About Grange Farm

About Grange Farm, Lessingham

Grange Farm, Lessingham has been in the Meale family for over 50 years. Originally it was a small nursery, with an ornate garden across the road that was visited by the public.

Today Grange Farm sits in approximately 60 acres of land. In comparison to most farms in the area, we are a small farm.

History of Grange Farm, Lessingham

See how Grange Farm has developed over the decades and become a local nature reserve with a focus on wildlife and conservation.

1970’s

In the 70’s, my dad, James Meale took over the management and farming of Grange Farm. Grange Farm was mainly a pig farm, with the usual crops planted in the surrounding countryside.

1980’s

Grange Farm was continuing to farm pigs, potatoes, sugar beet, wheat and barley. Later in the 80’s James assisted is brother Paul Meale, a teacher at Stalham Middle School with school visits. Local school visits gave children the chance to view a working farm and experience the countryside through pond-dipping and other traditional rural activities. This continued late into the 1990’s.

1990’s

The farm started transition from breeding to fattening pigs and a few of the buildings had to be adjusted to adapt to EU regulations. The land was still being farmed for crops and through contractors harvesting what was
grown.

2000’s

There was little livestock and the farm began to diversify through barn developments and the introduction of holiday lets. In March 2000 James Meale planted a small wood – referred to as the Millennium Wood. This has grown and forms an integral part of the current nature reserve.

2010’s

Contractors took over the management of 42 acres of the farm land. Due to the size of machinery and the ability to farm the marshland, the remaining 16 acres were used for grazing livestock and part put into the High Level Environmental Stewardship. It was the year that dad lost his battle to pancreatic cancer. The land was continued to be farmed by the local contractors. The buildings were not heavily used, and the farm was slowly deteriorating. A few changes were made from 2017 and the farm started to evolve. In 2018 the caravan site was introduced.

2020’s – Present Day

All traditional arable farming ceased in 2021 and the farm now has a wildlife focus, providing a habitat for many species of wildlife. We have successfully accessed funding from the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and the Broads Authority to increase biodiversity on the old farmland. This has provided a good attraction for those visiting and staying at Grange Farm.
Today Grange Farm provides a great aspect for our visitors to enjoy the countryside and its wildlife. The site is ideal for birdwatching – there are great opportunities for you to see many species in our hide and wildlife watch shed.

Shon Meale – Continuing a legacy

Shon Meale is carrying on his late father’s legacy by creating the wildlife haven at Grange Farm. When Shon’s father James died in 2010, the family farm had fallen into disuse. But Shon could see its potential as a nature sanctuary:

“In 2000, I had helped Dad plant native trees to make a new millennium wood on the farm. Before Dad died, he put 5 acres of the land into Higher Level Stewardship, a government scheme that promotes environmental management of farmland. I wanted to build on his work to diversify the farm and create a new business.”

In 2016 Shon gave up his day job as a sports lecturer at Easton College and started the huge task of clearing the farm site and removing waste.

Since then, Shon has repurposed one of the old barns as a caravan storage facility, opened a Caravan-club approved caravan site and extended the millennium wood. With regional and national funding, and the help of a small group of volunteers, he has planted trees and hedgerows, added birdboxes and hides, enlarged the pond and built nature walks around the farm.

“I am hoping that Grange Farm will eventually become a resource for the local community as a peaceful spot to enjoy Norfolk wildlife.”