What Did We Buy?

One of the things that attracted us to our site was its diverse makeup. It wasn't just 17.5 acres of flat grassland but rather a characterful mix of grass, dell and woodland which also included a well developed house plot.

House Plot

The immediate highlight of the site was obviously the serviced plot with full planning permission, compromising around 2 acres in total. This includes an already flattened area with a bank that provides the backdrop for any house to be built.

The top of the bank has a number of mature trees already in situ in order to comply with a planning condition that any property should not be overly visible.

Presently the boundary of the plot is marked by fences and hedges (some overrun by invasive Hawthorn bushes), but we intend to "soften" the boundaries by removing the fences and taming the Hawthorn invasion.

Paddocks

A large part of the desire to move was to have sufficient land for Angus to be stabled at home. This means we want to build a stable block and need grazing for him (and any potential friends who may come to live with us). This is provided by 2 paddocks that together total around 9 acres. These fields have never been used for arable crops and have been regularly used for sheep and cattle grazing making them ideal for horses. One paddock is directly attached to the house plot but the other is only currently accessible via a crossing over the dell.

The Dell

Without the dell the site would have been ideal and very attractive, but with the dell it was amazing. It totals around 6.5 acres in area, with steep sides largely covered in mature trees. A stream flows through, fed from a spring and pond on a neighbouring field. There are several other streams that flow into the dell resulting in a varied wetland environment for much of the area. There is a slightly overgrown pond at the "bottom" end which we are hoping to rejuvenate and a small copse of willow trees at the "top" that bookend the wetlands.



Being slightly lower than the surrounding terrain it is wonderfully sheltered, adding to its charm.

The sides of the dell are steep enough to make descending difficult so we have created some simple steps to permit direct access from the house plot to a shaded spot next to the pond.