Most of the Leigh Park area was originally farmland, so a large number of the houses on the estate today were actually built on land that had been farmed for many years, in fact back to the early part of the eighteenth century. Apart from  'Home Farm', the estate was well served by tenanted farmsteads and smallholdings as well as several cottages dotted round the estate.

At the time of Sir George Staunton's death in 1859, Havant Farm, near to where the curlew public house is now situated, and Middle Park Farm on Park Lane were the two most important tenanted farms. The rest of the estate was made up of smallholders and cottagers who farmed no more than an acre or two and these were mostly scattered arounf Stockheath Common and at Durrants to the north of the estate.

During the occupation by William Stone and the Fitzwygram family, more substantial farms developed. By 1936, when most of teh leigh Park estate was sold, sixteen farms were put up for sale. Of these, ten farms disappeared for new housing and, since 1980, a further two have been demolished. Of the remainder, Durrants Farm and Whitchers Gate Farm are now limited smallholdings, Little Leigh Farm has been a riding school, whilst at Prospect Farm only the farmhouse remains.

Is your house on land that was once farmland? Here are some of them with mpore vto follow in the coming months:

Dunsbury Hill Farm was acquired along with 450 acres of land for the Leigh Park estate in 1877 by Sir Frederick Fitzwygram for £12,000. It was formerly known as Bedhampton Upper Farm with its origins in the Bedhampton Deer Park. Farmed along with Middle Park Farm until 1936 by the Whitbread family, and when sold in the same year it comprised 237 acres and surprisingly a large quantity of the land still survives. The farmhouse was demolished in 1994.

Stockheath Farm, standing on the eastern side of Stockheath Lane, near to the common and Riders Lane, this smallholding was originally a cottage and garden of less than one acre under the ownership of Sir George Staunton. By 1936, the smallholding extended to 36 acres. The farmhouse was demolished in about 1956 to make way for the new housing in Stockheath Lane and Blendworth Crescent.

Smith's Farm was otriginally part of the estate of the Lord of the Manor of Bedhampton, Lord Sherborne. Smith's Farm was acquired by Sir Frederick Fitzwygram after he bought the Leigh Park estate in 1874. Situated on the lower part of Park Lane in what is now Overton Crescent, the farmhouse and twenty-six acres disappeared under housing in the early 1950s.

Middle Park Farm was also originally part of the Bedhampton Deer Park, purchased in 1832 by Sir George Staunton from a Mr Brown. Then known as Bedhampton Middle Park Farm, its origins can be traced back to the 17th century. It comprised 196 acres. The farmhouse was demolished between 1962 and 1965 to make way for the Warren Housing estate.