Down on the farm
Above: Chinhams Farm
Above: Weddington Farmhouse
Kent is known affectionately as the Garden of England, and images of bucolic bliss continue to be invoked by repeats of The Darling Buds of May. But the reality for many Kentish farmers is rather different.
As they struggle to recover from repeated setbacks - mad-cow disease, foot and mouth, constant changes in European subsidies - some are either giving up altogether, or selling their inherited farmhouses to raise capital whilst they continue farming the acres, but no longer live on the farm.
Lock, stock and barrell
Chris Older, Kent county chairman of the National Farmers’ Union, confirms that to get themselves out of a difficult financial position some farmers are having to sell up ‘lock, stock and barrel.’
He says: “We are just not getting enough for what we produce these days and often it is only by amalgamating production and establishing bigger farming enterprises that the industry is able to survive. The global food crisis and the opportunity to make good some of the shortages does, however, offer light at the end of the tunnel, especially for arable communities.”
As the fortunes of farmers have tumbled, so the incomes of those who earn their living elsewhere, especially in the City, have soared. With the majority of farmers now appreciating that farming is a business of marginal profitability, their farmhouse, and their land, have become prime assets.
it is now the old farmhouse which is most sought after
In the past, a former rectory or vicarage would have been the type of house favoured by families looking to purchase a substantial, but still affordable, home in the country. As these have become less available, it is now the old farmhouse which is most sought after.
Farmhouses have the added advantage that they usually have a number of outbuildings which tend to convert well into childrens’ playrooms, mother-in-law annexes, or offices where one, or both, parents can work from home.
The sturdy good looks of a Kent farmhouse are another asset, and those built in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries were soundly constructed using quality materials. Like coveted antiques, most have aged well.
The value of environment
“More than ever, people value the environment,” says Andrew Harwood, partner at Knight Frank in Tunbridge Wells, “and former farmhouses are top of the ‘wish-list’ for those wanting to move from town to country. This is particularly applicable to City high-flyers moving out of London.
“Farmhouses with views across unspoiled countryside are an established part of the local agricultural community, and this too, makes them attractive.
At the same time, farmers have a reputation for resilience and although they have been experiencing hard times, some have been astute enough to sell off their land piecemeal, possibly for equestrian use, or have converted their outbuildings into offices, workshops or for holiday lets.
A fine example of a Wealden hall house is Groome Farm, Egerton
“In these cases, they retain their heirloom farmhouse which has the effect of increasing the value of other farmhouses, probably sold by a farmer a generation or two earlier, when they come on the market.”
Edward Church, of Strutt & Parker in Canterbury, adds: “Kentish farms, which traditionally combined both livestock and arable operations, often with a small orchard or hop garden, were usually set around a pretty farmhouse with its own distinct character.
“Several started life as timber-framed hall houses, with a red-brick façade added in the Georgian era of gentrification. With an oast house located nearby, these have become some of Kent’s most distinctive landmarks.
“We are currently selling two farmhouses of contrasting architectural styles, Weddington Farmhouse at Ash, near Canterbury, and Church Farmhouse at Newington. Both have been separated from the land, have interesting historical features and include the most desirable element of a family house, a large farmhouse kitchen.”
Steep pitched
A fine example of a Wealden hall house is Groome Farm, Egerton, on the market with Savills of Cranbrook. This early 15th-century Grade II listed farmhouse, with steep-pitched Kent peg-tiled roof, has two acres of gardens, two three-acre paddocks and its own single-roundel converted oast house.
Chinhams Farm at West Kingsdown is for sale through Jackson-Stops & Staff in Sevenoaks. The present owner, Gary Lock, explains: “Before we bought the house 21 years ago, it had been the farmhouse of a working farm belonging to a well-established local farming family.
“They have been farming hundreds of acres in this area for decades, and continue to do so, but the upkeep of this house, with seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, two large outbuildings and nearly five acres, has now become too much, so we have decided to downsize.”
Business editor of Farmers Weekly, Andrew Shirley, agrees that few people now make a living from farming 100 or 200 acres. “Economies of scale and the lack of cheap labour no longer make it worthwhile, he says. Nevertheless, owning a farmhouse together with farmland can be attractive to non-farmers, especially if they are able to convince HM Revenue and Customs they qualify for Agriculture Property Relief and will not therefore be liable for Inheritance Tax. It is also easier these days to contract out your land to be farmed by someone else”.
Old MacDonald may no longer have a farm, but a great many people would like to own his farmhouse.
Related links:
Next property feature - coming soon
Previous property feature (Unique properties)