14 Feb Record number of lambs due to ‘spring’ into Northamptonshire heritage site this March

Visitors can prepare to feed a record number of cade lambs this Spring at The Chester House Estate, as the team go bigger and better for their popular Spring event for 2024.

The Chester House Estate, a heritage site based in Irchester, have cared for lambs since their first Spring event in 2022 – where 40 cade lambs were housed in their Lamb Barn for the Easter period. Visitors were able to speak to experts, bottle-feed the lambs and were provided guidance on keeping themselves and the lambs safe.

This year, the estate is welcoming more cade lambs than ever, in addition to ewes and goats that will be housed in a brand new marquee named ‘The Lamb Shed’, and visitors can take on the giant Spring hunt and for the first time meet the Easter bunny.

Cllr Helen Howell, North Northamptonshire Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said:

“As with previous years, we will have a dedicated expert livestock team who will be looking after the lambs. The team are dedicated to educating young people with the ‘Farm to Fork’ story and providing hands on learning experiences on the estate.

“Our Spring at the Estate event is always a family favourite, and our biggest event of the year, so by increasing the lambs we care for, it has two main benefits – we are able to provide for more families to experience the feeding, whilst also care for and protect the welfare of these lambs.”

Cllr Jason Smithers, Leader of the Council, said:

“This is the Chester House Estate team’s favourite event of the year and takes a lot of organisation, but the result is definitely worth the hard work.

“Events like this on the site continue to go from strength to strength and the team are always striving to be bigger and better. If you haven’t visited the Chester House Estate before, or for a while, please do come down and visit – I am sure you will be surprised.”

This year, The Chester House Estate is looking after a local farmer’s cade lambs. These are lambs that cannot be fed by their mums and need help to survive and flourish. As well as bottle feeding the cade lambs, the Chester House Estate Lamb Shed will also be home to a number of ewes and their lambs, as well as several goats and their kids.

Visitors to The Chester House Estate will be able to visit and feed the lambs and chat to the estate’s expert livestock team from Friday 29th March to Sunday 14th April 2024. The brand new experience sees visitors exploring the 85-acre estate for the Spring hunt, meeting the Easter bunny for the first time, and having a go at some Spring origami – all included in the price of the Spring passport.

For more information and to buy your Spring passport, visit the Chester House Estate website.

Chester House Estate is overseen by North Northamptonshire Council and opened to the public in October 2021, following an extensive £17m Nationally Lottery Heritage Funded restoration project.