Yorkshire estate offers all-round attractions
An exciting launch sees more than 1,300 acres of good arable ground, woodland and sporting interests offered within the North York Moors National Park.
Murton Grange at Hawnby lies in the Hambleton Hills a few miles north east of Thirsk. It has about 1,340 ring-fenced acres, several houses and a well-known high bird pheasant and partridge shoot.
More than 900 acres of the land is Grade 3 arable, there is about 150 acres of grassland, 280 acres of woodland, scrub and dale with tracks and buildings making up the remainder. A large range of traditional and modern buildings includes a purpose-built grain store for about 1,500t with drying capacity.
Murton Grange has a detached period four-bedroom farmhouse, two traditional semi-detached cottages and a detached bungalow, currently used as a shoot lodge. There is also a detached two-bedroom barn conversion subject to an agricultural occupancy condition.
The land here is mainly Elmton 2 series, a shallow, well-drained, calcareous soil. The farm buildings are extensive and include two large stone barns, five bay cattle shed, three-bay steel-/timber-framed machinery store, workshop, 10-bay steel portal-frame open-fronted barn with a five-bay lean-to. The 1,500t grainstore has a high-capacity Brice Baker automatic grain dryer.
“Murton Grange is an attractive and renowned sporting estate that is underpinned by good commercial agricultural value in an attractive and popular part of the county,” said Dan Taylor of Carter Jonas.
“We would expect to see significant interest from both commercial agricultural buyers and those with strong sporting interests, given the extent of what is on offer and the scarcity of similar properties to the market in recent times.”
The guide price is £7m on the basis of the farm being sold with the company which owns it – Murton Grange Limited. Most of the farmland is subject to a contract farming agreement that ends shortly.
About 143 acres of the land is let on three farm business tenancies ending in 2013. The sporting rights are included, subject to a five-year business lease from 1 April 2011. The rent from the sporting lease is £49,800 a year, plus payment for a varying area of game crops (about 100 acres in 2011).
Mining and mineral rights are excluded from the sale, but Single Payment Scheme entitlements are included. Murton Grange Farm is in a Higher Level Stewardship scheme for 10 years from 1 December 2011, bringing in an annual payment of more than £21,000. (Carter Jonas 01904 558 230; GCS Grays 01748 829 217)