Northumberland mixed farm is a rare offering

The launch of a 663-acre arable and livestock farm in Northumberland on 11 April is expected to generate national interest.

The owners of Tughall Grange, near Alnwick, have farmed the holding since 1989 but are now retiring and have put the farm up for sale at offers above £8.45m.

Selling agent Richard Brown describes Tughall Grange as  “an absolute belter of a farm.”

“It’s probably as good as example of an equipped mixed farm as you are ever likely to see in Northumberland,” he says. “It is extremely well-equipped and situated on the desirable and highly productive coastal plain.”

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“It is rare for such an exceptional arable and livestock farm in terms of its size and quality to come to the market in the county.”

The farm has 269 acres of arable land and 380 acres of pasture, and a substantial proportion of that is Grade 2.

It produces feed for the herd of 130 suckler cows and all their progeny, which are reared to strong stores on grazed grass.

Farm buildings include traditional stone-built buildings and an extensive range of modern sheds and yards with capacity for 500 head of cattle and storage for machinery, straw and feed.

More recently, the owners have invested heavily in creating a holiday development with three cabins set in two acres, which generates an annual income of about £110,000.

As well as a four-bedroom farmhouse, there are two cottages and a three-bedroom bungalow.

Richard Brown & Partners is offering Tughall Grange for sale as a whole or in up to four lots.

Diverse Shropshire organic business

Wide-ranging interest is expected too in another stand-out launch this week.

The 673-acre operation where the Pimhill organic oat and flour business was established has come to the market with a price tag of £10m.

The Pimhill Estate near Shrewsbury has been owned by the Mayall family for four generations but, with the next generation pursuing careers outside agriculture, the decision has been made to sell.

It is where they started milling their own wheat in the 1950s, marketing it under the Pimhill brand, and adding other products including oats and muesli.

The ring-fenced estate, which covers three sites – Lea Hall, Shotton Farm and Pimhill – is being sold by Savills as a whole or in up to three lots.

Jack Cooper, of Savills, says the estate epitomises careful stewardship, describing it as a commercial and picturesque farm centred around a historically significant house.

The land has been farmed organically since 1949 and includes an organic dairy enterprise, managed in recent years under a contract farming agreement.

Elsewhere on the estate there is a 266-acre block of Grade 2 and 3 arable land, again managed under a contract.

Pimhill © Savills

There are Sustainable Farm Incentive and Mid Tier Countryside Stewardship schemes in place.

Some of the land is being sold subject to an overage clause with a 30% clawback for up to 30 years if planning permission is secured for non-agricultural use on the specified area.

The buildings include cubicle housing, a milking parlour and steel portal frame sheds.

At the heart of the holding is the Grade II* listed Lea Hall, built in the Elizabethan period. Its 684sq m of floor space includes six bedrooms, and the property is surrounded by extensive gardens and grounds.

The five-bedroom listed farmhouse at Shotton Farm is laid out over three floors, and the three-bedroom Shotton Farm Cottage sits next door.

The estate has a number of diversifications including a converted barn licensed to hold civil marriages and partnerships, and modern and traditional buildings used for storage and office space.

Devon organic dairy

Another organic farm is being launched this week, near Crediton, Devon.

Rolestone Barton is a 215-acre dairy farm where milk is produced from a spring-calving herd on a grass-based system.

The farm comes with productive free-draining soils, cubicle housing for 178 head, a 20 x 40 herringbone parlour, extensive covered yards and livestock housing.

As well as a six-bedroom farmhouse, a flat offers further accommodation.

Stags is selling Rolestone Barton at a guide price of £3.2m.