Coppins Farm - an outline
Coppin’s Farm lies on the edge of the picturesque Stour Valley, south of the ancient market town of Sudbury and North West of the large village of Bures. It surrounds the village of Alphamstone.
The scenic value at and around the farm is amongst the best in the county. There is a maze of sunken, traffic-free lanes to explore, along with dozens of footpaths that link to the new Stour Valley Path which runs to the north of the farm.
Coppins Farm has been farmed by John McGlashan since 1976. The 150 acres in total comprises 17 acres of ancient woodland, (including two county wildlife sites), 8 acres of rough grazing (which has never been sprayed in living memory) with the remaining 123 acres being down to Natural England Higher Level Countryside Stewardship. There is also an area of grassland on the farm which is designated as an ancient monument, strong evidence pointing towards the one-time existence of a Roman villa.
A neighbour keeps a small flock of sheep and makes full use of grazing on the farm. Since the fields have never been enlarged for modern machinery, they remain at their traditional small size and the farm therefore possesses most of its original hedgerows.
The hills are variable due to glacial movement. Being of relatively low fertility, they are ideally suited to supporting wild flowers. Since reversion the wild flowers have really taken hold and are a joy to behold, especially in the months of June and July when they support a myriad of butterflies and other insects.
Over recent years Coppins Farm has hosted a number of Wildlife courses and has been of great interest to local natural history groups and schools. The RSPB has undertaken two bird surveys on the farm and local groups have done plant surveys – a video has been produced of flora and fauna in the area.