A four-bed farmhouse, just over 305-acres, a fully equipped farmstead with outbuildings, and a silage clamp are among the key features of Colwell Hill.
YoungsPS Chartered Surveyors and Property Consultants recently launched the farm in Elsdon, Newcastle Upon Tyne, to the market with a £1.7m price guide.
According to an agent from its Hexham Office, the noted Rede Valley farm presents a “truly scarce” opportunity to acquire an “outstanding” livestock farm.
The farmer has maintained and managed to the “highest” of standards. The agent believes it consequently provides a purchaser with an excellent base to work immediately from.
The agent said this is an “outstanding” example of a Northumbrian upland farm.
The farmer has operated it as a standalone unit for many years and is “highly productive”, producing “excellent” stock on a commercially viable basis.
The farmer has carried out “extensive” improvement works on the land in terms of drainage and inputs.
The agent said: “The property has been farmed with an eye on the long-term. It has not been allowed to deteriorate.”
“For example, lime is spread annually, with 300t spread last year, reseeding has been done consistently whilst fertiliser applications have been regular. Thus, the land has a significant residual value.”
Like the land, there has been “significant and recent investment” in the farm’s infrastructure with sheds recently constructed and a regular programme of fencing adhered to.
Sucklers and sheep
In terms of stocking, the farm currently carries approximately 250 mule ewes and 250 swale ewes. The farm retains replacements and winters them on the farm. They sell lamb fat, primarily through Scots Gap, at 45 kg plus, and they “regularly” feature among the higher prices.
In addition to the sheep flock, there are 50 suckler cows, with the farmer selling subsequent offspring as stores at 16 -18 months.
In the selling agent’s words, the stock and their output are a testament to the farm’s nature.
Agricultural land and woodland
As a whole, the property extends to approximately 123.55 hectares (305.28 acres) of land:
- 5.22 ha (12.89 ac) of woodland;
- Remainder: Excellent grazing and mowing land, save for small areas of tracks.
The land sits within a ring fence and is well served by an “accessible” steading.
The grazing land extends to approximately 292.39 acres and is primarily south facing.
There are circa 125-acres of cuttable land, much of which the farmer has regularly reseeded.
The meadow land, on the most part, lies below the steading and has good access. The fields are “well” proportioned, yield “well”, and are largely flat.
Behind the steading, there is a large (117.54 acres) parcel of “excellent” upland grazing. Tiled drains serve the land, which consequently benefits from being capable of carrying large numbers of stock that “perform well”.
The land, as a whole, benefits from “good” access either internally or from the main road where the land adjoins it.
Besides, the farmer has strategically planted a woodland on the property to ensure it provides “useful” shelter.
They have undertaken recent plantings via a woodland creation scheme with maintenance grants available going forward.
Steading
The steading at Colwell Hill consists of traditional and modern farm buildings, whilst at Fairneycleugh, there is a single modern building.
At Colwell Hill, there are two large steel-framed buildings. The first is 7000 ft² and was erected in 1995, which the farmer primarily uses to house cattle.
The second is 1,800 ft², and the farmer utilises this for housing livestock and general storage.
In addition to these, there is a timber-framed livestock building and two Dutch barns. There is also an earth walled silage pit that drains a 4,000L effluent tank.
The traditional buildings are of Northumbrian stone construction and under a slate roof. The farmer currently uses them for storage and informal animal housing.
The steading, like the property as a whole, is of an ideal size to serve the land as a whole.
Farmhouse
The farmhouse at Colwell Hill is built from traditional Northumbrian stone and is under a slate roof.
The agent describes it as a “typical of farmhouses in the locality and is full of character and charm”.
Accommodation:
- Three reception rooms downstairs;
- Kitchen;
- Utility room;
- Back kitchen/pantry;
- Bedrooms;
- Bathrooms.
The current occupier carried out an extension into the adjoining traditional building in 2016.
The extension has created a third reception room, a downstairs bathroom, a downstairs bedroom and secondary external access created.
The agent suggested that this enabled the separation of accommodation and opens up possibilities for diversification, such as B&B.
“Alternatively, the extension and the form it has taken has highlighted the further potential of a holiday let and/or a standalone residential property.”
“Subject to obtaining the necessary consents, there is scope to expand further into the attached traditional building.”
Location
Colwell Hill is approximately 2.5 miles west of Elsdon and 3.5 miles east of Otterburn.
Within Elsdon, there is a pub and a tearoom, a “testament” to the passing tourist trade. Meanwhile, Otterburn boasts a well-stocked village shop, pubs, and a highly regarded primary school.
The towns of Bellingham (12 miles southwest) and Rothbury (14 miles northeast) offer further shops and pubs as well health practices and schooling.
The more prominent towns of Hexham (31 miles south and Ponteland 24 miles southeast) offer a wide array of shops, both local and national, and a full range of leisure and professional services.
Hexham has a “well-respected” auction mart and offers the same service from Scots Gap (12 miles) during the summer/autumn months.
Newcastle upon Tyne is within 33 miles and offers a full range of shops and services, including an international airport and a mainline train station.
Concluding, the agent said: “Colwell Hill, therefore, sits neatly within the border heartland of England’s border county.”
“Yet, it benefits from easy access to a range of services both local and national whilst also being within easy reach of the wider world,” the spokesperson concluded.
