Rushden Research Group: Marriott's Farm

Marriott's Farm

102 High Street

Robert Marriott a master builder came to Rushden about 1880. He soon built a new house and offices for his businesses on a large plot of land bounded by Washbrook Road and Higham Road. The building business expanded rapidly as the town was growing rapidly with the shoetrade growing as mechanisation and factories were drawing in people from the countryside.

Marriott's Farm

The Misses Smith kept a private school in the
farmhouse from the late 1880s until 1910.

At sometime before 1902 the headquarters of the Fire Brigade were behind Mr Hedley's shop at 92 High Street, so probably in a barn near Robert Marriott's Farm. [see 1924 news clip]

In 1887 when George Denton built a new house called 'Eastfields', he sold his Farm House in High Street and a portion of land to Robert Marriott. He did not need the house so let it to the Misses Smith as a school. Robert then employed workers to run the farm.

Rushden Echo, 15th July 1927, typed by Peter Brown

Clean Milk
Mr. R. Marriott of Farm House, won third prize in Class 1 of the County Clean Milk Competition arranged by the Northants Education Committee and the Northants Milk Recording Society. The maximum number of marks was 1,000, and Mr. Marriott gained 724.4.

Charlie Fathers' Certificate

Rushden Echo & Argus, 15th Nov 1929

These men are the milkers employed at the Grade “A” dairy owned by Mr Robert Marriott of Farm House, High-street, Rushden, and the certificates are proof of the success with which the up-to-date establishment has been conducted. Mr Marriott came second in the county in the County Council Clean Milk Competition lasting from February to June 1929, and he was the only prizewinner in this part of Northamptonshire.

Rushden Clean Milk Team - The milkers (l to r) are W. Line,
G. Bradshaw, C. Valentine and W. Harbour.

Extract from memories of Mr G Abbott
That gas lamp was always a problem! Where the Hamblin Court flats now stand, was then Marriott’s farmyard. Mr Robert, and Mr Alan Marriott were very good to us children, and we were allowed to play in the farm yard so long as we did not get in the way, or do damage, which we respected, however, when the cattle had been milked and released to graze in the fields that are now the Upper Queen street estate, they often stampeded round the corner in their haste to get to the fields leaving the unfortunate lamp post leaning over at about 30 degrees. The Rushden & Higham Ferrers Gas Company would come along and fix it, and fix it, and fix it, until finally it was put onto the Denbros factory wall, where it remained until the new fangled electricity came along. The cattle also left the road quite slippery, but once into "the lane" that didn't matter.


Lloyds Bank is the tallest building (left) and right is Marriott's Farm. Right is a coloured sketch of the Farm by Clive Wood.

Courtesy of the late Colin Bryant's Collection - by kind permission of Rushden Museum

High Street - left West Street, centre right the farmhouse	View of the farm and outbuildings c 1920s
(above-right) bottom left corner is High Street, the farmhouse and string of outbuildings back towards a large dutch barn. Victoria Road across the top up to Rectory Road - just visible top right corner.

Milk Float in Hayway 1935

Tractor in Hayway 1935

In the hayfield with wooden rakes 1935

In 1934 Robert Marriott was leasing Clark’s Farm, opposite St. Peter’s Avenue, when the floor of the grainery there collapsed, and William Lewis, a herdsman was killed.

In 1937 the Marriott's farmhouse was demolished, and shops were built on the site. The farmyard was used as a billet for troops during WWII: first were the Canadian Royal Winnipeg Rifles and later, in November 1940, the King's Royal Hussars (9th Armoured Division). In 1942 the Americans then took over the site for their heavy vehicles, and they also had a detention centre there.

Fire 1914

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