The Story of Broxwater Farm: From Family Farm to North Cornwall Holiday Cottages
Broxwater Farm has been part of our family for more than half a century, but long before The Dairy and The Shippon welcomed guests to North Cornwall, these buildings were at the heart of a working dairy farm.
The story of Broxwater is very much a family one. From milk churns and early mornings fetching cows from the fields to the peaceful holiday cottages you see today, the farm has changed considerably over the years. Its connection to the countryside, wildlife and landscape around it, however, has remained just as important.
A New Life in North Cornwall
Our parents weren’t from farming families. Before Broxwater, they sold their home just outside Stratford-upon-Avon and set about gaining the experience they needed to pursue a life in dairy farming.
They first spent around 18 months in Suffolk before moving to a large dairy farm in Wiltshire, where they gained further hands-on experience. By the late 1960s, they had made the move to North Cornwall and arrived at Broxwater Farm.
Life here looked rather different then. The house had no electricity, there was an outside privy and water was pumped with the help of a windmill. The farmland, however, was good and the farm buildings were in good condition, giving our parents the foundations on which to build their new life.
Over the years they gradually updated and improved the farm. As the family often jokes, the cows and youngstock were sometimes better accommodated than they were!
45 Years of Dairy Farming
Our parents went on to run the dairy farm at Broxwater for 45 years.
The landscape around today’s cottages was part of everyday farm life. The cows spent much of their time in the fields behind the cottages before making their way into the yard to be fed and milked. Fetching them in from those fields was often one of Robbie’s jobs.
The area guests now know as The Shippon’s parking area was once part of the top yard where the cows would arrive for milking.
And the name The Shippon itself has a direct connection to that history. A shippon is a traditional term associated with a building used to house and milk cattle, making it a fitting reminder of the building’s original purpose.
From Milk Churns to The Dairy
Before modern bulk storage arrived at Broxwater, milk from the herd was stored in traditional milk churns.
That changed in around 1977, when a bulk milk tank was installed on the farm. Perhaps surprisingly for anyone who has stayed with us today, the tank stood in the space that is now The Dairy’s lounge.
Fresh milk could be stored there ready for collection by the milk tanker, in a room that now forms part of a very different kind of stay at Broxwater.
It’s these small details that connect today’s cottages with the buildings that came before them. Their names and character haven’t simply been added to create a countryside feel – they come directly from Broxwater’s farming history.
Looking After the Land
Animal welfare was always extremely important to our parents, as was looking after the land around them.
They tried to farm as naturally as possible, allowing trees to grow and creating space for the natural habitat and wildlife around Broxwater to flourish. That relationship with the land remains important to us today.
The fields that were once home to the dairy herd now contribute to the space and tranquillity guests often tell us they weren’t expecting to find here.
Broxwater still feels very much connected to the countryside around it, and that’s something we’ve been keen to retain as the farm has evolved.
From Farm Buildings to Holiday Cottages
As Broxwater changed, so too did the old farm buildings.
Rather than losing that part of the farm’s history, they were eventually given a new purpose and transformed into the two cottages we have today: The Dairy and The Shippon.
Both have been extensively converted into modern three-bedroom holiday cottages while retaining their connection to the farm and surrounding landscape. Today, families can spend their holidays in the same part of Broxwater where cows once returned from the fields to be milked.
You can explore both of our North Cornwall holiday cottages to see how those former farm buildings look today.
Broxwater Today
Broxwater is a very different place from the farm our parents arrived at in the late 1960s, but we haven’t wanted to lose what made it special in the first place.
Guests now have five acres to enjoy, with plenty of room to slow down and appreciate the quiet of the countryside. Wildlife remains part of everyday life here, while the North Cornwall coast and Bude are only a short drive away.
For us, the history of Broxwater isn’t something separate from the cottages. It’s part of them. The buildings, fields and landscape all have stories from their former life, and we’re pleased that The Dairy and The Shippon have given part of the old farm a new chapter.
You can learn more about Broxwater Cottages or discover our location in North Cornwall and some of the places to explore during a stay.
© 2026 All Rights Reserved
