Home » Fold House Park – from farming to agritourism

Fold House Park – From Farming to Agritourism.

Fold House Park with blue skies and wildflowers in fields

Photo Credit: The Carter Family

As a family, the Carters have been farming Fold House land in Pilling as far back as the 1700’s. Fold House continued to be a traditional, typical small farm up until the early 1950’s, where the farm diversified and started a path that would lead to Fold House becoming one of the most highly awarded 5* Holiday Home Parks in the UK.

William “Hugh” Carter was a pig-farmer and believed that this was the future of the farm. His son, Howard, saw more potential for Fold House. In 1951, he purchased some land from his father, began digging roads by hand, added infrastructure and opened Fold House Caravan Park. From humble beginnings, three generations of the Carter Family have made it their lives work to continually grow and improve the business, so they are always setting a benchmark of quality in the Holiday Home industry.

The diversification into Agritourism has ensured that Fold House can continue to be a sustainable rural business, allowing the current generation of the Carter family to carry the torch and continue to work and farm the land. With a huge emphasis on running the business in an environmentally friendly way, Howard’s grandson Jordan has won numerous awards for his contribution to horticulture and the environment.

Now, 75 years later from those humble diversification beginnings, Fold House Park is home to over 200 static caravans, a small lodge park, a flock of nearly 100 sheep, acres of wildflower meadows, a wide range of wildlife and many species of birds.

With thanks to Jenni Carter and Jordan Carter

Howard Carter at Fold House Park in the early years.
Photo Credit: The Carter Family

mobile homes with green fields a purple wildflowers in the foreground

Fold House today. Photo Credit: The Carter Family

Fold House Park is also the custodian of the “Pilling Pig” an ex-National Coal Board steam locomotive mounted on a plinth at the park entrance as a gate guardian and local landmark. It is an Ex-NCB Mountain Ash Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST (works number 1885 of 1955), originally named Farmer’s Friend, which operated at the Mountain Ash Colliery in South Wales until 1977.

The nickname “Pilling Pig” originally came from the high-pitched squeal of the whistle on the railway’s early engines, a moniker that eventually stuck to all locomotives on the local Garstang and Knott End Railway line.

The engine was brought to Fold House Park by road in 2001, lifted into position by crane, restored, and painted in the historical livery of the Garstang & Knott End Railway to commemorate the area’s lost rail heritage.