1984
When it all began... The Self family came to Whitehall Farm, Lacock
in
1894.The main produce from the Farm at that time was cheese there
were
no milk factories as we know them today, but by the 30's milk was
being
collected from the farm in churns, and farm cheese production had
ceased.
1900's The Oldest Picture of Whitehall Farm,
Lacock
William Self
Rowland Self worked with his father William on the farm.
1967 - A350 road construction and future
garden centre site
1970
- Mrs Self with three of our very first customers
1972
- Ariel View, Whitehall Garden Centre, Lacock
1983
- Complettion of the development at Lacock
1988
- Development of the till area and main shop,
plant areaand garden at Lacock.
1996
- Whitehall Farm changes the farming operation from dairy
farming and establishes our herd of Aberdeen Angus.
2001
- Whitehall purchases the business of
Norton Nurseries at Whitchurch, Bristol.
2001
- The Garden Club is launched
2002
- Established Whitehall Food Halls Ltd
2004
- Mrs Self opens the newly refurnished "Wild Poppy"
restaurant at Whitehall Garden Centre, Whitchurch.
2004
-The "Wild Poppy" restaurant at Whitchurch fully
operational
April 2004
Memory Lane
A little history of Whitehall & Lacock
Most of our cereal
crops during the 40's were used
for cattle food.
Lacock was founded on the wool trade, in
the High Street you can still
see the large upstairs rooms in the houses where the hand
looms were located.
Within living memory few sheep have been farmed
in North Wilts.
The area being essentially dairy producing.
________________________________
The
Self Family
Rowland married Phylis, and had two children, the elder being
Christopher and
the younger John. Christopher went into farming, but John into
horticulture,
and John started the Garden Centre in 1972.
John changed his vocation and joined the
Church Mission Society, and at
this point Mrs Phyllis Self and her son Christopher took over
the Garden Centre.
________________________
Christopher Self still continued to farm, with his two sons
Peter and Mark, who both went to Lackham Agricultural College.
Peter Self took over the farm from
his father and changed the method of farming to rearing
Aberdeen-Angus Cattle & Texel Lamb.
Mark Self after studying at Pershore Horticulture College joined
what
was by now an established Garden Centre in 1987.
Mrs
Self busy watering plants. Picture taken in 1974
1983
- saw major expansion of the garden centre at Lacock
Memory Lane
1988
- Development of the till area and main shop at Lacock.
2000
- Whitehall diversifies into Tourism with the
Maize Maze summer attraction.
2001
- The Water Garden franchise is purchased by
Whitehall Garden Centre
2001
- Wild West Maize Maze at Lacock
2001
- The introduction of Texel & commercial Sheep flock
Whitehall Farm Ltd
2002
- Established Whitehall Fresh Farm Ltd
2004
- The restaurant at Lacock is purchased and re-launched as the "Wild
Poppy" restaurant and is now operated by
Whitehall Restaurants Ltd.
Today - Three generations of our family business.
Come to the countryside for a really
different shopping experience!
