Welcome To
Belvoir Farm
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Belvoir Farm: An Estate with a Distinguished History
Surrounded by the Thames River, Belvoir is thought to be the oldest farm in South Western Ontario. Nestled on 300 acres, the estate is just 10 kilometers west of London Ontario. It was originally owned by settler Ebenezer Allan.
In 1840, the farm was known as Maple Grove and the main house on the Estate was built by Gideon Tiffany. It was referred to by the locals as “Tiffany’s Castle”. In 1857 Gideon’s son, Dean Tiffany, commissioned architect Thomas Stent (notable designer and builder of the East Wing of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa) to design and build this grand and historic home.
The estate was purchased by Richard Albert Gibson who appointed to the Ontario Agricultural Commission in 1880. He renamed the property Belvoir (French for “Beautiful View”) after a castle near his birthplace in Rutland, England. Interestingly, it was pronounced “beaver” as is the castle in England. Belvoir became the leading producer of Jersey Milk for the London area. His son-in-law, Canadian Senator Edgar Sydney Little and his wife Helen moved their family to Belvoir in 1922. Members of parliament at the time, including Prime Minister MacKenzie King, were entertained on the lovely grounds and home.
After the death of Senator Little, the farm was sold to the Brotherhood of the Scared Heart Church as a Seminary and a school for over one hundred boys. A fire destroyed the school structure but the manor remained intact.
The property was purchased by Terrence and Maureen Pocock in 1986 and they re-established the name Belvoir, (no longer pronounced “beaver”). During this time, Belvoir has been the breathtaking setting for numerous events including:
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Belvoir Hunter Pace
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Numerous Equestrian Competitions
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Canadian Croquet Championships
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Libro Credit Union was started at the Ivey House located on Belvoir Farms
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Hosted many Cross-Country Running Meets including the Athletics Ontario Cross-Country Championships
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National Jack Russell Championship
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Educational Symposiums
EQUESTRAIN FEATURES
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Beautiful Estate with almost over 150 years of history
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Hosted many Equestrian competitions and events for many years including; Belvoir Hunter Pace (Paul get pictures from facebook.com/belvoireventing if possible), 2005 Ontario Horse Trial Association Eventing Championships (with more than top 150 horses and riders from the province) Eventing is often likened to an Equestrian Triathlon, encompassing three Olympic equestrian disciplines (Dressage, Cross-Country, and Stadium Jumping) into one weekend’s worth of competition – all with the same horse and rider combinations. Eventing is the only Olympic sport in which men and women compete on equal ground.)
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Have set up three kilometer course with 22 jumping obstacles
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Equestrian facility 65 foot by 200 foot professionally engineered lighting and also have sky lights to allow natural sun light
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Total Acres: 300 acres
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Workable Acres: 210 currently workable but could be increased by (25 to 50 acres)
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Soil type: (need to determine Paul but guessing sandy loam)
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Drainage ( need to verify if have any systematically drainage and in what fields)
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Currently have corn and soybeans and hay as the cash crops
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Thames River around a major portion of the perimeter of the property
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Excellent barns including Front Barn 38 x 65 with upper loft for hay storage, Central Barn Section 36 x 98 with upper loft for hay storage, Feed Room and Tack room 26 x 36 with 2 piece washroom, Rear Section Barn 52 x 72 for implement storage and hay storage in loft. Also have Sheep Barn 25 x 57, and Old horse stall barn 57 x 12 plus 3 sheds
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8 car garage
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Large principal house plus 2 secondary houses in excellent condition
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5 minutes to Hwy 402 and just over 10 minutes to Hwy 401
UNIQUE FEATURES
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Thames river runs around a large portion of the parameter
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Equestrian facility 65 foot by 200 foot professionally engineered lighting and also have sky lights to allow natural sun light
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2 Additional homes on property
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Large sprinkler system, 150 heads
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Trees throughout the property with extensive trails for riding. You can escape and never know the rest of the world exists as
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you are surrounded by nature.
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Tennis Courts
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Luxurious Pool
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Elevator in Main House
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