Our
Background

Farming with Wildlife on the Manhood Peninsula

Our Story

The Manhood Farmers’ Cluster Group are passionate about producing high quality food in an ethical and sustainable way. 

Between us we farm about 2000 hectares, with a variety of enterprises including high-yielding arable and vegetable production, rare-breed beef, and a dairy farm that supplies a popular local ice-cream company.

We have large areas of land in agri-environment schemes and also use our livestock to help manage land that is important for wildlife.

Peninsula map
Birdham
Donnington
Hunston
Sidlesham
West Wittering
East Wittering
Earnley

 

Our Locations

The parishes we farm in: 

  • Sidlesham

    This parish has a long history of farming and is home to the 13th century Church of St Mary Our Lady, which is made of stone rubble rather than the typical flint.

  • Birdham

    The name of this parish comes from the old English for “settlement frequented by young birds” and it lies on the shore of the easternmost channel of Chichester Harbour.

  • East Wittering

    There has been a settlement at East Wittering for over a thousand years and it is one of the very few “thankful villages” that did not suffer any fatalities in the Great War.

  • West Wittering

    West Wittering is popular with visitors for its clean water and sandy beach, which is managed by the National Trust and has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for rare coastal plant species

History

The Manhood Peninsula lies between Chichester and the English Channel, bordered to the West by Chichester Harbour and to the East by Pagham Harbour.

The name derives from the Old English for “Woodland Held in Common”, which became known as the “Hundred of Manwood” and subsequently as the Manhood Peninsula.

The Manhood Farmers’ Cluster Group covers approximately 2000 hectares on the peninsula, in and around the parishes of Hunston, Sidlesham, Birdham, Donnington, Earnley and the Witterings.