GRAIG FARM IN THE WELSH MARCHES
Drovers Retreat is a converted stone barn on Graig Farm, (Graig being Welsh for rock) which nestles in the hills of mid-Wales, some 8 miles from the English border, at an altitude of 1,100 feet (335metres).
the Graig Farm yard today
The farm has been in existence since at least 1600, when the house was built.
the farmyard as a working farm in 1988
Drovers Retreat was built as a barn in the mid-19th century, possibly around 1864 when the farm house was extended. It was used as a cattle barn, possibly for dairy animals. More recently, it was used to rear chickens.
Current owners, Bob and Carolyn Kennard arrived here in 1988, after several years in Africa, working with smallholder farmers.
Drovers Retreat and Games Barn in winter sunshine
The Kennards are the 5th family to live on the farm since the early-18th century. Graig Farm was tenanted from the nearby Old Hall Estate for many years until the 1930's, when death duties forced the breakup of the estate, and the sale of individual farms. Graig Farm was bought by the tenant.
Cow and sheep in field at Graig Farm
The farm's main enterprises have always been sheep and to a lesser extent cattle. Cropping is difficult due to the altitude, soils and terrain, with the exception of some animal feeds.