The fourth generation of the Barkes family has joined the team leading Thorpe Farm Centre near Barnard Castle.
Harvey Barkes, 26, has joined his parents in managing the business, with responsibility not only for the day to day running but also the future development of Thorpe Farm Centre, which currently incorporates The Courtyard farm shop, gift shop and restaurant, Peel House reclamation and antiques centre, Thorpe Farm Holiday Park where there are lodges, static and touring caravans and pitches for tents, as well as other attractions.
Harvey commented: “I love developing Thorpe Farm year on year. I strive for it to become a place where locals and those holidaying here can enjoy the experience of being on a farm, appreciate the surrounding area and all it has to offer, and also be well served by everything we’re developing on site.”
Thorpe Farm was bought by Harvey’s great-grandfather, Percy Barkes, in 1936, and has been farmed by three generations thereafter. When Harvey’s father, Paul, returned from college in 1983, he was running a mixed livestock farm. Along with his wife Jo, Paul diversified Thorpe Farm by opening to the public in 2001 with a Farm Shop and Coffee Shop located in Peel House. Unfortunately, foot and mouth hit UK farming the same year, and this contributed to Paul and Jo’s decision to build their retail and hospitality offering.
Further diversification came in 2006, with the first five pitches for the new caravan park, which Harvey, then aged 8, remembers. He commented: “As children it was really exciting when different people were coming to stay on the farm.
“The continuing development of Thorpe Farm was my home life. I remember, aged 11, helping my dad expand the touring park. We were out one day late in the afternoon. It was December so it was freezing, and there was horizontal snow but it didn't matter, we were busy putting new bases down for the touring caravans. It was great, I loved it. I always helped when I had any spare time at that age. I look back now and see areas of the park where I can vividly picture helping my dad do something to assist with the progression of the site and it's really gratifying.”
Since then, the Holiday Park has expanded to include static caravans, seasonal pitches, and areas for touring caravans and tents. The Courtyard shop and restaurant opened on May Bank Holiday weekend in 2018, 17 years after Harvey’s parents had opened their initial cafe and farm shop in Peel House.
Harvey’s route to join the family business has seen him educated at Barnard Castle School, followed by university where he completed a four year degree in Business with International Management, which included a year long industry placement. Harvey spent this time at Cranswick plc, a FTSE250 food production company, working at their Sherburn in Elmet site near Leeds. Harvey, commenting on his time at Cranswick, said: “I’m so glad I had this opportunity. At Cranswick, I saw the importance of processes and business structure. It’s really informed me on how I now approach development here at Thorpe Farm.”
Harvey completed his studies during the Covid pandemic in 2020, and was awarded a first class degree. However, he then came home to a business that was severely curtailed by lockdowns and restrictions. It was during the extended period of pandemic restrictions that Harvey and his girlfriend decided to use the opportunity to go travelling, at a time that was quieter than average, visiting Sri Lanka, Thailand and Australia where he worked in corporate hospitality. The route home took in Bali, Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia. Harvey recalls visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia at sunrise, and being virtually alone at the historic Hindu-Buddhist temple, a very different experience from that of most visitors and a benefit of travelling during the pandemic.
Since his return to Teesdale in 2022, Harvey has worked almost exclusively at Thorpe Farm Centre, and is now looking at how the business can evolve for the future.
Harvey commented: “Thorpe Farm Centre has been impacted by foot and mouth, by changes to the A66 alongside the farm, and by Covid lockdowns. I’d now like Thorpe Farm to become as much a destination for people who live in Teesdale and the North Yorkshire Dales as it has become for those with touring and static caravans.
“The reputation of The Courtyard Restaurant and Shop is growing, and the Maize Maze has been an added draw during the summer months. We also have a heritage woodland with walks winding through it, as well as various walks and cycle trails starting from Thorpe Farm including routes past Egglestone Abbey and Wycliffe.
“Thorpe Farm has a number of animals, which children always love to visit, and this is an area of the farm that I plan to expand. Most people are unaware of the wetlands to the east of the farm, which attract an increasingly diverse population of birds. We hope to make that facility more accessible to those who are passionate about the region’s birdlife.
Of working in the family business, Harvey concludes: “Every day is different! But I love the development, the opportunity to take an idea from paper, to plans, to reality. My great-grandfather, my grandfather, and particularly my dad have put years of graft into Thorpe Farm Centre. My aim is to continue that journey, to grow and evolve the business further, and in doing so, to make my parents and their parents proud.”
