English Village for Sale

An historic, 2,003-acre estate in England has been placed on the market. The estate, which includes an entire village near Andover in the county of Hampshire is priced at £23-25 million ($33-36 million).

Linkenholt village for sale

The ring-fenced farming and sporting estate, in ancient landscape between Andover and Newbury in the North Wessex Downs, comprises 1,542 acres of arable and grassland, 425 acres of woodland a world-renowned high bird pheasant and partridge shoot, and the entire village of Linkenholt. If you have a thing for quaint English villages, this should be of interest because you don’t get more quintessentially English than this. The village includes a cricket-ground,  a blacksmith, a village shop and 21 cottages and houses of various shapes and sizes, many of which are listed buildings.

Oddly, the Manor house is being sold separately later on in the year. The estate provides an income of around £344,000 per annum, although I suspect the maintenance costs will eat rather heavily into that. According to David Cross of Savills, “For a serious farmland investor, the chance to own an estate with 2,000 acres of ring fenced, south-facing land in a glorious part of Hampshire probably outweighs the absence of a trophy house, or a state-of-the-art kitchen. But whatever the outcome, the sale of Linkenholt will certainly provide this year’s first real test of the market for large country estates.”

This may come as a surprise to some, but much of the English countryside and major cities, particularly London, is still owned by either the Crown or a distant descendant of some long-dead robber baron and only ever offered for sale freehold in unusual circumstances. This estate has a rich history going back more than 1,000 years,  and has been sold a number of times in the past. The current owners,  “The Herbert and Peter Belgrave Charitable Trust,” are selling the property for an undisclosed reason, although a quick stroll through their accounts for last year show a substantial loss. The estate is listed on their books as having a value of only £16.5 million, so, perhaps a deal might be in the offing.

The village is offered for sale by Jackson-Stops and Staff

More details on the history – Country life