Contrasting north-eastern farms come to market

A mid-summer launch of almost 1,800 acres in Northumberland brings Crow Hall Farm to the market.

The holding is in the Tyne Valley, between Bardon Mill and Haydon Bridge, about 30 miles west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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At full capacity, the farm can run about 2,000 ewes and 200 head of cattle. It sits in a ring fence and is split between low and high ground, offering the combination of a good solid livestock holding with exciting natural capital opportunities, according to agent GSC Grays.

The low ground is all Grade 3 and 4 and mainly down to grass, including productive silage ground, with some woodland. This accounts for just over 700 acres at 100m to 200m above sea level.

The 1,070 acres of high ground is Grade 5, with large areas of moss, rough and hill grazing but also some rotational grass and woodlands.

In total there are 245 acres of rotational grass, 401 acres of permanent pasture, 600 acres of rough grazing, 173 acres of woodland and 354 acres of moss.

The holding includes Muckle Moss, a designated peat-bog which is a site of special scientific interest and a special area of conservation.

This lies partly within a national nature reserve and borders the southern boundary of the Northumberland National Park.

All of the high ground also lies within a World Heritage Site on the frontier of the Roman empire along Hadrian’s Wall.

Crow Hall Farm is being marketed with an overall guide price of £7.5m, although it will also be offered in two lots.

These are the low ground and Whitshields Farm farmstead at £4.5m, and the high ground including some livestock buildings at Seldom Seen Farm for £2.75m.

At Whitshields Farm there is a traditional, four-bedroom stone farmhouse and an adjoining steading with development potential.

It also has a detached three-bedroom bungalow and a newly built two-bedroom cabin cottage which carries an agricultural occupancy restriction.

There is an extensive range of good-quality modern livestock buildings and handling facilities for both cattle and sheep, with a large main yard, silage clamps and slurry lagoon. 

With public roads surrounding most of the perimeter, there is good access, as well as farm tracks and a central lane dividing the low land from the high ground.

Crow Hall Estate is currently farmed in-hand, with some land let out on annual licences and other areas rented in from neighbouring properties.

The whole farm is in a Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship Scheme with grant assistance for walling and tree planting. 

Tidy mixed unit

Bolam Grange Farm © Robin Jessop

An hour to the south and near Darlington is Bolam Grange Farm in County Durham. This is a tidy mixed livestock and arable holding, with 137 acres split into 17 fields in grass and wheat.

The holding has a stone farmhouse and a modern bungalow, each with three bedrooms, and a range of well-maintained modern and traditional farm buildings.  

This is also in a ring fence and comes to the market for the first time since 1971 as a result of retirement.

There are no environmental designations or schemes on Bolam Grange, which has a guide price of £2m to £2.25m, through Robin Jessop.