This photo shows the old farmhouse, the original farm buildings and the farmyard that formed Station Farm on one side of the road, and the new farmhouse under construction on the opposite side of the road, as it looked in 1954.
Chris Branch says in 2011:
"The remaining Calver Family owe much to the guy who took and presumably sold this aerial photograph to my Uncle Harry Calver.
Harry Calver b.1901 was, I believe the second son (4th child) born to Thomas Henry Calver and Edith Amelia Calver (Nee Riches). Harry devoted his working life to the farm concentrating on raising chickens and pigs, and he was able to purchase the freehold of Station Farm for 500 Guineas in 1949. Until then, his father Thomas Henry Calver was a tenant farmer from 1896.
The Calver family was a large one. In 1929 Arthur Calver married Mary Dyke and moved to Docking. The Calver sisters Marion, Marjory, Ethel, and Iris left home and moved to London in turn, and Helen married Charles Ward from Friars Thorn (just up the road) and moved away. Edith Amelia Calver mother of the Calver children died in 1936.This left Thomas Henry Calver, a widower, Harcourt Calver a single man, and Harry Calver who was engaged, alone to fend for themselves.
The Calver sisters and their broods however, returned for cheap (working) holidays on the farm they all called HOME. Sometimes one family's fortnight over-lapped with another for up to a week. Everyone got on well together and their visits to "HOME" must have enriched the life of my grandfather; Thomas Henry Calver (Tom Calver). I know I longed to stay at Station Farm each summer. Harry and Harcourt also enjoyed some family company and some good home cooking for a change!
At Christmas cockerels were posted to London for Christmas dinner and occasionally a brace of pheasants. It became my job to pluck them and Mum dressed them. (Having moved to Great Barford, Beds in 1971, I soon got my hand in, assisting a new farmer friend here at Christmas with his Christmas Turkeys and Chickens over a period of about 15 years.
In about 1952 Harry engaged a builder and construction of his new farmhouse began (on part of the six-acre pasture field) . But the builder left the job unfinished, so the old Station Farmhouse remained "HOME" for all until at least 1964! Harry's health began to fail in 1965 having run Station Farm including the arable side after the sudden death of his brother Harcourt (51) in January 1957 and Tom (his father) (83) in March 1957.
Stanley Ayres of Stanhoe had been a faithful farm labourer working with Harcourt on the land but more help was now needed and a young Trevor Curl from Docking joined the workforce. Harry had the best yield ever from barley that year and thought they had done an excellent job under extremly difficult times of change.
The second generation (me) Chris Branch and my cousins Jane Hill and Pat Leggett enjoyed annual holidays at Station Farm. We had been shown the basics of driving tractors, stacking bales, as well as feeding the chickens, collecting the eggs and in Jane's case, how to milk. So as Jane b.1942 Pat b 1944 and I, b.1946, grew up to be teenagers, we each lent a hand especially at harvest times.
Will, Joe and Noel Wells then lived at Stanhoe Station and being close by, also enjoyed helping out on the farm.
Second cousin Peter Calver b.1951 also followed our lead and that of his father Dick Calver b.1923. Dick put in the piped water supply from the farm's well in the early 1950's and renewed the farm power cables.
In July 1963, Miggie and Bill bought me a Honda 50 (Sports) motorcycle for £103.00. Dad (Bill) and I were supposed to share it, but within 3 weeks Dad bought his own Honda 50 for £79.00 (the Scooter version). We took over 4 hours to get to Stanhoe from London at 30 mph as his was "running in".
In 1964 I was a student and had free time between the end of college and starting work on 6th October 1964. So from July to the end of August 1964, I stayed during the week with Uncle Harry to help with the harvest, returning to London on my Honda 50 each weekend (with my dirty laundry, farm butter and eggs).
But I was the one that inadvertantly broke the news that had been telephoned to Station Farm (Docking 267) informing Harry that his sister Marion Hill had died.
With his new farmhouse un-finished and Harry's efforts through solicitors - over many years to persuade his builder to return and finish what he had started - Harry's health began to fail in 1964. His 35 year-long enagagement to Harriet Blanche Hudson (who also farmed with her brother Alfred in Burnham Market) resolved in MARRIAGE - at last! (Until then the thought of marriage and leaving her own farm was not really on the agenda.) A final decision to have the new farmhouse finished by another builder became urgent and they were married in Fakenham in 1965. Harry died Intestate on 31 December 1966. Station Farm, as far as I know went into mortgage, so that (Harry's widow) Blanche Calver could stay as owner of Station Farm and Harry's brother and sisters could receive a share of his estate.
I was against that course of action and counselled my mother Iris (Miggie) against abandoning the Station Farm estate as I felt that a Trust could have been set up, so that Blanche could be allowed to remain for life and Harry's family could share/retain the freehold ownership (jointly with Blanche as there were no children - but that was not to be.)
After Harry and Blanche had moved into the new farmhouse, I became engaged to Diane and we stayed for a week with them in the new farmhouse. The next occasion was to be before our wedding in January 1967 but at Harry's funeral. My cousins Dick, Joan and Peter Calver visited and stayed with Blanche after Harry's death as did my parents Miggie and Bill, who saw an archeological dig on the farm under way in 1973.
Trevor Curl was soon housed in the old Station Farm farmhouse which was "improved". Blanche became more and more house-bound and ever more reliant on Trevor.
(Before publication of these memoirs, we learnt that Trevor (who was much looking forward to attending the Calver Family Gathering in September 2011) had just died .Trevor left a wife Brenda , Son David and daughter Joanne).
(46 years have passed since we saw Trevor last but we Calver's have long memories. Cousins Jane, Pat, and I were saddened to hear this news but only Peter who had maintained contact was able to attended his funeral service at South Creek Church on 24th August. He reported back to us that the service in celebration of Trevor's life was standing-room only, befitting the measure of the man).
But the decision by Calver family members to take a financial share of Harry's estate, forcing Blanche into the mortgage of Station Farm, spelt the end on an era, though we still drive through most years to see what's changed.
Thanks to new owner Jenny Sparks and her late husband Mike, Station Farm lives on with the new farmhouse occupied and all of the main farm buildings wonderfully restored. Owners of "Whinhill Cider Co" of Wells-Next-the-Sea, also bought some of the original farmland and planted and now have established a fine cider orchard. (If not already listened to, do visit the 10 minute audio interview by Jenny Sparks.)
The old Station farmhouse (now a holiday home,) with some land attached, is currently for sale (2011).
This aerial photo circ 1954 has cheated time. Still there is the black Morris 8 "GAH 29" which also figures prominently on a postcard of Burnham Market in 1952. (There is a copy shown on this website for the 1950's).
Still there is the green pick-up which both cousin Jane Hill and I learnt to drive in - I was ten. Still there is the water tower I climbed to see if the well-water needed to be pumped. All we need now is a new aerial photo."