The Old Hough

Warmingham, Cheshire

A beautifully presented residential farm with a significant income

The Old Hough, Forge Mill Lane, Warmingham, Middlewich, Cheshire CW10 0HQ

Sandbach 4 miles (M6 J17), Crewe 6 miles (London Euston 90 minutes), Nantwich 8.5 miles, Chester 22 miles, Manchester 30 miles

The FarmThe Old Hough is a charming residential farm situated in peaceful Cheshire countryside, within close proximity to the thriving market towns of Sandbach and Middlewich and major transport connections. The farm has been altered and enhanced to form what is now a splendid country house with secondary accommodation set in beautifully maintained gardens and grounds. The vendors have diversified from traditional farming methods to create a commercial coarse fishing business and storage for over 190 caravans, which provide a substantial income, unusual for a property of this nature.

The Estate is for sale as a whole or in two lots as follows:

Lot 1 – The Old Hough with ancillary buildings, the Barn conversion, fishery, caravan storage and land extending to 51.13 acres

Lot 2 – Surrounding land and woodland extending to 158.34 acres

Features:

Grade II listed 5 bedroom farmhouse

3 Bedroom barn conversion

Stunning landscaped gardens

Traditional farm buildings with stables

Workshop and garaging

Modern farm buildings

Commercial fishery and caravan storage

Land and woodland

Separate fishing rights on the River Dee

About 209.47 acres (84.78 ha) in total

For sale as a whole or in two lots

SituationThe Old Hough is located north of the village of Warmingham on a quiet country lane, about 3 miles south of Middlewich.

Warmingham is a delightful village with church, primary school and The Bear’s Paw, a well-known hotel and restaurant. For a wider range of conveniences, including a Waitrose supermarket, the farm is well located for access to the neighbouring market town of Sandbach.

There are also rail links nearby. Sandbach station at Elworth (2.5 miles) has direct services to Manchester Piccadilly taking 42 minutes and Crewe is 6 miles to the south with mainline services to London Euston taking 90 minutes. There are also international airports at Liverpool and Manchester.

The Old HoughThe farmhouse is understood to have been built in the early 17th century, subsequently altered in the 19th century and refurbished to the existing layout by the present owners when they moved to the farm in 1988.

On the front is a gabled porch which introduces the grand reception hall, a stunning double height space with open fi re and bespoke wooden staircase with gallery. From here is the triple aspect drawing room with Jetmaster fi re and French doors leading to the garden. On the opposite side of the hall is the summer room, also with a Jetmaster fi re and French doors opening out to a terraced outdoor dining area. The dining room exudes character with exposed

timbers and feature fi replace, and across the hallway is a Butler’s pantry and wine store.

A door leads through to the inner hallway with a secondary staircase which rises to the fi rst fl oor accommodation. From here is access to the laundry room, fully fi tted Miele kitchen with integrated appliances, a wood-burner and a walk-in pantry. Off the kitchen is the former cheese room/snug with Jetmaster fi re and opposite is the study with open fi replace.

The original dairy with stone fl agged fl oor gives access to a freezer room, boot room and cloakroom with w.c. and the old tack room is reached off the rear entrance and offers storage and an additional w.c. A further staircase

First Floor

Outbuilding(Not shown in actual location/orientation)

Ground Floor

off the rear entrance hall leads to the Loft bedroom suite, a sitting room and the Granary bedroom suite. On the fi rst fl oor and accessed from the main staircase there are three en suite bedrooms, the master ‘Tudor suite’ boasts a large fully fi tted dressing room and there is a further w.c.

The beautiful mature gardens are divided into sections surrounding the house, visible from almost every room. North of the house, lawns surround a large pond connecting to the formal drive on the eastern side. Formal lawns extend from the entrance porch clockwise to a fantastic south facing outdoor seating area with pond and views across the paddocks.

Floorplans for The Old Hough, Forge Mill Lane, Warmingham, Middlewich, Cheshire CW10 0HQ

Approx gross internal areas

The Old Hough: 6,601 sq ft = 613.3 sq mGarage & Workshops etc: 2,322 sq ft = 215.7 sq m

Illustration for identifi cation purposes only. Not to scale.

Connected to the west side of the house lies a single storey building with garaging for four cars, workshop and a separate coal and wood store.

There is also a covered barbecue and dining area on the back of the garage which overlooks the traditional farm buildings and courtyard garden.

Traditional farm buildings and stablesLocated south west of the house is a large L-shaped range of traditional buildings typical of a Cheshire dairy farm. The larger side of the building has been converted into general purpose areas, storage rooms and a kitchen. The south eastern side has been converted into eight stables, general stores and a groom’s room with w.c. Beyond the stables lie three grass paddocks, a large greenhouse and lawns.

