Page 33 - Koi Net - On-Line Koi Magazine - Issue 11

KOI WATER BARN Water Barn and John offered him a job at the end of it.
Koi Water Barn are moving after 35 years at
the same location, and another chapter of
the Koi Water Barn story begins.
Koi Water Barn was founded by John Pitham, but the
story starts even earlier when John visited an old pal of
mine, Doug Holder (sadly no longer with us) who was
one of the original BKKS members. John saw Doug’s
pond and immediately wanted to become a Koi Keeper.
At this time John was employed as head chef for one
of the major oil companies with a staff of around 50
personnel. We all know how the addiction to Koi can be
overpowering and John was no different. Not only was
he interested in being a Koi Keeper, he had the idea
that he would like to be a Koi Dealer too! John joined
the BKKS South East Section which is where I met him
in 1983, he used to bring his son, Tony, with him.
John found a place to start his business which was in a
farm shop which he shared with a greengrocer who
used to sell vegetables. John opened his new business,
‘Koi Water Barn’, at weekends only and carried on
working as a chef during the week. The greengrocer left
and was replaced by a chap who sold tropical fish, but
he didn’t last long and when he left John decided to
John Pitham wins major take the whole area on.
award at BKKS South East
Section Open Show 1984. Club members used to call in to see John at weekends
to purchase some very nice small Koi at reasonable
prices. At this time the main Koi Dealer in the area was
Kent Koi, but when they closed down John had the
opportunity to take their place to become the premier
Koi Dealer in the locality. John built an extension to the
Barn with a large main pond and began importing some
high class Koi and started to build a strong reputation.
John was a very likeable man, fair, and I never heard a
single person refer to him in any disrespectful way.
Keith Holmes was studying fish husbandry at Sparsholt
College and took a 10 week work placement at Koi
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Keith left to take his first year exam, then returned to
take up full-time employment in June 1996 working with
John, Tony, Bill and Maureen McGurk.
Koi Water Barn was a very busy place, particularly at
weekends when Andrew Logan and Paul Allen, two
school boys helped out. Andrew left school and took up
full-time employment.
Tragically John contracted leukemia, and although he
fought hard, sadly it overwhelmed him and John died in
1999. John was a very popular man and I remember
that so many people attended his funeral, some had
travelled from the North of England to show their
respect. The boxer, Nigel Benn, was there too! He was
one of John’s customers. So that was the end of an era
and Tony Pitham was there to take his place to continue
the Koi Water Barn dynasty. Bill and Maureen McGurk
left to continue their career in America, leaving Tony
and Keith to run the business along with Andrew.
Tony was an ambitious young man and decided to grow
the business. He built another extension to the building
Grand Champion 2006, and installed 7 ponds, in another building Tony built
All Japan Koi Show. more ponds and erected a number of large polytunnels
with ponds on the land outside. The Koi industry was
busy and one special achievement worth mentioning is
that Koi Water Barn won Grand Champion at The All
Japan Koi Show with a Kohaku in 2006.
Tony spent more time in Japan, got married and left to
live in South Africa leaving Keith Holmes, his Manager,
to run the business with Andrew Logan.
Now, another new era for the Koi Water Barn, the land
has been sold for redevelopment and Koi Water Barn
starts a new life a short distance away at Coolings
Garden Centre in Knockholt, Kent.
Keith told me recently that when he was a boy he used
to visit Polehill Garden Centre with his mum and dad,
and that his dad was a keen gardener, they used to call
into Kent Koi to look at their fish, then they would go to
Coolings Garden Centre for breakfast – it’s funny how
things can run in circles.
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