About the business park
Throughout its 40 year history as a family-owned business park, Kingsbridge has been home to all kinds of businesses, including printers, creative designers, specialist manufacturers and fabricators, toolmakers, engineers, tech providers, wholesalers, charities, professional services, logistics and construction firms. Kingsbridge now offers tenants a wide variety of smart, modern, individual business units whilst still retaining its unique, traditional character and history.
History of the site
The Kingsbridge site was originally part of the Lees Estate. In the mid 20th century the site was acquired by the War Office and the buildings were constructed by the Army for use as a Command Ordnance depot. As a military installation, secrecy was paramount - especially during the Second World War. As a result the site was excluded from official Ordnance Survey maps and even airbrushed out of aerial photos until the 1950s.
In 1963 the site was acquired by the Farish family and renamed Romany Works to record the very successful range of Romany Boats they built here during the 1960s and 1970s for customers from all over the UK and US and many other parts of the world. Until 2000, it was also the manufacturing base for Graham Farish, the leading N-gauge model railway maker.
In 1984 part of the main central building was converted to provide much-needed accommodation for small and mid-size businesses in Dorset. And in 1987 it received the Rural Employment Award for Dorset from His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales (now King Charles III).
After the Graham Farish manufacturing business was sold to Bachmann Europe in 2000, the remainder of the site was converted to business letting and the site’s transformation to a business park was complete.
Ownership
More than 60 years after Graham Farish acquired the site, the Business Park remains in the ownership of the Farish family.
In September 2023 the ownership of the Business Park was transferred by Peter and Edna Farish into a new family-owned partnership: Kingsbridge Business Park LLP.
In October 2024, the name of the site was changed from “Romany Works” to Kingsbridge Business Park to reflect its more recent history as a business park hosting a wide variety of local enterprises. The name Kingsbridge refers to the park’s location near the King’s Bridge – where the A351 crosses the Sherford river.