Many farmers are having to diversify to make ends meet.

But that was not the intention of the Dingle family at Elham, when son Toby decided to indulge his fascination in history by creating on their land a First World War trench system from the Somme.

Now, nestled between the cows and sheep at the 50-acre Round Hill Farm, is a 200-metre network with both British and German front lines.

The extraordinary creation is the brainchild of self-confessed military history buff Toby, 18, who was inspired by a visit to the French battlefield with a group of historians.

With dad Richard’s approval and support, they borrowed a digger and driver from a nearby landowner and set about starting the work 18 months ago - shifting up to 150 tonnes of soil.

With the support of renowned war historian Andy Robertshaw, who was an adviser and trench designer on the set of the 2011 film War Horse, they now have a unique one-acre location which is proving a big draw to school groups and re-enactment historians, as well as film companies keen to use it for location work.

“It was only meant to be a hobby but I guess you could say we got a bit carried away,” said Toby.

“I like that fact that people visiting get a real sense of what it was like to be in the trenches.”

Toby and his father Richard are still working on the trench system and plan to extend the German lines "to make it fairer".

His father, Richard, 63, said: “It got to the stage of what’s the point if we can’t share it - we are just left with holes in the ground.

"We now think we have something to offer visitors and only last week we had a party of 200 schoolchildren from Peterborough.”

Toby dons a recreation of a First World War soldier’s outfit during visits.

• For more information visit www.hawthornetrench.co.uk