A well-kept residential farm with almost 140ac of dry land has come on the market in Co Down. The property is at Rossglass on the east coast of the county. It is two miles from Killough, five miles from Ardglass and seven miles from Downpatrick.
The farm has free-draining soils and a high sand content means land is dry throughout the year. When I visited the property last week, I walked the farm in a pair of trainers. It seemed remarkable given that at the same time, cattle were being re-housed in the west of the country due to wet conditions.
The current owner runs a commercial sheep enterprise and a small suckler herd. A proportion of the land is also used for growing cereals each year. It means that the entire farm is cultivated regularly, and the current grassland has been recently reseeded. In this cropping season, winter wheat and spring barley was grown on the property.
In total, the farm extends to 139ac. This includes 128ac of arable-type land and two acres of permanent pasture. The remaining area includes the yard, houses and rocky land that was previously a quarry.
The property also includes a three-bedroom dwelling house, a farmyard with a range of modern sheds and building site with planning permission for a detached house.
The private treaty sale is being managed by Savills and the guide price for the entire holding is £1.5m (€1.67m), or £10,790/ac (€11,960/ac). However, the farm is laid out in several blocks and the property is available for sale in five lots.
Dwelling house
The first lot includes the house, yard, site and 26ac of land at Lisoid Road. This lot is in close proximity to Rossglass beach, and the property has fine views of the Mourne Mountains and Irish Sea. Several scenic spots are located nearby, including St John’s Point Lighthouse.
The dwelling house has been renovated and modernised by the current owners and is mainly laid out over the ground floor, although there is a spacious attic too. It extends to 1,517sq ft, has oil-fired central heating, two stoves and double glazing.
There is a well-maintained garden to the rear and side of the property, as well as a concrete area for car parking at the other side. The garden includes shrubs, flowering plants, a kitchen garden, mature trees, and a hen run.
Beside the house is a two-storey garage, which is currently used as a workshop and gym, and a traditional outbuilding is located nearby, which is used as a store.
Farm buildings
The farmyard has separate road access and includes a four-bay, portal frame shed with vented cladding, block walls and a concrete floor. The general-purpose shed is used for lambing sheep in the spring.
It contains impressive sleeping quarters for the night duty shepherd. This room is positioned upstairs and above the pens, which allows ewes to be checked without causing disruption.
There is also a recently constructed polytunnel for additional sheep accommodation and storage, a general-purpose storage shed and traditional pig sheds.
The yard, like the house and the rest of the farm, has been well-maintained by the current owners and during our visit it was notable how there was nothing sitting out of place.
The building site has foundations laid for a 2,050sq ft house. It has a private entrance and the proposed building is over two levels, with two reception rooms, three bedrooms and a garage.
Other lots
The second lot has the largest block of land, extending to 64ac. It includes recently constructed livestock handling facilities.
Lot number three includes seven acres of land, whilst the fourth and fifth lots contain 11ac and 30ac, respectively.
Although a dispersed farm layout, all land is within a 1.5-mile radius and is accessed by public roads. The topography of property varies from 3m to 41m above sea level.
Fields throughout the property are well fenced, and the majority have drinkers which are supplied by mains water. The current owners have also planted stretches of hedgerows with double fencing throughout the farm which provides excellent shelter for livestock.