Farming and the Blue Keld Water – the man who sold water from the Wolds to the world writes his life story

In the year he will turn 90, a Hutton Cranswick farmer who diversified and created an international mineral water company during the 1990s has written his memoirs.

John Thompson’s book, Farming and the Blue Keld Water – A Yorkshire memoir, is currently on sale in aid of a yet-to-be-confirmed charity.

It charts John’s life from his birth at Poundsworth Farm, near Driffield, in 1936, to the present day, which sees his family continuing to farm around 1,300 acres of land.

In between, the book highlights how the Thompson family moved to Common Farm, just a few miles up the road from Poundsworth, in 1944, where their first tractor arrived, with John explaining the changes he has seen from horse-drawn ploughs and binders to the high-tech machinery used on farms today.

John looks at some of the characters he has encountered over the years and how, after purchasing Throstle Nest Farm on Watton Carrs Road in the early 1990s he saw water bubbling up from the Blue Keld spring.

A thought came into John’s head – could he bottle the water as a Yorkshire rival to other imported brands?

The answer was yes, and Blue Keld water was soon being sold around the world, including in some of the best international restaurants, before the company was sold in the 2000s.

He told the Wolds Weekly he felt it was important to tell some of the stories he has acquired over his near-90 years to ensure they are not lost for future generations.

“The book is the full story of my life so far,” said John. “I turn 90 this year and I wanted to leave something for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who will hopefully continue farming just like we have done.

“My grandfather came to Common Farm in 1911 and that’s where the book starts.

“I thought the time was right to put the words down on paper. I was born in Driffield at Poundsworth Farm.

“Before I was born, there was a tragedy there. My father and uncle heard a knock at the door and found a boy standing on the doorstep, wet and distressed.

“He asked my father and uncle to go and help get his sister out of the water. They found the girl in a whirlpool and managed to get her out to take her back to the farmhouse, where they ran both children a hot bath.

“After a while, the boy asked if they could go and get his mother, who he said was further down the ditch.

“My father and uncle found a woman face down in the water and she died. The mother had boarded the train in Bridlington and came to Driffield.

“She walked to Poundsworth Farm and threw them in the water. My father and uncle, and others who helped, were commended during the inquest into the woman’s death.

“There’ll be lots of people who don’t know about that and lots of the other information and stories in the book.

“That’s why I’ve decided to tell some of those stories so that they are not lost when I’m gone. It’s important to pass them on.”

Among the photos in the book is a 10-year-old John driving a Flory Ford tractor, highlighting one of the changes he has seen in farming over the years.

Diversification has also become more prominent in farming over recent years, and John could lay claim to being one of the pioneers when he took the plunge and started producing his own brand of natural mineral water.

“Things have changed a lot from the days when my mother and father were farming,” said John.

“But my family are still on the same farm that my grandfather first went to in 1911.

“He did very well, and he was very careful with his money. When we lived at Poundsworth, my grandad would come and see us on a Thursday when he had been to the market.

“I can remember him catching the bus at Green Arrow garage. If he was at Green Arrow and he looked up to Driffield station and couldn’t see the bus, he would run to Sunderlandwick Bridge because it was a penny cheaper.

“We came to Common Farm in 1944 and then bought Throstle Nest Farm in late 1992.

“I then opened Blue Keld spring in 1993, very soon after we had bought the land.

“We gradually became busier and busier and in 2007, we were approached by the Marr shipping group in Hull as they wanted somewhere to make ice and made us an offer.

“During the time Blue Keld was open, we would have regular customers who came at least once a week to get a pallet of water.

“We did very well with Blue Keld, and it became an international company. We even sold it in the most expensive restaurant in the world, which was in Dubai.

“We were awarded mineral water status and not many water companies are granted that, most of them are spring water.”

Farming and the Blue Keld Water – A Yorkshire memoir, is available for purchase now, with all proceeds from the sales going to charity.

John said that writing his life story has been an experience he has enjoyed – although don’t be expecting a sequel!

“It’s the first book I’ve written, and it’ll be the last, but I did enjoy doing it,” he said.

“A lady called Caroline Brannigan, from Richmond, helped me write the book and put it altogether. I wanted to do it sooner rather than later because life has been good to me and my wife.

“It’s been an interesting life.”