Church Farm
Church Farm is located on Main Road, Harlaston. Some of the older farm buildings border the Main Road pavement. Church Farm is one of the properties in the Harlaston Conservation area that is on Lichfield District Council's local list of buildings. Local list buildings are of historic and/or architectural interest and which make a significant contribution to the character of the area.
Church Farm was farmed by Mr Charles Carter until 1937, when the tenancy was taken over by Mr Frederick Alexander Grove, a grandson of the owner of the Grove Button factory in Halesowen. Frederick Grove was born in 1900 in Dudley but moved to Gorse Farm, Statfold as a teenager. Frederick married the head teacher of Lullington Junior School, Dorothy Child, at the church in Lullington and they later had two sons.
During World War II the Grove family stayed to work on the farm and refugees often came to stay in the farmhouse after bad bombing nights in Birmingham and Coventry. The occupants hid in the cellar when the sirens went off.
At the end of the war the Italian and German prisoners were allowed to work on local farms. Joseph Mertz, from Germany, worked on Church Farm for some time. He lived with the Grove family for about a year while he waited to return home. In the evenings he would sit in his room carving pieces of wood making toys for the farmer's children - including a cuckoo and a butterfly. The German prisoner, Joseph, stayed in touch with the family and returned to visit the farm in 1966 and some of the Grove family visited Joseph in Germany.
In 1954 Fredrick Grove purchased the farm which, at the time comprised about 93 acres. There were standings for 19 dairy cows and a bull. Up to 20 Dairy shorthorns were kept and bucket milked. Milk was sent to the Birmingham Co-op dairy in churns daily.
Within a year of purchasing the farm, Fredrick Grove died leaving his wife, Dorothy, and two sons, David (real name Frederick David Grove) and Michael to run the farm. The two brothers and their families ran the farm for many years together.
During 1965 Church Farm Cottage was built adjoining the the farm house for Dorothy Grove to live in. The flat-roofed two bedroom property was quite a modern-looking addition to the older building. Dorothy's eldest son, David, continued to live in the farmhouse .
The farm is currently owned by the younger brother, Michael, and his family.
This aerial view dated 1992/93 shows Church Farm in the top right hand corner.
Frederick Alexander Grove, former owner of Church Farm, is pictured on the bottom row third from the right.
Farmers were not required to enlist during the war, as farming was deemed a 'reserved occupation'. Still wanting to 'do their bit', farmers (and their families) joined groups promoting the war effort.
Farming in the 1930's. Sheaves of wheat were gathered and then loaded by hand to be stored at the farm
Quick to adopt new technology, the brothers used time-saving machines to gather in the harvest.
Frederick Alexander Grove and his son David Grove (Frederick David Grove)
The winter of 1943 was especially bad in Harlaston.
Milk (in the metal churn) was rolled to be collected by carts to be taken to be sold.
Later churns would be replaced by tankers.
The farm house remains much the same today as it was in the 1940's - minus the ivy and sash windows.
David and Michael on a rick of straw.
The bales were placed on the elevator and stacked in the barn
Dorothy Grove recalls an incident in 1938 when she was in the yard at Church Farm with her dog and was suddenly surrounded by Huntsmen and hounds, who were in pursuit of a fox. After an unsuccessful search they departed. Not long afterwards the fox appeared from between two ricks!
Dorothy Grove and her eldest son, David.
Dorothy Grove with Joseph (German Prisoner of War)
The farmhouse was situated next to the yard, separated by a wall and gate to keep the animals from the house.
It didn't always work- with hens, calves, cows and other assorted animals occasionally getting too close to the house.
You can see the old milking parlour beyond the wall.
Click here to find out about treasure found on the farm's fields.
Click here to find out more about the Grove family