On the outskirts of the beautiful, limestone village of Brassington in the Derbyshire Dales - halfway between Matlock and Ashbourne - Miners Barn is in a very picturesque spot.
Our flock of Derbyshire Gritstones live in the four acre field attached to the house. We are currently running the flock down to give the ground some rest but we have had 26 sheep here during the summer. At the moment we have five ewes, five lambs and one ram. Only two are named: Skully, our old timer ewe, and Brucey, the ram.
The wool comes from our own sheep plus other small and medium sized flocks in the village and surroundings. It is all sheared by Andy, on the premises. The wool is processed at the Natural Fibre Company in Cornwall then woven at the Bristol Weaving Company. We sell it in short lengths as it is, apologies, very expensive.
We have also rather taken to pigs. Kept in a large pen at the bottom of the field, they are endlessly entertaining. We keep them until they are almost fully grown - beyond that they can be a handful.
When we have it, the meat produced here is sold at Wirksworth Farmers Market. Our speciality is mature lamb called hogget but we also sell lamb, pork and beef. The meat is either from here or a nearby farm.
Miners Barn is primarily run by Andy though John, the owner, planted and now tends the 50 tree orchard next to the house. John was born in Harpenden, north of London, and lived there until moving here in 2016. Andy is from Four Counties - where Leicestershire meets Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. John runs a local firm.
We are not set up for regular visitors unfortunately. The house is at the end of a single lane road. Turning and passing is difficult so traffic is best kept to a minimum.
In time we will expand on each of the subjects covered above. In the meantime please contact us with any questions via this button.