The Nicholson Family - Springtime at Cannon Hall Farm

The Nicholson Family

Roger and Cynthia Nicholson and their three sons Richard, Robert and David have a combined farming experience of more than one hundred years! They work together at their farm in Yorkshires beautiful Pennine foothills, where they rear pigs, sheep, goats, cows and more.

To all of our loyal supporters

For me, spring means lighter, warmer days and lots of bloody hard work.

Robert Nicholson

On a freezing cold Friday morning in early January 2021, a chorus of tawny owls provided the atmospheric soundtrack as Robert Nicholson slid back the sturdy sliding door to Farrowing House Number One. The second national lockdown was in full force. All around the farm there was a crunchy dusting of snow on the ground and Roberts inquisitive young sheepdog Pip was enjoying a good sniff around. As usual, farmer Robert was in an upbeat mood.

Filming had already begun for the new series of the popular Channel 5 show Springtime on the Farm and Robert was getting ready to present one of his regular live broadcasts to Cannon Hall Farm supporters via social media. He turned his phone to selfie mode, pressed the button to go live, and off he went.

Good morning. Im not going to speak too loudly as the pigs have got out of the habit of people being around, so Im just hanging back a little so that Pip and I dont make them jump. Its a beautiful morning here and were on the right side of winter now. A couple of weeks beyond the shortest day of the year and were just beginning to see the difference. Were on a journey to better times as the vaccine is rolled out and Im feeling positive for the future.

No matter whats going on in the outside world, as any true Cannon Hall Farm fan will tell you, this little oasis in the heart of South Yorkshire has become an anchor in troubled times and not just for the members of the Nicholson family who live there. With an ever-growing network of supporters who regularly tune in to Roberts broadcasts and millions of TV fans all around the world, catching up with life on Cannon Hall Farm is a real tonic for everyone.

And in spring, life really steps up a gear

On 9 April 2018, the television programme Springtime on the Farm made its debut on Channel 5, celebrating the joys of the British countryside during springtime. It introduced us to the Nicholson family, the farmers who live and work at Cannon Hall Farm, near Barnsley in South Yorkshire.

Roger Nicholson heads up the family and comes from a farming dynasty that can be traced back to the 1600s. He has lived at Cannon Hall Farm ever since his father bought the 126-acre property at auction in 1958. Prior to their big move, the Nicholsons lived in Bank End Farm in the nearby village of Worsbrough Dale, where several generations of the family worked the land and made their mark in the farming world. The farm was passed down from brother to brother and from father to son, each of them maintaining the land, growing healthy crops and caring for their animals.

Rogers charismatic father, Charlie, was himself a highly respected stockman and made headlines with his prize-winning white bull, whose pedigree name was Fockerby Ringleader. As well as being a fine Shorthorn specimen, the bull was partial to a drink of beer and would happily swallow down a pint after a country show victory, much to the amusement of spectators. The story actually made the local newspaper; even back then Charlie Nicholson could recognise the marketing potential of an interesting animal on a local farm.

Although they had lived at Bank End Farm since 1798, the family rented most of their land. And what started out as a fairly sizeable farm of 250 acres began to shrink as the land was sold off bit by bit because of compulsory purchase orders. Acres of beautiful farmland full of crops were sold off and developers turned it into a housing estate and a local school. By the end of their time there, only 30 acres of the original plot remained, which, for the Nicholsons, wasnt viable to sustain a family business. A fresh start was needed.

Roger was still at school when the family moved to their new home at Cannon Hall Farm, and, although he intended to take over the family business one day, fate intervened when Charlie died suddenly of a heart attack in 1959. Soon after, Roger, then aged just 16, had to leave school and quickly learn how to make a living as a farmer so that he could support himself and his mother, Rene.

Three years later, Roger met his future wife, Cynthia Dickin, at a Young Farmers Club dance in Halifax. The story goes that while feisty Cynthia greatly impressed Roger by winning a competition at the dance, she wasnt at all enamoured by his advances and it took a bit of convincing for her to agree to meet him again. But something must have won her over and, three years of courtship later, Roger and Cynthia married in 1965 and moved to the picture-perfect Tower Cottage at Cannon Hall Farm. Their eldest son, Richard, was born in 1966, followed by Robert in 1968 and youngest son, David, two years later.

It was an idyllic environment for the Nicholson boys to grow up in, surrounded by acres of lush farmland to play in, woods to build their secret dens and streams to catch fish. In the early years, Roger kept a variety of livestock, including dairy cows, pigs, sheep and some hens, but, although he worked as hard as he was able, he struggled to make a living from farming. On the days when hed take his animals off to be sold at market, he never seemed to get the rightful return for all his hard graft. The cost of rearing animals to enable him to produce really top-quality meat was never reflected when deals were struck and the hammer came down. And later, as bigger farms became more industrialised and smaller homesteads were effectively squeezed out of the marketplace, the Nicholson family knew that they had to diversify their farm output so that they could keep a roof over their heads.

Living within your means is one thing, but when its year after year of struggle, and others who started out on the same level playing field seem to be getting more and more successful, its time for a rethink. Not that Roger was ever one to rest on his laurels; hed focus on expanding a breed, then make strides in a different direction, hoping each time that he would settle on the most successful direction for the farm. For example, when his dairy herd wasnt profitable enough, he started rearing more pigs to see if that was where hed find better returns. Each time, his efforts would pay off initially, but it was never quite enough for the farm to become really successful, or for life to get any easier.

Cannon Hall Farm was once part of the Cannon Hall Estate, owned by the Spencer-Stanhope family, who made their fortune in the iron industry. In the 1950s, the estate was broken up and sold, and the original Georgian country house was later turned into a museum. The stunning sandstone house stands proudly just outside the village of Cawthorne, about five miles west of Barnsley, and is surrounded by 70 acres of beautiful parkland and gardens. The museum, park and gardens are owned by Barnsley Council, and have always been popular with visitors. Being just across the courtyard from the Nicholsons farm, the boys would often explore the surroundings and make mischief there much to the annoyance of head gardener, Mr Hales.