Rob & Sarah
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Thank you for visiting our website, we hope you enjoy reading about our lifestyle and our dogs. |
We are a small family run business. We are very fortunate to live and work on our own small farm of about 40 acres situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty high up in the North Pennines. We have many animals including Horses (Andalusian, Welsh Cobs and our beloved Clydesdale's) which we breed and school. We also have Donkeys, Geese, Chickens and Ducks., not forgetting our dogs which give us immense pleasure.
We are a small family run business. We are very fortunate to live and work on our own small farm of about 40 acres situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty high up in the North Pennines. We have many animals including Horses (Andalusian, Welsh Cobs and our beloved Clydesdale's) which we breed and school. We also have Donkeys, Geese, Chickens and Ducks., not forgetting our dogs which give us immense pleasure.
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This is our beautiful home. Its a Bastle House which is a fortified farm house found along the Anglo - Scottish borders, in areas previously plundered by the Border Reivers. The word Bastle is derived from the French word Bastille. The house dates back originally to around the 12th century. We believe there was some modernisation work done in 1695 as is chiselled into the stone lintel above the door is 16WR95. The house fell into disrepair after the 1st World War and became a complete ruin with only a few partial walls standing. In 2007 after many attempts we obtained planning permission to completely rebuilt it using the original stone and reclaimed materials. We have tried to maintain as many of the old features as was humanly possible. Our home is a very good example of what can be achieved against difficult odds if you try hard enough. We love living here and see it as our duty to maintain the natural heritage. |
A few images of Blackcleugh before work commenced
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You can actually read a bit about our homes past in these links
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This log cabin is Sarah's retreat and studio in the garden, her own little bit of heaven. Sarah is extremely artistic and one of her main hobbies is stained glass and mosaic work, although she can turn her hand to most things. Sarah loves all things involving creativity. We have hanging on our walls Rag Rugs, Tapestries and Samplers, not forgetting some beautiful pictures all done by Sarah. Our garden, home and stable block really does have a lot of Sarah's work on display. |
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Our Hidden Gardens & Wildlife Pond
Sarah is a very keen gardener and spends much of her spare time creating new gardens for the family to enjoy. She is not afraid of hard work as much of what she has created is from a muddy part of the field and is still very much a work in progress. We wont say too much other than let the images speak for themselves. Oh ! and if anyone spots the small wooden greenhouse in the garden, Sarah constructed that all by herself from left over timber.
The Dog Kennel Roof
We decided a few years ago to insulate our kennels. We thought the best way to do the roof was to make a raised garden. Rob took it upon himself to construct everything as he normally does, with Sarah then taking over for the planting. The images show year two and the planting is begining to spread. We are looking forward to the next couple of years when the coverage and display should look fantastic..
The Stable Roof
We decided as our stable roof had become delapidated and in need of serious repair. We took the opportunity to convert it to a green roof. You can purchase kits or employ a specialist contractor to do such things, however, we do not have the money for that and always choose to do these things for ourselves. It is suprising what you can do when you put your mind to it. Rob has constructed the A frames out of reclaimed timber in such a way, so as to create a central walkway. This will enable us to maintain the wild flowers and cut the grass occassionally. Rob has sown the roof with slow grow grass seed and an acres worth of native wild flower seed. The next couple of years will hopefully see it settle down nicely. Check out the images below.
The Veg Garden
We had a small veg garden but it was not really big enough. Sarah set about designing and building her own. Check out the images and small video below to see how she got on.
Click to enlarge
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Click to enlarge
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Click to enlarge
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The veg garden and gardens 5 years on
There is a little bit of wind noise (Sorry)
We are licensed breeders with Northumberland County Council and are kennel club registered breeders.
All our dogs are part of the family. We firmly believe we are able to give our puppies the best possible start, so they go to their new families as well adjusted, well socialised healthy dogs.
There really is no better place for a puppy to start its journey through life.
All our dogs are part of the family. We firmly believe we are able to give our puppies the best possible start, so they go to their new families as well adjusted, well socialised healthy dogs.
There really is no better place for a puppy to start its journey through life.
