The original ‘home/birthplace’ of the Aberdeen Angus breed, Tillyfour, has just hit the market with an €8.2m price tag.
Savills is handling the sale of what it has described as an “exceptionally attractive” arable and livestock enterprise, extending to 1,086-acres in Alford, Aberdeenshire, in Scotland.
The property, available for sale as a whole or in two lots, contains a wide-ranging portfolio with Tillyfour House, Cairnhill Farmhouse, six additional properties and an “extensive” range of farm buildings.
- Lot 1: Tillyfour Farm, including Tillyfour House, Glentough Cottage, five cottages, farm steading and land extending to 735-acres – £4.8m;
- Lot 2: Cairnhill Farm, including Cairnhill Farmhouse, two cottages and land extending to 350-acres – £2.2m.
Additional land, extending to approximately 280-acres, may be available to lease by separate negotiation.
In recent years, the owners have leased the farm on a Short Limited Duration Tenancy (SLDT), which will expire on November 27th, 2022.
Aberdeen Angus Breed
According to the agents, the farm is “well suited” for carrying suckler cows and has, in the past, been home to a herd of 190 spring-calving cows and 100 autumn-calving females with followers in addition.
However, this included some additional land which may be available to lease, as we have highlighted above.
The land comprises what Savills described as a “well-balanced combination” of arable and silage ground, permanent pasture and rough grazing, with woodlands providing shelter and amenity.
According to the agents, it contains in the region of 841-acres of arable and temporary grass.
Soil types
The James Hutton Institute for Soil Research classifies the farmland as Class 3.2 and 4.1.
Savills described it as a “medium loam ideal for excellent grass and a variety of cereal and forage crops”.
It rises gently from about 190m above sea level along the northern boundary to 300m in the farm’s southeastern corner.
The agent explained: “The fields are well laid out and lie within a ring fence interspersed by good internal tracks facilitating easy movement of stock and farm machinery to most parts of the holding.”
Forestry
Besides, numerous and varied mature plantations “greatly enhance” the farm’s amenity.
They have been carefully planned and managed over the last two decades to provide commercial timber, sport and shelter.
With 92-acres of established woodland, combined with the undulating topography, Tillyfour has the scope to provide what Savills said is “exciting driven shooting”.
The commercial woodland compartments, extending to 55 acres, primarily consist of mature conifers. According to the agent, this could provide a “valuable” timber crop in the next five years.
The remaining 37-acres are mainly native broadleaves. Also, the farm has secured a felling licence for the clear felling of 46-acres across the enterprise.
Outbuildings
The Tillyfour farm steading boasts an “extensive” range of buildings which are “extremely well equipped” for housing and handling cattle.
There is a secondary steading at Cairnhill offering further stock housing and general purpose storage.
Furthermore, the holding is entirely self-sufficient in terms of silage production, with about 200-acres of silage cut and clamped or baled annually.
Tillyfour House & other buildings
Furthermore, Tillyfour features an “exceptional” principal house with beautiful gardens.
Tillyfour is approached from a private, “well-kept” tarmac driveway with open fields on both sides.
At the brow of the hill, the drive branches into two. One leads to Tillyfour House and the other to the main farm steading.
Lastly, in addition to Tillyfour House, there is a second farmhouse, Cairnhill, which you can reach from an alternative drive or by a “well-maintained” internal track.
Moreover, across the farm, there are eight further dwellings in addition to these.
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