Finchley’s historic College Farm set to reopen

The College Farm Trust has secured financial support from the Jeremy Coller Foundation and hopes to reopen the historic farm to the public, reports Leïla Davaud

An aerial view of a stretch of farm land — College Farm in Finchley

“It has been a source of great frustration that the farm has had to remain closed to the public for the past 25 years,” said Chris Ower, who has been the tenant farmer at College Farm for almost 50 years.

College Farm is a much-loved local landmark that has been closed to the public since 2001. It was originally an Express Dairies farm, established in the 1880s to supply milk to parts of London.

After two decades on the site, Express Dairies decided the farm was no longer viable as a working dairy. It was subsequently converted into a visitor attraction, complete with tea rooms and an exhibition about the dairy industry.

The company left in 1973, and the museum was dismantled. The following year, the farm was sold to the Department of the Environment, which intended to offer it to Barnet Council as compensation for public open space that might have been lost through the proposed Henlys Corner flyover scheme.

Chris Ower, who remembered visiting the farm as a schoolboy, noticed it falling into disrepair after Express Dairies departed. In 1976, he took on a full lease with his wife, Jane. The couple lived in the farm’s only habitable room for six months while restoring the farmhouse.

Using their own money, they renovated the buildings and converted the former museum and milking areas into stables, which Chris rented to local horse owners. He continued this work until 1978, when the project grew into a riding school. The farm eventually housed around 30 horses.

College Farm closed to the public in 2001, partly because of the foot and mouth epidemic, but also because many of its buildings were in a poor state of repair and contained asbestos.

After more than a decade of searching for financial support, the College Farm Trust has finally secured backing from the Jeremy Coller Foundation.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “College Farm is the perfect location to showcase the work of the Coller Foundation and educate the public, particularly young people, about the importance of sustainability in farming practices.

“Jeremy Coller has fond memories of visiting the farm in his youth and is keen to offer a similar magical experience to his own grandchildren and the schoolchildren of Barnet and from further afield.

“College Farm has played an important part in the history of the local community, educating children about animals and farming, and the foundation looks forward to reopening the farm and building on its rich history.”

The Jeremy Coller Foundation has made clear that it cannot yet put a timetable on the project. The reopening will depend on obtaining the necessary planning and heritage consents.

“It’s very early days. As the trust works through the appropriate planning procedures for the project to reopen the site, it very much looks forward to getting the input of local residents and stakeholders, to hear their experiences of College Farm and develop a shared vision for its future.

“A core strand of the foundation’s work is to help create a better future by improving education. We hope that by preserving and reopening College Farm, a model farm for almost 50 years in the most urban of settings, we can help the next generation of local residents and schoolchildren to enjoy the animals, experience nature and agriculture, and perhaps be inspired to learn more about the world of sustainable farming.”

The College Farm Trust’s objective has always been to see the farm return to the educational and leisure activities enjoyed before the closure.

These included school visits, the breeding of rare breeds of pigs and poultry, and the regular presence of cattle and sheep in the fields.

The farm also hosted art exhibitions and monthly open days, with teas served in the tea house. The new collaboration could finally make all of this possible again.

A spokesperson for the Jeremy Coller Foundation said: “Reopening the site will not be cheap. The cost of restoring the Grade II listed buildings, removing toxic asbestos and carrying out other upgrades is likely to be significant.

“There is no total cost estimate because the planning process is yet to begin. But the Jeremy Coller Foundation is ready to work through the requirements and invest substantial funds to ensure the farm is fully restored as a warm and welcoming community space.”

The Foundation said that the Owers have been integral to looking after the farm, its animals and its place in the local community for almost 50 years.

“Their agricultural tenancy will be unaffected by the recent changes, and they are supportive of plans to reopen the farm to the public.”

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