Timeline of Commonwork at Bore Place

Here's some of our key dates over the past 40 years...

1976 - Neil and Jenifer Wates bought Bore Place

1977 - Commonwork Land Trust was set up by Neil and Jenifer Wates

1978 - Milking began on the Commonwork Farm and a methane digester was installed to make use of the natural waste from cows

1979 - A brickworks was set up to use clay excavcated during farm building works

1970s and 1980s - Conversion of farm buildings for use as residential study centre

1980s - The education programme began with schools visiting the farm, and members of the public coming to events and open days

1980s - Projects on the ecology and history of the site started

1980s - Supernatural Ltd. Organic Compost set up, selling an organic compost range which made the most of the waste from the dairy farm

1990s - The Green Wood Workshop at Bore Place was set up

1996 - Organic conversion began

2000 - Organic certification received for the farm's milk

2004 - The organic vegetable garden was set up in partnership with Kent Social Services

2006 - A strategy for becoming a low carbon emissions site was launched

2008 - Biomass boiler installed to supply heat and hot water to Bore Place House

2008 - The Sustainable and Global Schools Learning Network started

2010 - The GrowCookEat project started which focused on food and farming

2010 - The Grow2Grow project started, offering support to vulnerable young people

2010-14 - Renewable energy installations were installed: a wind turbine and solar PV panels

2016 - A biomass district heating system was installed to provide heat and hot water all our buildings and the milking parlour, using wood from our coppiced woodlands and other local suppliers

2016 - Blackwoods Cheese Company moved to Bore Place to make cheese from our organic milk

2018 - Opportunities to stay at Bore Place expanded to include glamping

2018 - We started the expansion of our market garden to increase the supply of organic vegetables within the South East

2020 - We installed our nature play trails and put in place bike routes from Bore Place

2021 - Cedar and Mulberry cottages are renovated and opened to guests