The upper fl oor of the entire range is a spacious hay loft. Inside the L-shape is a cobbled path and garden set to lawns around a fountain and pond.

These courtyard buildings offer signifi cant potential for conversion into alternative uses including a number of residential dwellings. Please ask the vendors’ agent for more information.

Modern farm buildingsAttached to the back of the traditional buildings are two general purpose farm buildings. The fi rst is a brick built implement store measuring 17.9m x 13.2m with roller shutter door. This is attached by a lean-to to a concrete portal framed general purpose building measuring 34.3m x 11.6m.

There is another detached farm building south east of those described above, measuring 27.4m x 24m.

Ground Floor First Floor

The Barn at The Old HoughThis barn conversion was completed in 2007 to an exceptionally high specifi cation. In brief the accommodation comprises entrance hall with laundry room and cloakroom off. There is a well-planned Martin Moore kitchen / dining room with feature electric Aga oven and sitting room with Jetmaster fi replace. There is under-fl oor heating over the whole of the ground fl oor.

On the fi rst fl oor there is a master bedroom with split-level en suite bathroom and a dressing room and two additional en suite bedrooms.

From the sitting room and kitchen, double French doors lead out to a private walled garden with lawns and raised borders.

The EyrieOpposite The Barn lies a traditional hay barn. The majority of this barn is open sided, however part has been converted as useful storage or amenity space for use in conjunction with The Barn.

Approx gross internal areas

The Barn: 2,311 sq ft = 214.7 sq m(Excluding Void)

Illustration for identifi cation purposes only. Not to scale.

Commercial fisherySouth of the farmstead lies a series of ten fishing pools which have been developed by the existing owners over the past six years. The pools offer over 200 wheelchair-friendly pegs and are stocked with a large range of fish including carp, bream, tench, barbel and chub.

The fishery is managed by the existing owners and one part-time, local self-employed farm worker. The gross income is in the region of £70,000 per annum.

Caravan storageTwo of the modern steel portal framed buildings on the south side of the farmstead have been converted to accommodate caravans and motor homes. Behind these buildings is a three acre hard-standing site surrounded by an earth bund also used to store vehicles. The whole site, including buildings, can accommodate over 190 vehicles.

The site has been awarded a CaSSOA Gold Award which is testament to the excellent standard of security, facilities and service the current owners provide.

This enterprise requires very little maintenance as the layout is well planned to allow all of the vehicles to be moved on and off site without disturbing other vehicles and each customer is permitted free access within a set time frame.

The gross income is in the region of £82,000 per annum. Like with the fisheries, this enterprise is managed by the existing owners.

Land and woodlandThe Old Hough is surrounded by over 200 acres of its own grounds, farmland and woods providing an exceptionally attractive and private environment to enjoy the farm.

Lot 1 is outlined in red on the sale plan. The total acreage is 51.13 acres which includes the fisheries, caravan storage, woodland and grass paddocks surrounding the farmstead.

Lot 2 is the remaining land comprising 158.34 acres in all. The majority of this land surrounds The Old Hough, south of Forge Mill Lane; however there are 25 acres located north of the lane, opposite the entrance to The Old Hough. Many fields are well fenced and have water supplies for keeping stock and most have hard-core tracks providing access. The land is currently farmed in hand on an arable and grass rotation (approximately 126 acres included in Lot 2), with the remaining permanent pasture used for grazing.

During the early 1990s over 16 acres of woodland was planted as part of a Woodland Grant Scheme. This was done to increase the amenity appeal of The Old Hough, encourage wildlife and at the time, run a compact pheasant shoot.

The total income from farming the land, basic payment and the grant scheme is approximately £30,000 per annum.

If the land (Lot 2) is sold separately to Lot 1, there will be shared use and maintenance liabilities for access roads and the necessary easements for the supply of water to the fisheries.

There are two public footpaths over the property. Further details are available from the vendors’ agent.

Basic Payment: The entitlements to the Basic Payment are included in the sale. In the event that the property is sold in lots the entitlements will be included with the eligible land on a pro rata basis at the discretion of the vendor (or their representatives).

The vendor has submitted a claim for the current scheme year and will retain the payment for this scheme year in its entirety. The vendor will use reasonable endeavours to transfer the entitlements to the purchaser as soon after completion as the transfer rules allow.

