Explore Park Farm at Shugborough Estate

Pigsties and farm buildings on the Shugborough Estate, Staffordshire — Pigsties and farm buildings on the Shugborough Estate | © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

Built in 1806 Park Farm was a centre of innovation and learning. Today the farm is still a working farm, home to historic breeds of animal, and central to the estate. Learn about historic farming methods in the mill block exhibit, then venture out into our wider estate to see the animals roaming in the fields.

Visiting the Farm

From Longhorn cattle, to Southdown sheep and even Tamworth piglets, the animals you will find here at Shugborough Estate have a long history of living at Park Farm and across the wider estate. In the farmyard learn about historic farming techniques, meet some of the animals, and visit Park Farm tearoom.

Southdown Sheep

Southdown is the oldest of the terminal sire breeds in the UK. Originated from native sheep, southdowns have roamed the South Downs in the South of England for many hundreds of years. Southdown Sheep arrived here at Shugborough as a wedding gift of 1700 sheep. This flock was incredibly profitable for both their meat and fleece. We’re building our flock and have introduced two rams, so we can prepare and control the lambing season next year.

Longhorn Cattle

Despite their horns, English longhorn cattle have an incredibly docile nature. They are excellent mothers and tend to have no trouble calving independently, and can even keep breeding past the usual cattle age due to their longevity. Longhorns have a thriftiness and hardiness that means they do not put themselves through any undue stress.

We mob-graze our cattle, meaning they are frequently moved from field to field. This ensures they are pasture-fed and encourage healthy grass growth. You'll find them grazing in the fields, and they're unmissable with their famous long horns.

Meet the Animals

Meet the Animals who call Park Farm home.

Southdown Sheep

Our Southdown Lambs can often be seen roaming the estate, whether in the mothering field or around the Tower of the Winds. The sheep are historic to the estate, and are extra cheeky!

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Space for the animals to roam

Farms form an important part of many National Trust estates and we always work to highest ofl welfare standards for livestock. One of the requirements of these standards is for animals to have more space to be free in. Due to the historic construction of Park Farm, ensuring the animals have the right amount of space is harder to achieve, so this has meant reducing the number of different breeds at Shugborough, and often moving the animals to different parts of the estate. By reducing the number of breeds, we hope to meet or exceed these standards in the future.