The original bungalow and its three acres of land was first run as a chicken farm in the 1920s but about 1925 turned over to growing flowers and tomatoes.

One of the last landmarks of Blackfen of the thirties was La Retraite Nurseries which in 1957 was replaced by the Jolly Fenman public house.

This view is looking towards the Blackfen Road from Ronaldstone Road.