Hamptonne is a country life museum that’s surrounded by trees and fields that shows how life was in Jersey through its farm and houses that date back to the 15th century. It contains a variety of different areas that are available to explore and help inform visitors about Jersey’s past and traditions including the apple orchard, the bakehouse, and many more. Along with this, Hamptonne also has characters dressed in traditional clothing that visitors are able to interact with from Late March through to October such as the spinning ladies.
The farm itself got its name in 1663 when Laurens Hamptonne bought the house and gained several Grants in 1649 due to his support for King Charles II, who was exiled at the time, which gave him permission to rebuild the ‘Colombier’ despite that being something only Jersey Seigneurs could do.
One of the most popular areas at Hamptonne is the Cider Apple Orchard that has a variety of different apple trees with contrasting flavours which creates a perfect balance for cider making.
Every year Hamptonne prepares for their cider making festival called ‘La Faîs’sie d’Cidre‘ by collecting the apples from their orchard. They offer apple picking sessions throughout the first 2 weekends of October however are limited with the amount of people they can allow per session due to its popularity.
They crush the apples and press the pulp at the farm in order to create their cider and often listen to traditional music whilst enjoying the drink.
A local photographer, Tom Kennedy, uses natural light in order to make painting-like photos that are similar to the work of 17th Century painters such as Vermeer. He’s visited Hamptonne and photographed there multiple times as he wants people to reflect on their own lives and hopes to move people wiht his work.
