Morghew Park Estate can trace its history back more than 1000 years to 968AD, when its sale for the sum of 1450 pence was approved by Edgar, arguably the first king of all England. The Estate’s boundaries have waxed and waned over the centuries in line with the fortunes of its many owners, and it currently extends to around 1900 acres. In the 1970s, it was acquired by Dr Hans Rausing, of Tetrapak fame, and it subsequently became known for its production of crayfish and wild boar.

Unlike many other local estates, which nowadays contract-out their farming operations or simply let the land, Morghew continues to be run along traditional lines, with a dedicated workforce, many of whom live on the Estate. Crops include winter wheat, oilseed rape, spring beans and both organic and conventional potatoes.

In this day and age, an estate needs a philosophy or a mission statement to keep it relevant to the 21st century. Ours is very simple, and it is to feed local people, to employ local people and to provide a high-quality leisure and recreation resource for individuals and organised groups living in Tenterden and the surrounding villages.

It’s no secret that farming has been a struggle over the past five years, but there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel, and like every other arable farming operation in the UK, we’re excited by the prospects for bio-diesel and bio-ethanol to provide a completely new market for our arable output.

As a final note, I’m often asked what appeals to me most about this Estate. Well, what still amazes me about Morghew, and I’ve been here for seven years now, is the sheer tranquillity and quiet, understated beauty of the place; the fact that it has no public roads crossing it; the distant views over the valleys of the rivers Rother and Ashbourne (now sadly called the New Mill Channel); the bells of St Mildred’s that can reach the furthest corners of the Estate when the wind is in the north east, and the astonishing variety of wildlife, including the small herd of deer that just appeared from somewhere a few years ago…