THE story starts with the London Waggon service from Wantage in the 1820s and finishes with the breeding and exporting of rabbits to the USA in the early 1900s.

In the 1820s, if you wished to get to London from Wantage, you had to catch the weekly waggon that went from the Crown of Old England (on the site of what is now Savers) in the Market Place. This was run by Thomas Wilkins, who lived nearby with his wife and five children. He was still running this service in 1861 as he is listed in the census of that year as a carrier in Newbury Street.

His son James Wilkins (1839-1914) became an apprentice grocer with Lawrence Stratton in the Market Place, later setting up his own business Wilkins & Sons on the site of what is now Corals bookmakers.

He had married on July 21, 1868, Caroline Tombs, the daughter of Henry Tombs, a market gardener and owner of Belmont Nurseries. The couple had two sons, Ernest and Percy.

Bacon curing and candle making were principal lines in the business. Ernest Wilkins remembered the time when his father would get him up at 2am to make candles. The shop also had an impressive cellar specialising in foreign wines and spirits.

The Wilkins family lived at No 1 Belmont Cottage at the top of the triangular strip of land that formed Belmont Nurseries. They also owned two semi-detached cottages nearby, in one of which lived Tabitha Wilkins, James' sister. The Belmont Nurseries had been sold in 1880, with the Wilkins retaining the topmost properties, and the rest of the land was gradually split up and developed over the next 20 years.

Ernest Wilkins, James's eldest son, was initially in his father's business as a grocer's assistant. In 1890, he married Sarah Anne Giles in Frome, Somerset. There were three daughters of the marriage Edith Hilda and Freda.

At around 1900, Ernest took the leases on two areas of land at Charlton: these were at Chestnuts farm and Springfield farm.

The latter covered what is now Springfield Road and King Alfred's School East site. A farmhouse was built in 1903 in Charlton Road by Ernest for his family and was later named Harecourt. Ernest had a herd of pedigree shorthorn cattle which won many prizes and over 200 head of poultry.

The milk, butter and eggs from these were sold at Ernest's shop, Springfield Dairy in Wallingford Street and delivered to customers around Wantage.

However, farming was not Ernest's passion – that was Belgian Hares, a breed of rabbit still popular amongst rabbit breeders and owners today. In 1896, he wrote The Book of the Belgian Hare which is still recognised today as a manual for looking after and breeding rabbits.

Such was Ernest's skill in breeding Belgian Hares, that in 1900 he exported 500 rabbits to the USA, one of which received the sum of £145.00.

The Challenge Cup he presented to the British Belgian Hare Club for the Best Belgian Hare is still used today.

Ernest's brother Percy became a well known Berkshire apiarist, producing honey for the family businesses. His hives were most probably situated at Chestnuts farm, which his brother leased between approx 1900 – 1914. He later moved away and became a Dairyman in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.