Old Farm Cottage was built in the 17th Century, during the reigns of King Charles I and II, but is unlikely to have been visited by either of them as local legend has it. It was part of the Devonshire Family Estates, perhaps passed on by Elizabeth Shrewsbury of nearby Hardwick Hall.
It was sold by the Chatsworth Estates in 1949 to the sitting tenant and farmer John George Ball, one of the sons of John George and Charlotte in this photo taken at the Cottage.
Filled with a family of Twelve
The 1911 census shows John George, as farmer, and Charlotte, having been married for 27 years, with 10 of their 11 children aged from 26 to 5 years still in residence in this cottage. There were 10 sons and one daughter, Mary, known as Polly.
John George Junior, known as Jack, enlisted with the Durham Light Infantry to go to France in the First World War. He received a gunshot to the leg in the Autumn of 1917 at Ypres, which necessitated amputation.
After spending some months in Neath Hospital recuperating, Jack returned home, and married Elizabeth Mary Booker in 1937. They had 2 children and Jack farmed at Old Hall Cottage until the ripe age of 72.
At time of writing in 2026, Old Farm Cottage is in the ownership of HS2 Ltd, and it is hoped that it will be restored to it’s former condition and returned to private ownership soon, maintaining it’s importance as an important part of Blackwell’s heritage.