cut regularly and doesn’t overgrow, keeping the charming and characterful land that is “The Field” to our family. Now that I have embarked on my floristry journey, I can appreciate how lucky we are to have this field and the little stable that sits amongst it.
