Castle Tump, Newent,GL18 1LS

AGENTS NOTE

The sale of Castle Farm follows the decision of Michael and Christiana Bentley to retire from farming.

The Land comprises an excellent area of orcharding in 2 Lots that provide an immediate income stream. The land has the potential for a wide variety of alternative and agricultural uses including cash cropping.

Castle Farm has been farmed to a very high standard in an environmentally sensitive manner. There are wildflower meadows, a coppiced woodlot, small woods, lakes and water areas. Over the years Castle Farm has won awards for marrying commercial production with environmental initiatives.

The vendors will also consider offers for any or all of the following:

* The farmhouse, a substantial 5 bedroom late Georgian house with a 2-bed annexe. In the extensive well managed garden there is a 45ft high wooden windmill, circa 1924, designed by Lancaster Burnes which supplied electricity to the house and farm until the early 1950's!
* The farmyard which has an extensive range of old and new buildings currently used for housing machinery/workshop, cold storage facilities, fruit packhouse, juice production and materials storage barn, and workers accommodation. There is a seasonal farm shop supplying local outlets which is ripe for expansion, as is the award-winning apple juice business. Above the pack house there is a solar panel array supplying electricity to the farm buildings. Above the machinery barn is a solar array which supplies electricity to the farmhouse.
* A 3 bedroomed farm cottage and garden with an air source heat pump system.

Castle Farm represents one of the best properties of its kind to come onto the market in the area in recent years.

SITUATION
Castle Fruit Farm is some 90 metres above sea level and has gentle slopes resulting in relatively frost-free land lending itself to growing fruit and vines. (Three Choirs Vineyard and Winery is the immediate neighbour to the farm). It looks north towards the Malvern Hills, east to the Cotswolds, south to May Hill and the Royal Forest of Dean. Proximity to the M50 makes for easy access north to the Midlands and south into Wales.

The property is situated at Castle Tump about 2.5 miles north of the town of Newent in West Gloucestershire. The land has frontage to the B4215 road.

The black and white market town of Ledbury is about 6.5 miles distant with the beautiful Cathedral City of Gloucester about 11 miles away.

PARTICULARS OF SALE


LOT 1
55.67 ACRES

The property has frontage to the B4215 road as well as extensive roadside frontage to the unclassified council road known as Four Oaks Lane. It comprises an excellent area of undulating land which is classified as Grades 1 and 2 on the Agricultural Land Classification Map of England and Wales.

The soil is derived from the Bromsgrove Soil Association being a free draining loamy sand / sandy loam.

The property has the benefit of an irrigation lake and an underground ring main enabling all parts of the land to be irrigated.

The land is well served by a good network of internal hard roads.

A breakdown of the varieties of fruit grown in the 6 orchards of Lot 1 is as follows:

Variety Year Planted

Plums:
Opal, Victorias, Marjorie's Seedling 2008/9
Reeves Seedling, Marjorie's Seedling, Opal 2018
Victoria, Opal, Marjorie's Seedling 1988 - 1994
Opal, Victoria 2016
Gage plums and Jubileum 1992/96

Apples
Colina, Delbard Estivale 2007
Braeburn 2006
Jazz 2017
Braeburn 2018/19

Pears
Conference and Comice 1980/90

LOT 2

78.08 ACRES


Lot 2 is approached over a right of way to Castle Farm off the B4215 and also has direct roadside frontage to Four Oaks Lane. It is classified as Grades 1, 2 and 3 on the Land Classification Map of England and Wales.

The soil is derived from the Bromyard Soil Association which is a silty clay loam. The property lies about 290 ft above sea level and has a good internal network of hard roads.

The property has the benefit of an irrigation lake with a pump house containing an irrigation pump (3 phase electricity) with sand filter. The land is served with an underground ring main enabling all parts to be irrigated.

The land is mainly level and gently undulating and contained within a ring fence. It is currently used for fruit production as detailed below:

Variety Year Planted

Plums
Victoria and Marjorie's Seedling 1992
Marjorie's Seedling 1997
Damsons 2015
Opal 1993/5
Valor 1997

Apples
Red Delicious/Jazz 2014, 2019, 2020
Jazz 2019, 2020, 2021
Ashmead Kernel 1983
Smitten 2015
Bramley 1991
Gala 2013

Pears
Conference 2011, 2016
Xenia

Species rich grassland 5.7 acres



LOTS 3 AND 4

CASTLE FARMHOUSE, COTTAGE, BUILDINGS AND 13.69 ACRES


The vendors will also consider selling the farmhouse, cottage, buildings and adjacent land. This is outlined green on the attached plan.

This property comprises:

* Attractive 5 Bedroom Period Farmhouse with 2-bedroom Annexe and 13.69 acres of land (outlined green on attached plan). The land area includes 8.7 acres Conference pears (planted 2022 and 2023), 2.22 acres Jazz apples, 0.19 ha permanent pasture and 1.37 acres of rough grass and copse.

* 3 Bedroom Detached Cottage and garden

* Traditional and modern farm buildings with development potential

* 316 Tonne Cold Storage capacity in 8 stores

* Well established farm shop and juice business, both with potential for expansion

DIRECTIONS
From Newent take the B4215 Dymock Road for about 2.5 miles and the farm is on the left-hand side of the road.

TENURE
The property is freehold and offered with vacant possession upon completion which is fixed for mid-November or as soon as the apple harvest is completed.

SERVICES
The property has the benefit of two irrigation lakes and an underground ring main enabling all parts of the farm to be irrigated.

LOCAL AUTHORITY
Forest of Dean District Council, High Street, Coleford, Gloucestershire, GL16 8HG.
Tel: .

FIXTURES AND FITTINGS: Only fixtures and fittings mentioned in these particulars are included with the sale of the freehold. Any others are expressly excluded.

RIGHTS OF WAY, EASEMENTS, ETC
The property is sold subject to and with the benefit of all rights of way, wayleaves, access, water, light, drainage and other easements, quasi-easements, covenants, restrictions, orders etc, as may exist over the same or for the benefit of the same, whether mentioned in these particulars or not.

TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING
The property notwithstanding any description contained in these particulars, is sold subject to any Development Plan, Tree Preservation Order, Town Planning Scheme, Resolution or Notice which may or may not come to be in force and also subject to any statutory permission or byelaws without any obligation on the part of the Vendor to specify them.

MODE OF SALE
The property is offered for sale by Informal Tender in 4 lots, viz:

Lot 1 55.67 Acres
Lot 2 78.08 Acres
Lot 3 Farmyard, buildings and Cottage
Lot 4 Farmhouse and Annexe including 13.69 acres

Tenders are to be submitted to the Agents Office to arrive by 12 Noon on Monday 5th August. Tenders are to be on the attached form in a sealed envelope, marked "Castle Farm Tender".

VIEWING
By prior appointment with the Agents: RG and RB Williams, Tel (RBW/TW).