During a trip through rural England in 1930, Henry Ford noticed dilapidated buildings, obsolete farming methods, and the resultant poor crops. He determined to improve agricultural production and raise the standard of living of the British farm worker through the application of American farming methods and technology. In 1931, he purchased Lord Kenyon's Boreham House and an adjoining 2,000 acres, with leases on an additional 3,000 to 5,000 acres. (Henry was not known to have spent any time in the estate house.) He financed a joint company called Fordson Estates Limited, consisting of several cooperative societies managed by Sir Percival Perry, who was also the manager of Ford Motor Company's British plant operations. Fordson Estates was an agricultural experiment using modern farming methods and equipment, relying heavily on Fordson tractors. Two years were spent repairing buildings on the massive property and readying the land. Farming operations began in 1933 and continued through World War II. In 1937 Boreham House itself was established as the home of the Henry Ford Institute of Agricultural Engineering, which offered intensive training courses to farm workers, mechanics, and agricultural students. Fordson Estates Limited financed and managed other cooperative farming societies, including Danbury Co-Operators Limited, and reports on these cooperatives also appear in the minutes. Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company, Ltd. of England infused funds into the operating budget of Fordson Estates Limited through periodic loans. In 1940 or 1941, Fordson Estates, Inc., a Michigan corporation, took over from Henry and Edsel Ford in both controlling interest in Fordson Estates Limited and the responsibility of disbursement of loans to the English company. In 1946, Fordson Estates, Inc. sold Fordson Estates Limited to Co-Partnership Farms Limited, a concern made up of Lord Perry and his associates. Though Fordson Estates Limited was voluntarily liquidated in the 1950s, Boreham House was retained by the Ford Motor Company, Ltd. and under its administration continued to host training courses for Ford tractor mechanics.
From the description of Fordson Estates Limited records, 1931-1956 (bulk 1931-1946) (The Henry Ford). WorldCat record id: 71033159
