Manor Farm

Manor Farm is a historic site covering eight and a half hectares in Ruislip, within the London Borough of Hillingdon. The farm sits on land first used in the 9th century, with a motte-and-bailey castle built shortly after the Norman conquest. A 13th-century Great Barn and a 16th-century farmhouse form the core of the medieval complex. The site passed to King’s College, Cambridge in the 15th century and remained a working farm until 1933. Today it operates as a community resource managed by the local council. The farm’s buildings have been recognised for their historical importance. The Great Barn, the second largest in Middlesex, was noted by the Royal Society of Arts in 1930 for its conservation needs. The motte-and-bailey remains include a scheduled moat linked to Ernulf de Hesdin, a Norman loyal to William the Conqueror. Archaeologists found traces of a priory beneath the farmhouse during a 1997 excavation. The site also includes the Little Barn, converted to a library in 1937, and the rebuilt exhibition centre replacing a 1979 fire-damaged cowbyre. Visitors walk through a landscape shaped by centuries of use. The Great Barn hosts regular events, including the Duck Pond Market twice each month. The restored farmhouse and its surrounding gardens reflect 16th-century design changes. Paths lead past the remains of the motte-and-bailey moat and the scheduled monument. The site lies within Ruislip Village Conservation Area, preserving its historic character. Community buildings such as Winston Churchill Hall sit alongside the farm’s older structures.