Newman’s Farm, Kyrenia, North Cyprus

Does Anyone Remember Newman’s Farm in Kyrenia, North Cyprus?

 

Since publishing this article new information has been obtained and a revised edition published.  To see the up to date version click here

By Margaret Sheard

Sometimes you come across something which seems to have a fascination and you want to discover more about it and this happened while I was talking to Hasan and Tomrul at Dizayn 74 Pottery. We got into a discussion about the local area and a farm was mentioned. This was Newman’s Farm which was run by an Englishman, Paul Newman and his family.This is now the site of the Chinese House Restaurant on the Karaoğlanoğlu road. Some years ago a daughter of the family was researching her family history and came to North Cyprus to find out about Newman’s Farm and her relatives who had lived there. She approached Hasan and Tomrul to see if they could give her any information and they told her what they knew and directed her to speak to someone in Yeşiltepe but they have no idea of what further information she may have gleaned from that source.

I did a little research myself, as I remember when I told the Chiropodist I used in Wales that I was coming to live in North Cyprus she told me that she came to Cyprus with her parents and was based in Limassol in 1960 and they came to the North on holiday, staying at a NAAFI run hotel in Kyrenia.  She well remembered Newman’s Farm as a lovely place where you could buy fresh milk (unheard of at the time) and really good afternoon teas, she also said she could remember a beautiful orange and lemon tree in the garden and wondered if they were still there.   I remember thinking then that I was not aware of a farm anywhere around but of course it was long gone by the time I came here.   I also found a few references to Newman’s Farm on the internet, mostly about the lovely cream teas and also one that stated there were about 20 Jersey cows, which were not a very familiar sight here.

I wonder of any of our readers who may have been here in the 1950’s or 1960’s remember anything about Newman’s Farm.   I found a lovely picture on the internet of a building covered with what looks like bourganvillia, it looks a lot different to the building which stands there today.   I have also since been provided with some photographs of the farm, as it was, by the present proprietor of the Chinese House Restaurant which now stands on the site.

Reminisces from someone who visited Kyrenia many years ago.  “Newman’s Farm for example, where we could have boiled eggs, bread and butter and cups of proper tea, in lovely old fashioned surroundings. With cows (Jersey’s I think) out in the yard. A very special experience especially when feeling a bit homesick. – Honest I didn’t dream it.”

Extract from story about a visit in 1957 – “We visited Newmans Farm, also run by a British family.It was the only farm on the island with real cows.We luxuriated in the shade of oak trees and drank glasses of cold milk, sitting at wooden benches.I took photographs with my new 35 mm camera, colour slides that are today stored with dozens of other somewhere in the loft.”

So, if anyone remembers Newman’s Farm I would love to hear what you can recall about it.