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The earliest reference to anyone living at Tanhouse Farm, and then called Tanhurst Farm, was in 1722 when Thomas Risbridger worked here as a tanner, hence the name. But it was owned by John Smith Budgen, who had bought Newdigate Place in the reign of King James I (1603 – 1625) from the ‘Newdigate’ family. It is feasible that Tanhurst Farm was included in this sale.
In 1748 a farmer called John Burberry occupied the house, who was probably the son of John and Sarah Burberry, who were the first of that line to come to Newdigate. It is likely he did not marry but his brother Thomas and cousin William were direct ancestors of the subsequent Newdigate farming family who were leaders of the parish.
In 1780 one of Thomas’ sons called William lived at the farm. Later John Butcher occupied it (1789) and then John Knight (1801-1808). In 1807 it was sold to the Duke of Norfolk, along with all the other Budgen properties. But by 1817 it was owned by James Walder, who lived here.
His name is listed as being responsible for a five foot length of church fencing in 1817, and residing at ‘Gardners House, alias Tanhouse’, so by now the modern name was established. In 1841 James still lived at the house with its mix of arable and pasture land.
At this time James Walder was 70 years old, and he lived here with his wife, two unmarried daughters Sarah and Mary, and 25-year old Peter Walder (a probable son) who was a cattle vet, and a 14 year old male servant. Ten years later sarah Walder who was still unmarried, described the farm as being of 30 acres and employing one man and one boy.
The census of 1861 shows the house was divided into two cottages and occupied by young farm hands, their families and a lodger each too. But by 1871 it had been brought back into one dwelling and now a shoemaker, William Weller, aged 38, rented the property with his wife and five daughters, plus a lodger. There is evidence of a cobbler working in the ground floor room at the back of the house next to the parlour. When the family was renovating the house, 13 shoes and a top hat were discovered in the wattle and daub wall behind the range. The shoes contained ears of corn inside which is a sign of fertility. These have been dated from the early 19th century.
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Although he rented Tanhouse Farm, William Walder was the owner, so the property and land were still in the Walder family. He lived at Pancrass Rolls Farm (which became The Elms on the Rusper Road in 1908), but was described as a farmer of 40 acres, most of which must have been at Tanhouse Farm.
At about this time, the Broadwoods bought the farm. Although the census of 1881 doesn’t specifically name Tanhouse, there is one house which is believed to relate to it, where William Jennings and his brother lived. Both were unmarried and in their twenties and farming 298 acres and employing seven men and three boys. This could well have been the Broadwood Estate.
At the turn of the century Tanhouse Farm was home to a Henry Holt, and later his son Tom. But it remained in the ownership of Captain Evelyn Broadwood and his executors right up until the present owner occupiers bought it in 1985. By then it was run down and in need of renovation.
As a Grade II listed building Julie’s mother Nina and husband Norman Fries who runs the farm, were very careful to retain its many original features and indeed the house remains essentially the same as it was four hundred years ago, and even keeps the lean-to building at the back.
Nina Fries is a keen gardener and is responsible for the abundance of fresh flowers, fruit and vegetables you’ll find on sale at Tanhouse Farm Shop throughout the year. Her English cottage garden is a joy to behold, sitting next to the little brook to the south of the front door which the tanner of 1720 was said to have widened into a ‘pool’. That’s still there with a little wooden bridge running above a team of beautiful white ducks who gather there in spring surrounded by daffodils.
On certain specific dates the garden at Tanhouse Farm is open to the public by appointment. The shop has details.
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