About the farm

We live in the East Anglian region of England. Wissington Grange is a small farm near the Essex/Suffolk border by the river Stour. The Stour valley is known as Constable country and is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The farm itself is situated on the Southern slope of the river valley and enjoys shelter from Northerly winds.

Most of the 70 acres of grassland are made into hay and silage and the small acreage of arable produces cereal crops, some of which is used for a home-mixed ration for the sheep. Other than the low-lying meadows, the soil is sandy and dries out quickly. We often have grass in early March but in most years by mid-July the region's low rainfall means that the farm suffers from drought conditions.

We have lived here for the past twenty-two years and kept sheep since 1983. The size of the flock is around 60 breeding ewes. My other interest, beside the Texels, is gardening and over the years I have created extensive shrub and flowerbeds around the traditional farm buildings. The garden is now filled with many unusual plants and there is always something to see for visitors with other interests than sheep.