Proudly championing modern farming while caring for the enivironment

The Nevile family, the custodians of Aubourn Hall and Estate since 1628, have farmed this land for hundreds of years.

Bringing generations of expertise into the modern age, H & J Nevile & Son are known for their award-winning environmentally minded farming.

From flooded fens to arable land

Located eight miles south of Lincoln city centre, much of the estate sits just beneath the Lincoln cliff edge. This means that its history runs deep - quite literally. Large swathes of the land were waterlogged for a long time. This can be evidenced in the “fen” land to the West of the River Brant; after being used as a bombing range during the Second World War and suffering from the ravaging floods of the late 1950s, Sir Henry Nevile drained the area, transforming it into viable farmland.

Cultivating sustainable farming strategies

The Farm became the first LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) approved farm in Lincolnshire in 1996. It led the conversation locally to advocate sustainable farming, then described as Integrated Crop Management. The underlying purpose was and remains one of maintaining harmony between agriculture and the environment. Aubourn Farming Ltd - formerly our Contracting and Management company - led the way in utilising innovative and environmentally sensitive farming techniques, winning the Nevile Estate ‘The Lincolnshire Environmental Award’ in both 2001 and 2011.

This sustainable farming strategy continues today with mixed cropping sitting alongside 110 acres of woodlands, interspersed with a patchwork of embedded environmental features under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) and Sustainable Farming Incentives (SFIs).

Crops and commitments

Typical seasonal cropping at Aubourn Estate includes everything from wheat to winter beans, oil seed rape, peas, sugar beet and potatoes. Critically now, in an average year, there are around 150 acres of cover crops including wild flowers, winter bird food and legume fallow mixes, along with another 40 acres of wetland area which underscore our ongoing commitment to Countryside Stewardship.

Get in touch today to learn more.