Open Farm Sunday at Spinney Abbey Was Terrific Success

Open Farm Sunday at Spinney Abbey Was Terrific Success

The weather was on our side at Spinney Abbey’s Open Farm Sunday event at the weekend, it was touch-and-go with the odd sprinkle of rain but the sunshine cut through in the end - and the turnout was fantastic! 

It was my first time visiting Spinney Abbey but I know Jonny Fuller who runs the farm from having the odd pint at the Maids Head in Wicken. When I arrived I was surprised to see so many local faces actively involved in helping run the event: serving refreshments, manning the BBQ, selling cakes and other homemade goodies, and assisting in activities such as the Arts and Crafts area where the kids were having a lot of fun. Welly tossing was my favourite activity, even though a couple of my attempts (much to the amusement of everyone else) went skyward vertically – almost landing behind me! I found this fenland sport strangely addictive and eventually settled for a score of just over 18 meters – not bad I thought.

The pond dipping was great fun and I had trouble separating my son from the inside of a tractor which he mistook for a climbing frame but the highlight of the day had to be the ‘Spinney Abbey Pig Race.’ At one point it looked as if the pigs were going for Jonny and not the bucket of feed he was running with, but it was over in a flash with ‘Lester Piglet’ coming in first - winning by a snout.

Being someone who has an interest in local history, folklore and ghost stories, I was pleasantly surprised at the historical significance of Spinney Abbey: The farm does indeed stand on the site of an Abbey founded in the middle ages, In 1403 the Prior, William de Lode, was stabbed to death in the Priory church that once stood there and between 1659 and 1673 Spinney Abbey was occupied by Henry Cromwell the fourth son of Oliver Cromwell and it is said that in September 1671 King Charles II visited him there. 

There is also a long history of supernatural goings-on such as the phantom monks, who have been heard singing, and the ghost of a murdered monk who walks along a path within the grounds in the early hours of the morning. Mysterious lights and a female figure have also been reported. 

Check out the Spinney Abbey website for more historical and spooky information.