The 20th Century
A brief outline of ownership and tenancy
In March 1995 Col J de Vere Hunt bought the parcel of land and property of Park Farm. Previously, whilst under the ownership of Stephen Ballard III, the farm was leased to Eric Lewis, occupying the site as a tenant farmer with a herd of dairy cows. In June 1988, the farm was sold to Mr Lewis as a sitting tenant.Following this arrangement, the land and the house were subsequently sold in two separate lots; one comprising the land to the south and the other including the land to the north and the house.
In 1954 Park Farm was under the ownership of Stephen Ballard but the land was being once again farmed by a sitting tenant, Mr W K Sear. He kept a herd of Friesians and Kerry sheep and there is record that fruit trees were planted on part of the land. 
Park Farm in an etching from 1830
In 1910 Stephen and Ernest Ballard purchased the freehold and for many years Park Farm was held in ownership to this eminent family in the history of the village of Colwall. The late Stephen Ballard I played an integral role in the creation and maintenance of the railway tunnel through the hills that links Colwall with Worcester and he was the first to harness the spring water which has since made Malvern a recognised source. Further enterprises by this prolific family in the village of Colwall include the Gas Company formed in 1897, brickworks, an ice factory, a fruit cannery (Grovesend Fruit Farm) and the creation of a vinegar brewery in Stone Drive.
In 1837 Reginald Peyton of Barton Court leased the farm, which then consisted of 220 acres.
There is then a shortage of information with regard to the tenants between 1909 whilst Miss Emma Shapland was the leaseholder and 1799 when Mr Lambert of Barton Court leased it.
The 1901 census records show that the current residents were the Barrett family with Mrs Hill co-habiting as their grandmother. Interestingly, these facts bears a striking similarity to the present occupants in gender and number. It is a reasonable assumption that throughout the time it has been used as a farm house there would have been three generations of family members in habitation.
From ecclesiastic records we can deduce that the church of St James the Great in Colwall was subject to repair and refurbishment in 1865. And in 1880 the north arcade and chapel were added. This shows the continuing importance of the church in the life of the village. We can suppose that maintenance performed on the church would be paralleled with adjoining church properties. A change in the fortunes that Park Farm experienced would likely to have been either at a point when state funding for ecclesiastical properties was withdrawn or reduced, or at a time when the property ceased to be an affiliate to the church.
