Albert Martin Clifton, 80, a well known Appledore arable farmer, has died recently following his return from a holiday abroad. He and his wife Judith had been on holiday when Martin (as he was better known) fell ill and sadly passed away suddenly on his journey to hospital.
Mr Clifton was a director of Martin Clifton Ltd of Priory Lands Farm, Appledore, Kent with his wife Judith, who looks after the administrative side and his son Adrian, who is managing director of the family business.
Priory Lands Farm is the headquarters of the business covering seven or eight farms with 3,000 acres, roughly half tenanted, the rest owned by the business. They farm wheat, oilseed rape, spring beans and grain maize for combining.
Martin was five at the time his grandfather, Dennis, moved from Lincolnshire to farm Court Lodge, Appledore in 1945 and over the years, Martin and his son Adrian have grown an impressive holding together.
Image Credits: Robinson Structures .
Many in Rye will have worked in the fields for the Clinton’s over the years, they would picked up and dropped off at various points around the town and many of us kids will have spent the summer out in the fields.
If I remember rightly Cliftons also grew a lot of flowers back in the 50’s and 60’s.
Happy days indeed.
Yes, my Mother picked daffodils at Chapel Bank where we lived and as a boy, I used to look forward to summer holidays when the Rye lorry carrying the pickers for potatoes would arrive I do remember a girl called Nony ❤