- Manor Farm in 1953
John and Anne Lund.
John Lund took over Manor Farm in 1976. But farming was not his first career choice.
John became an apprentice joiner for Archie Wilson in Welham Road, Norton training at York Tech on day release for one and a half days a week.
A lifelong motor bike enthusiast, John was riding his Velocette 500cc over a field when the he met his first wife, German born Ingrid Punjer.
She was walking over a field and accepted a lift on the back of his motorbike although she insisted on sitting side-saddle. John was 22, Ingrid 21. John is still riding motorbikes, his prized current possession being a Ducati ST4.
Marriage
He and Ingrid became better acquainted when Ingrid was invited to a birthday party thrown by Pat, John’s sister. Pat often visited at Oak Farm, then owned by Alan and Ruth Raines, where Ingrid worked as a nanny, having come to the UK to learn English. Ingrid became an auxiliary nurse at Malton Hospital later working for a local firm of solicitors. Back in Germany she had been a departmental head for MOBIL oil.
Ingrid was the tenant of the top flat at Rockingham House in Malton. Also living in Rockingham House were Margaret and Ralph Yates who was John’s best man. It was here that John and Ingrid had their first child Karin.
In November 1961 they moved into 10 Beech Crescent, Broughton where they had two more children, Christina and Joanna. Christina was only two years old when she lost her life to cancer on the 19th October 1965.
Working life
In 1964 John started working for his uncle Ken Potter of Holme Farm, Broughton. Ken had a petrol forecourt in Swinton on land next to the Blacksmith’s Arms, then run by Harry Tinsley. Potter and Tinsley also ran a joint agricultural contractors/saw yard on land east of the pub until Harry committed suicide by shooting himself.
John was a mechanic maintaining drainage machinery as well as doing odd car repairs. After four months at Swinton he got a job selling tractors with Hull-based Crystals at their Seamer Ford Ransome dealership. When a depot was opened on the site of the current Newbiggin supermarket, John became its salesman.
But in 1967 Ingrid took the two girls to her home town of Hamburg where they lived with her mother. John tried a reunion, packing all his belongings into a Mini to drive to Germany. In 1968 they returned to the UK where John got work at Pickering Sawmills in Dalby Forest. He rented High Staindale cottage together with the land which was later flooded to make Staindale Lake.
But marital problems led to John seeking work again in Malton where he resumed selling tractors for Crystals. Made redundant in 1969 he became a self-employed mechanic returning to help his father at Manor Farm. Again he tried working for a Ford dealership, this time Richardson’s in Driffield. But fear of another redundancy made him resign in 1970. So began a full time job working with his father Charles on the farm.
John had been living at Manor Farm during the week for some time, eventually also at weekends, returning only to Staindale to see his daughters when visits were requested. Ingrid and John eventually divorced in 1971. Ingrid later moved to Scarborough. She was to remarry twice.
Marriage to Anne
Rockingham House played a part in John’s second marriage. It was on the staircase in 1970 that he met Anne while visiting a friend. Anne’s parents Bill and Nell Johnson ran a farm at Croft House, Amotherby, breeding pedigree pigs. Later they moved to Broughton to spend their last years in a newly built bungalow they named Thoralby (now The Holt).
John and Anne married at Malton Register Office. This was followed by a blessing of thanksgiving given by the Rev Barry Keaton at St Helen’s, Amotherby. They moved into a 34ft by 6ft caravan sited at the top of the yard at Manor Farm. It was their home for almost 4 years, until after the death of Ada on 12.01.76 when they bought the farm.
Originally built as one house, Manor Farm was at some stage converted into two houses. Ada turned it back into one house when she took over running the farm business. John and Anne carried out alterations to turn a pantry into a bathroom and build an extension to house a kitchen.
They moved into the main farmhouse in 1976 when Rene moved out into a separate house created at the east side. This was to be her home until her death after 12 years as a widow at the age of 98 on 10.01.2008.
Anne’s knowledge of pig farming allowed them to move into breeding pedigree Landrace pigs – their strain was boosted with the retirement of Anne’s father as his top stock joined those at Manor Farm. Their 30 breeding sows produced pedigree boars and gilts as well as porkers to rear for the table.
By the early 80’s the pig trade was in decline and John had an offer which meant he could turn his hobby of working with wood into a business. Geoff Carr, who ran a sawmill at Wath near Hovingham, asked John if he could make 6 farm gates with wood supplied by his sawmill. The gates proved satisfactory and led to further orders which created a thriving business.
Sons
John and Anne had two sons – William John and Thomas Charles.
William married Gillian, a teacher with Thomas marrying Emma Brader, an Personal Assistant For MEP Godfrey Bloom. They now have a son George Charles Lund born 16.12.11.
William and Gillian had a new brick house built for them in the garden of Manor Farm while Thomas and Emma move into the house at the east end of Manor Farm once extended.
John, Anne, William and Thomas now run the arable and grassland farm as well as the woodworking business making farm gates.
John’s interests include riding his motor bike and chairing Broughton Parish Meeting. He and Anne also share a passion for caravanning with both enjoying shooting, walking, cycling and bird watching.
Read about Thomas Stephenson and Ada Alice Lund.
Read about Charles T and Rene Lund.
See more Lund family photos.
AGW 2011
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