History of Heron Farm
The site was initially established in 2010 by River Cottage’s then Head Gardener, Mark Diacono, and was called ‘Otter Farm’. Mark’s vision was to create a so-called ‘Climate Change Farm’, populated with food-producing trees and plants more traditionally associated with warmer climates, but which have the potential to grow sustainably in Devon as the impact of climate change is increasingly felt.
In 2016/2017 the site was the subject of a ‘Grand Designs’ episode, during which Mark and his family designed and built a striking plough-shaped house and a matching building.
The latter building was built out of cob, a traditional building material in the South West that is predominantly made out of mud and straw. A cob-walled garden was also constructed as part of the project.
In 2018 Christine and Peter took over the site and renamed it Heron Farm, in honour of the heron that is frequently seen on the river Otter which forms part of the boundary.
If you’re lucky, you might spot it on your visit!
You can watch the Grand Designs episode here