Hadleigh Farm facts for kids
Hadleigh Farm is a special place in Hadleigh, Essex. It's a working farm that teaches people about farming. It's also famous for hosting the cross-country cycling events during the 2012 Summer Olympics! Both the men's and women's mountain biking races happened here on August 11 and 12, 2012.
About Hadleigh Farm
Hadleigh Farm is owned by the Salvation Army. They run it as an educational farm. You can visit and see rare animal breeds. There's also a nice tea room. The farm is about 700 acres (2.8 square kilometers) big. William Booth bought this land in 1891. He wanted to help people who were struggling in London.
The farm sits high up, looking over the Thames Estuary. It's right next to Hadleigh Castle. This castle was built a long time ago, in the 1230s, by King Henry III. It's one of the most important medieval castles in Essex. Today, English Heritage protects it. Part of the Olympic mountain bike course even went through Hadleigh Country Park. This park is next to the farm. It's a very important natural area. It's called a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its special invertebrates (like insects and worms).
Hadleigh Farm and the 2012 Olympics
In 2008, Hadleigh Farm was chosen as the place for the mountain biking competitions. These were part of the cycling events at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The first idea was to use Weald Country Park. But the UCI, which is the world cycling body, said it wasn't challenging enough. They were very happy with Hadleigh Farm instead.
For the Olympics, temporary stands were built. They could seat up to 3,000 people. After the Olympics, the course was changed. Now, the public can use it for mountain biking. There's also a new bike shop, a cafe, and a workshop. The farm itself also got better facilities. A new mountain bike club started at the farm. The course has also been used for big events, like the British National Mountain Bike Championships.
Getting There
To help people get to the site for the Olympics, some roads were made wider. These included Castle Lane and Chapel Lane in Hadleigh. The farm is about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from London Southend Airport. Hadleigh Farm is also near the London, Tilbury and Southend line. It's located between Benfleet and Leigh-on-Sea railway stations.
