Shropshire mansion with Domesday connections
Shropshire agent Nock Deighton is launching the historic 371-acre Detton Hall Estate at Cleobury Mortimer, near Kidderminster.
Since being mentioned in the Domesday Book, the property has only changed hands six times and was bought by the Ratcliff family in 1952.
Before then, the last recorded sale was in 1710.
It is now farmed by Arthur and Clare Ratcliff who are taking early retirement as none of their children wish to farm.
One of the main draws of the sale is likely to be Detton Hall’s Grade II* listed Elizabethan eight-bed manor house, which was listed in England’s 1000 Best Houses by Simon Jenkins.
With about 15 acres of land, James McIntyre, who is handling the sale, has priced it at £1.1m.
“A tremendous amount of money has been spent on it.”
Although the house sits well with the rest of the estate, which is valued at £3m for the whole, Mr McIntyre said it would be possible to create a separate farming unit from the other lots, which include a five-bed agriculturally tied house, guided at £750,000 with the buildings and 78 acres.
This lot also includes Detton Lamb and Beef, a meat-marketing business that turned over £100,000 last year.
Using livestock sourced entirely from the farm, the business supplies farmers’ markets, retail and catering outlets, as well as a farm shop.
For anybody wanting to take it over, it could be bought as a going concern, said Mr McIntyre.
The balance of the land is available in four parcels ranging from two blocks under 15 acres to 70 acres and almost 175 acres.
The larger lots are tagged at about £2800/acre.
“The vendors would really like to see the farm sold as a whole with somebody taking over the business, which is doing jolly well.
There has certainly been a lot of local interest from businesses hungry for additional land,” said Mr McIntyre.
Farmers from the eastern farming counties also seemed to be keen to relocate, he added.