Steam Farming

Available for over a year

Alex Sharphouse is fascinated by ancient farm machinery. He has a collection, not just little grey Fergies, but two 24 tonne traction engines on his farm in Bouth in South Cumbria. He also has steam driven tractors, a steam driven dairy for churning butter and a farmyard full of vintage farm implements. But it's not just museum fodder. Alex and his wife Charlotte bought Old Hall Farm near Ulverston in Cumbria 7 years to use this once state of the art machinery for what it was originally intended and now they've opened to the public to show farming as it was a hundred years ago. Caz Graham tries her hand at farming with heavy horses, driving a 24 tonne ploughing engine and meets 16 farmers taking their vintage tractors on a 150 mile charity run which includes crossing Windermere by ferry.