How it started
From a young age, I spent the best part of my time either with my grandad or my dad – both very capable, “turn-your-hand-to-anything” kind of men. Dad worked at Whitehouse Farm in Mendlesham, a mixed arable and poultry farm, and once I was old enough, I went on to work there alongside him.
The farm was still running David Brown and Case tractors with period-matched equipment, as it had done since the 1950s. This sparked my love for all things David Brown. Keeping some of the older machinery going often came with its problems, but little did I know at the time that this was giving me the best possible background in basic mechanics and workshop skills. The farm had a very well-equipped workshop, which I loved being in just as much as I did sitting on the tractor seat.
My love of restoration began when a good friend, Terry – also a former worker from the farm – started reliving his youth. In 2004, Terry found a David Brown 30D and a 25 in a sorry state in Framlingham, and as usual, I was with Terry and Dad when they went to fetch them home. Terry went on to restore these tractors, which I watched closely, and it wasn’t long before I wanted something of my own to work on. This came in the form of a David Brown 2D, sold new to the farm in 1958, which had been sitting in the back of a shed since the 1970s. Shortly after that came my first proper tractor, an International B250, which made me realise I could appreciate good original condition just as much as a full nut-and-bolt restoration.
Between the three of us, and over the years, our interest has grown into quite a collection of (mostly) David Browns and period-matched implements that we love maintaining and using – just as they were intended to be when they were new.