CRPR Distinguished Lecture Series with Adam Henson

The CRPR launched their Distinguished Lecture series this month and were delighted to welcome Adam Henson to the University to deliver the inaugural lecture.

Speaking to a full auditorium, Adam talked about his life’s work with rare breeds – the topic of his latest book A Breed Apart – and his career in farming and media. Adam engaged with timely issues and captured the attention of a broad audience in an informative and entertaining way.

Born into a farming family, Adam gained experience with animals and farming from an early age. He succeeded Bemborough Farm tenancy from his father, Joe Henson, in 1995 and now runs the 650-ha estate with his business partner and old college friend, Duncan, growing wheat, spring barley and oilseed rape, with a flock of 350 commercial ewes. Bemborough is also home to one of the country’s leading rare breed tourist enterprises, the Cotswold Farm Park, which attracts over 150,000 visitors per year.

The rare breeds have proved extremely popular and have been taken on location for period dramas, television programmes and feature films including Emma, Clandestine Wedding, Aliens 2, 101 Dalmatians, alongside Mel Gibson in Braveheart (in which Adam also had a starring role!) and Russell Crowe in Robin Hood.  They have also appeared in advertisements, are regularly filmed for holiday and news programmes, and the Cotswold Farm Park has also supplied animals for two David Attenborough Natural History Programmes.

Lectures in the CRPR Distinguished lecture series, which will focus on the broad themes of food and farming, will be held two times a year with the next lecture taking place in Spring 2020. Further information, when it becomes available, can be found on the CRPR Events page.