At Lockley Farm, we believe we are finishing a vineyard which the Romans started! The farm has a rich history attached to the Romans due to the nearby Roman Baths. There are traces of a Roman Villa on the farm as well as an early Iron Age settlement. While we do not have concrete evidence that our site was used by the Romans for vines, we hope that the ancient soil will produce some excellent grapes.

As farmers, we care deeply about the soil or ‘terroir’ as we have worked with it for years. As the weather and the position of U.K. farmers becomes more uncertain, we decided it was time for something new. Let’s hope we can master it like the Romans did before us.

With his old palace at Hatfield a short distance to the South, the farm and the beautiful rolling hills of Hertfordshire were said to be Henry’s favourite hunting ground.

In 1850, the tunnel through the banks of Lockley Farm was opened, forming part of the Great Northern Line from London to York. To this day, visitors to the area can alight at Welwyn North Station and walk through the rolling hills of the farm, all the way to the new vineyard.

Much of the land was re-purposed to grow new crops to support the war effort. The farm saw a great deal of damage, with bomb holes still scarring the landscape today.

The newly arrived farmers at Lockley Farm start to write the next chapter in the farm’s history. They continue to grow traditional crops which have been produced in the area for generations, in addition to wildlife strips to encourage bio-diversity.

The first analysis and inspection is undertaken at Lockley Farm for a prospective vineyard. Land preparations begins shortly afterwards.

The vineyard is officially planted over a 2-day period in May 2022. Work begins straight away on the vines in the form of shoot selection, which is supported by the help of many local volunteers.

The first harvest is expected in Autumn 2024, but as is the way of nature, we will not know until mid-2024. A first still wine could be expected in 2025/2026, depending on the vintage harvested in 2024.