£1m-plus guide price for estate

Great interest is anticipated in a scenic 190-acre estate near the south Shropshire border, which is to be auctioned next month with a guide price in excess of £1 million.

Horsley Hills Farm, Wolverley, near Bridgnorth is being sold by local agents and auctioneers Halls on behalf of the executors of the late Mrs H. M. W. Willcock, at the Gainsborough House Hotel, Kidderminster on May 14 at 6pm.

The rural estate comprises a period farmhouse in need of renovation, a range of traditional farm buildings, including some with planning consent for conversion into four-bedroomed holiday accommodation, around 125 acres of pastureland and over 63 acres of mixed woodland.

The farm, which is understood to have been owned by the same family since the 1930s, enjoys spectacular views and offers buyers an opportunity to create their own country estate in a very attractive area.

Located three miles north of Kidderminster and 10 miles from Bridgnorth, the farmhouse is believed to date back to the 12th Century, with the original sandstone footings still visible under the east wing and exposed timbers throughout the property.

Ground-floor accommodation comprises a rear kitchen and utility with a feature brick fireplace and former bread oven, shower room, quarry-tiled pantry, main kitchen with a feature inglenook fireplace and oil-fired Rayburn, dining room or office, front lobby, sitting room with window seats and former shutter windows and an inner hallway with stairs down to three cellar rooms.

Two staircases lead to the first floor where there are four bedrooms, a bathroom and a storage area.

The farmhouse stands in lawned gardens interspersed with mature shrubs and trees, a brick courtyard area and small lean-to to the rear and a further courtyard area to he west side, which is used for parking and storage.

The L-shaped range of traditional farm buildings comprises garages, two stables and a two-storey barn. Halls' director Daniel Lovatt said that as an alternative to holiday accommodation, the buildings could be converted into a farmhouse annexe, subject to planning consent.

Other farm buildings include a four-bay Dutch barn, four-bay lean-to, lean-to stockyard, brick-and-tin stock pen, timber pole storage barn and a concrete sheep yard.

The undulating pastureland ranges from clay based soils to shallow sand over a sandstone base and is served by several small streams and an overgrown pond. The woodland, which has been commercially managed, comprises a mix of main blocks and small parcels of broadleaf trees and conifers.

The farm is being sold without Single Farm Payment entitlements, which are held by a former tenant, who is prepared to sell them by separate negotiation.

Viewing is by appointment with Halls, Franche Road, Kidderminster. Tel: 01562 820990.