Animal housing | Granddad Rob | About us | 40 Years experience

In the mid to late seventies my wife and I were the classic 'Good Lifers', veg garden, goats for meat cheese, yoghurt and milk, chicken for eggs and the table, ditto the ducks and geese, horse, more chicken, woodpile and a poo heap. As fully-fledged good lifers, we had an obligation to build our own critter housing. Time were tough so to help cash flow we thought to market our housing and tested the market with a Classified ad’ in the ‘local’ which netted us fifteen calls for a then non-existent chicken house. Our market research had cost £2.75, and how little we knew that a three line ad would blossom into a lifetime’s commitment.

We early learnt that every house and every customer had the potential to champion further work, so we strove to always to exceed exception. Being keepers, we appreciated how important it is that in the first instance our work needed to pander to the needs and instincts of the ‘tenant’s, but also that if ‘landlord’ was to maintain a high degree of husbandry, the house had to be both accessible and functional. Also because the majority of our labours were to be on show in somebody's garden, the aesthetics where important, so attention to detail and these unnecessary little flourishes like the pattern on a plate, play a part. Best summed up by a customer who said “ this is housing even my neighbour can be proud of ".

For forty years we have laughed, cried, had successes, had failures, made mistakes, had triumphs, and had adventures, on one adventure, we got to look down the business end of a machine gun. Another had me holding the ladder for a real life friar tuck, 20ft up in his in flowing habit because he wanted a go with my hammer drill. However, the best part is always the people we met, from all walks of life. We have taken a Duchess down the pub, shared an old farmer's ham and bread doorstep, had cornflakes with a Lord, spent a day talking doves and dovecotes with a renowned filmmaker and his charming actor wife. (There’s lots of stories that need telling - check out my BLOG.) It’s a truth often said, ‘if its not broke, don’t fix it’, which is why we are as true to our roots today as we were four decades ago.

1979

THE BEGINNING

An unemployed printer, recently made redundant from the Kentish Messenger, returns to his old paper to place a small advert: 'Good Quality Poultry House For Sale.' It results in fifteen enquiries and seven orders. Forsham Cottage Arks is born.

1983

IN COMES LENNY

As the volume of orders increases, Forsham takes on their first employee - a retired joiner from their village called Lenny.

1988

HARRODS & KEW GARDENS

Forsham begins to sell its products through Harrods. Kew Gardens installs a Forsham Dovecote on its grounds.

1990

THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW

Forsham exhibits its products at the Chelsea Flower Show. The stand proves very popular and they are asked to return the following year.

1993

BIG BREAKFAST

Forsham supplies a Boughton Chicken Coop to Channel 4's 'Big Breakfast'.

2000

THE QUEEN

The Poultry Club of Great Britain presents a Forsham Lenham Chicken Coop to HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother in celebration of her 100th Birthday.

2002

BIG BROTHER

Forsham supplies a Lenham Chicken Coop to Channel 4's 'Big Brother'. Many people commented that the chickens were more interesting to watch than the people.

2008

HUGH

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall uses a Forsham Lenham Chicken Coop for his hens as part of his Chicken Out campaign.

2011

OMLET

Forsham Cottage Arks is bought by Omlet. The purchase brings together two companies that share a common vision of producing the best pet housing in the world.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT US