Case study
Ed Gowler, 41, his older brother Chris, 44, and parents, Robin and Jennifer, inherited Skylark Farm in Wimblington, Cambridgeshire, from Robin’s father. The farm got its name when Jennifer first visited the bare site and it was filled with thousands of sitting skylarks.
Skylark began as a modest family-run farm producing cereals and grains. Today, after years of love, care, and astute business decisions, the Gowlers have created a world of adventure that lies hidden in a newly acquired plot of land. The enterprise comprises two halves: the traditional farming business and a new retail and leisure offering attracting thousands of visitors every year.
There is a clear split of responsibilities with Ed and his mother taking care of the retail and leisure business and Chris and Robin tending to the farm. The farm, trading as Laurence Bridge Farm, continues to produce cereals and combinable crops which are sold to local grain stores. It is a well-oiled operation with Chris at the helm and Robin on hand for back up during harvest season.
Ed explains how much he enjoys working with his family: “I’ve had a lot of questions in the past asking how we manage to make it work being a family-run business, operating in such close quarters day in day out! The truth is it works very well, and having clear-cut roles helps a huge amount. The site is so vast we have plenty of space to roam free too.”
“Chris holds the reins to the farm and is in charge of drilling and spraying while my Dad helps on an ad-hoc basis ploughing during harvest times.”
The current site sits at 1,200 acres upon which pumpkins, potatoes and cereals are grown. The Gowlers currently own around 350 acres of the land outright, with the rest on a three-generation tenancy.
When Ed graduated from Agricultural College, he started to wonder whether he could diversify the farm to help safeguard the family income, should they need it in the future. Assured that the core farm was to be retained, Ed decided to purchase neighbouring land to expand their options. To fund this, the Gowlers made the big decision not to renew their sugar-beet harvester in 2003 and sold it for £350,000. This extra injection of cash enabled them to begin their diversification masterplan.
“In terms of our diversification, we dipped our toe into retail when we opened the café in 2006 and it turned into a vibrant hub for locals. We get a lot of dog-walkers stopping off for refreshments, while the community like it as a spot to catch up,” Ed explains.
The Maize Maze is Skylark’s most successful event offering: “We began the Maize Maze back in 2007. It’s a really simple idea. We invite kids and their families down to the farm to follow a specially carved route through our maize fields. It has grown year on year, attracting large crowds. It’s lovely to see the kids running around and learning about farming and how maize is grown.” This year, the Maize Maze was dedicated to the NHS, emblazoned with the words ‘Skylark thanks NHS,’ which, although designed to show their gratitude, gained publicity for the business, including on the BBC News website.
“The lamb feeding is also very popular, as it’s equally fun and educational for kids.”
Ed explains: “During peak events season, we tend to employ around sixty seasonal workers and we hire a lot of university students who move back home for the holidays. It’s a great community atmosphere we have here. It’s a brilliant place.”
In 2019, an opportunity arose to Skylark Farm and the Gowlers when an immediately neighbouring 252-acre site went onto the market. With the help of Carter Jonas Cambridge, the Gowlers were able to acquire approximately 100 acres of this for £1.5 million, this acreage included a former quarry, woodland, lakes and arable land.
Ed comments: “This was a great opportunity to us, when the neighbouring parcel of land comes up for sale it is usually a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was important to us to obtain professional advice so that we were well armed and prepared for this acquisition, so we enlisted the help of Carter Jonas to negotiate the best deal and act on our behalf. The initial listing included additional area that we didn’t need, so it did take some sorting out and we were delighted with the outcome when the deal got over the line.
“We intend to convert the old quarry into a beautiful woodland walking trail with five or six fishing lakes and build a series of holiday lodges at a later stage. We’ve had visitors say that they would love to elongate their trip and make a weekend out of it with the kids. We can’t accommodate for this right now, but rest assured it’s next on our list!”
Are you looking to purchase land, or diversify your business? For any further information of any of the issues covered in this article, please contact Jack Sharpe, or your local Carter Jonas office.
