Runnymede Farm and Lamprey Conservation Easement, North Hampton

Runnymede Farm and Lamprey Conservation Easement, North Hampton

62 Atlantic Avenue North Hampton New Hampshire 03862

Sale of Runnymede Farm news article

Tips for Birding

Runnymede Farm has been sold. The former owners of Runnymede Farm asked the public not to enter the farm.

Friesians love to train, and they always enjoy an audience. While visitors are not permitted on the actual grounds, anyone is welcome to pull over on Atlantic Avenue and watch the horses from the roadside. If you do decide to stop, however, it is important to stay behind the stone wall (both for your own safety and also for the safety of the horses) and also that you remain respectful of our many neighbors along Atlantic Avenue.

About this Location

Runnymede Farm was once a jewel of the East Coast equine community. The home of 45 stake-winning thoroughbred racehorses—including Kentucky Derby winner Dancers Image—Runnymede infused the seacoast with an air of sporting excitement and pastoral beauty from the 1930s ′s through the 1960s ′s. The farm’s colorful owner, Peter Fuller, son of Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller, became a horse-racing legend during his lifetime, famous for his winning racing record. A champion boxer, Peter Fuller once sparred with Mohammad Ali and several other well-known fighters. The story of Dancer’s Image winning the Kentucky Derby is an interesting one… a tale of great personal struggle, backroom politics, and national controversy.

In the years following Peter Fuller’s departure from Runnymede, the farm fell into disrepair. Most of the stalls were empty, the pastures became overgrown, and Runnymede seemed destined for demolition to make way for house lots. Before that happened, however, local couple Al and Donna Perkins stepped in and purchased the farm in hopes of saving it. “Although we didn’t have a clear plan for Runnymede,” Al said, “we had great affection for Peter Fuller, his history and legacy, and we couldn’t bear to see his historic landmark bulldozed into the ground.” With their commitment to Runnymede, a new renaissance of the farm has begun. Runnymede farm is once again up and running. “Our hope is to revitalize a passion for horses here in the seacoast community,” says Al Perkins.

Best-selling author Dan Brown and his wife Blythe have recently become involved with the renaissance of Runnymede Farm, and are now partnering with the Perkins to restore Runnymede's former glory. A full-scale refurbishment has been completed to the historic barn, with great care being taken to retain the original wood, fixtures, and ambiance. “Peter Fuller’s trophy room,” says Blythe Brown, “will remain essentially unchanged. It will stay as it was the day Peter Fuller won the Derby.”

A clear path has now been set for Runnymede… it is now the proud home of Van Guard Friesians, who import the rare Friesian horse to the United States from Holland. “We are very proud we now call Runnymede Farm home,” says head trainer Eugene Sweeney. “The Friesian breed it as beautiful as they are talented, being used in dressage, driving, saddle seat. They are excellent pleasure horses as well. We fell in love with these horses and we think you will too.”

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from former Runnymede Farm website

Last updated October 25, 2023