Our 6th Generation Riley Family Farm
Established in 1876
Charles and Emma Riley and their young family settled on the property that is now Brooklands Farm in 1876. They moved into the recently built log house and began clearing the land for farming.
Charles and Emma Riley, 1930s
1876
The Original Log Cabin Home
Their son, George, took over the farm, building a large frame house on the property for his family in 1899 and a new barn in 1903.
The barn, as seen on the right, was erected in just one day!
1899
The third generation of Riley’s, Roy and his wife Janet took over the farm in 1918. In 1937, they dismantled the original log house log-by-log and rebuilt it in its present location as a dairy, pasteurizing, bottling, and delivering the milk from the dairy herd at Brooklands as well as from local farmers to the local community.
Four generations of Riley men: Charles (top right, 1st gen), his son George (top left 2nd gen) holding his grandson Walker (4th gen). Walker’s father Roy (3rd gen) is on the bottom right.
1918
Four generations of Riley woman: Joyce (Walker’s sister) (4th gen) with Florence (3rd gen), Janet aka Nettie (2nd gen) and Grandma Emma (1st gen)
Following service as a bomber pilot during World War II, their son, Walker, returned to Brooklands with his English bride Joane. They further developed the dairy herd, specializing in purebred Holsteins. They farmed part-time while working for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture. Following his retirement in 1985, Walker returned to full-time farming at Brooklands with his family.
Walker and Joane
1985
In 1999 Walker & Joane’s son, Ken, his wife, Katya, and their sons, Nikhil and Rohan, returned to Brooklands after living and working in Africa and Asia for over 30 years.
Over the years, Brooklands Farm has undergone a transition from dairy farming to market gardening, a thriving maple syrup operation, and now a popular event venue for weddings and celebrations in the restored and refurbished heritage buildings.
Ken and Katya Riley with sons Nikhil and Rohan.
1999 - Today
6th Generation Nikhil and Rohan Riley help Ken and Katya with the operations and events whenever they can.