There are 58.54 entitlements (2016). The Basic Payment in 2015 (before deductions) was £10,490.12

Woodland Grant Scheme: There is a scheme in operation across 16.5 acres of the property. The scheme started in 1990 for a period of 30 years. The annual payment is £1,332.

Designations: The property is set in a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ).

Water Abstraction: The farm benefits from an Environment Agency abstraction licence which will be transferred to the purchaser

following completion of the sale. Licence no. 2568002228. The licence permits abstraction of 40,000 cubic metres from the River Wheelock for the purpose of filling the fishing pools. The associated pump chamber and pipework is in place between the river and fishing pools. More details are available from the vendors’ agent.

Sporting, timber and mineral rights: All sporting and timber rights are included in the freehold sale, in so far as they are owned. The mineral rights are not included in the sale.

Fixtures and fittings: All items usually regarded as tenant’s fixtures and fittings and equipment, including fitted carpets and

GeneralMethod of sale: The property is offered for sale as a whole, or in up to two lots by private treaty. The sale is subject to an annual contract farming agreement and grazing arrangement with local farmers. In some cases there are also up to 12 month caravan storage licences in place. Further details are available from the vendors’ agent.

Services: The Old Hough, farm buildings and fishery have three phase electricity and mains water. The Old Hough also has bulk gas central heating and septic tank drainage.

The Barn has a separately metered mains water and electricity supply, septic tank drainage and bulk gas central heating.

There is a separate water supply to some fields. There is separate three phase electricity supply to the water abstraction pump.

Wayleaves, easements and rights of way: The property is being sold subject to and with the benefit of all rights including; rights of way, whether public or private, light, support, drainage, water and electricity supplies and other rights and obligations, easements and quasi-easements and restrictive covenants and all existing and proposed wayleaves for masts, pylons, stays, cables, drains, water and gas and other pipes whether referred to in these particulars or not.

curtains, together with garden ornaments, sandstone troughs and statuary, are specifically excluded from the sale. These may be available to the purchaser by separate negotiation.

Local authority: Cheshire East Council (0300 123 5500)

VAT: Any guide price quoted or discussed is exclusive of VAT. In the event that a sale of the property, or any part of it, or any right attached to it, becomes a chargeable supply for the purposes of VAT, such tax will be payable in addition.

Health and safety: Given the potential hazards of a working farm we ask you to be as vigilant

as possible when making your inspection for your own personal safety, particularly around the farm buildings and machinery.

Directions From Sandbach take the A533 Middlewich Road north. After about 1.7 miles turn left onto Mill Lane. Turn right at the T-junction and after 2 miles, the drive to the front of the house will be observed on the left hand side.

ViewingStrictly by confirmed appointment with the vendors’ agents, Strutt & Parker in Chester 01244 354880 or London 020 7629 7282.

EPCs and Council Tax:

Property EPC Rating Council Tax Band 2016/17 paymentThe Old Hough N/A H £3,048.68The Barn D F £2,201.82

Fishing rights As a result of the vendors’ intention to move away from the area, they would like to offer their fishing rights on the River Dee in Carrog to a purchaser of The Old Hough. The one share they have in the Pen-y-Bont fishing syndicate gives the right to fish the River Dee at Carrog near Corwen on one set day of the week. The rights are available by separate negotiation. Please ask the vendors’ agent for more information.

Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Offi ce. Crown Copyright (ES763454). NOT TO SCALE

The Old Hough

Strutt & Parker ChesterPark House, 37 Lower Bridge Street, Chester CH1 1RS

+44 (0)1244 354880chester@struttandparker.com

struttandparker.com

Strutt & Parker London13 Hill Street, London W1J 5LQ

+44 (0)20 7629 7282london@struttandparker.com

struttandparker.com

60 offi ces across England and Scotland,including Prime Central London

IMPORTANT NOTICE Strutt & Parker LLP gives notice that: 1. These particulars do not constitute an off er or contract or part thereof. 2. All descriptions, photographs and plans are for guidance only and should not be relied upon as statements or representations of fact. All measurements are approximate and not necessarily to scale. Any prospective purchaser must satisfy themselves of the correctness of the information within the particulars by inspection or otherwise. 3. Strutt & Parker LLP does not have any authority to give any representations or warranties whatsoever in relation to this property (including but not limited to planning/building regulations), nor can it enter into any contract on behalf of the Vendor. 4. Strutt & Parker LLP does not accept responsibility for any expenses incurred by prospective purchasers in inspecting properties which have been sold, let or withdrawn. 5. If there is anything of particular importance to you, please contact this offi ce and Strutt & Parker will try to have the information checked for you. Photographs taken May 2016. Particulars prepared June 2016.