4 bedroom farm house for sale

Method of Sale

Burts Farm is offered for sale freehold with the benefit of vacant possession, subject to the farming arrangements and licences that are in place - copies of which are available from the Agent. 

The property is offered for sale by private treaty with the intention of achieving exchange of contracts as soon as possible with completion expected to take four weeks thereafter. Upon agreeing a sale the Purchaser may be required to sign an ‘Exclusivity Agreement’ with a 5% ‘Exclusivity Fee’ being paid to and held by the Vendor’s solicitor. A deposit of 10% of the purchase price will be payable on exchange of contracts.

Although it is being advertised with the farm, Lot 4 is within a different ownership to Lots 1-3 and will be dealt with via separate negotiation/contract. 

Location & Description

Burts Farm is located in a most attractive and secluded location within Mid Suffolk, along a no through road on the outskirts of the desirable village of Drinkstone.  

Drinkstone is a pretty Suffolk village, neighbouring the villages of Woolpit and Rattlesden, which provide a range of local shops, primary schools and a health centre. Drinkstone is located approximately eight miles west of Stowmarket, which has a good range of everyday amenities and a mainline rail link to London Liverpool Street. Bury St Edmunds is approximately nine miles to the west and boasts an excellent range of schooling, shopping, recreational and cultural facilities. 

Lot 1 - Burts Farmhouse, Farm Buildings and 15.98 acres (6.47 hectares) 

The period farmhouse, being Grade II Listed, lies centrally within the farm and comprises a most attractive traditional timber frame part moated Suffolk property, with heavily timbered walls under a pantile roof.  It has mature gardens and adjoining garage, outbuilding with store sheds and additional sunroom providing ample outdoor storage area. It is anticipated that a purchaser would wish to undertake a complete renovation and refurbishment programme on the property.

Accommodation - The front door opens to 

Hallway - exposed fluted beams.  East facing lead light windows with secondary glazing.  Radiators.  Doors lead to the reception rooms, kitchen, cellar and the principle stairs lead to the first floor.

Kitchen

A spacious, farmhouse kitchen with north, south and west facing windows.  High and low level wall units.  Two integrated electric ovens with space and plumbing for a washing machine and dishwasher.  Roll edge work surface with one and half bowl ceramic sink with mixer taps and drinking water tap.  Exposed beams.  Radiator.  Secondary staircase leading to the first floor.  Door to the rear boot room and further door to the study.

Study

North facing window and south facing French doors into the garden room.  Radiator.  Timber clad walls.  Door to the wet room.

Garden Room

Of timber frame construction with a brick plinth.   Wall to wall south and west facing windows overlooking the garden.  Radiator.  Wall light points.  

Wet Room

Comprising shower, WC and hand wash basin.  Radiator.  East facing window.  Recessed spotlighting.  

Boot Room

Of timber frame construction with a brick plinth under a polycarbonate roof.   Wall to wall south, west and north facing windows as well as doors to the exterior.

From the hallway, further doors lead off to the reception rooms.

Dining Room

Impressive, fluted beams and inglenook fireplace.  West facing internal windows.  Radiator.  Wall light points.  A door opens to the sitting room.

Sitting Room

A spacious room that is sub-divided into two sections.  Fireplace with timber surround.  North and west facing windows with secondary glazing.  Radiators.  Built-in cupboards.  An opening leads to the conservatory and a door leads back to the hallway.

Conservatory

Of timber framed construction on a brick plinth.  Wall to wall south, west and north facing windows.  Bi-fold doors to the exterior.  Radiators.  Wall light points.

Cellar

A half cellar with ceiling height of approximately 5’.  Sump pump.  North facing window.

The principal staircase in the hallway rises to a half landing where there is an east facing window, a door to a cloakroom with WC and hand wash basin, and stairs continuing to the first of two landings.

Landing One

Stairs rising to the attic rooms with understairs cupboard. Doors to bedrooms one and two and bathroom one.

Bedroom One

A heavily timbered, dual aspect room with north and east facing windows with fine views.  Cast iron fireplace with timber surround.  Built-in cupboard.  Radiator.  Wall light points.  

Bathroom One

Comprising bath, WC and hand wash basin.  East facing window.  Radiator and towel radiators.  Airing cupboard with frost stat radiator and slatted shelving.  

Bedroom Two

A particularly spacious dual aspect bedroom with east and west facing windows with lovely views over the garden and farmland.  Cast iron fireplace with timber surround.  Radiator.  Wall light points.  Built-in and fitted wardrobes with hanging rail.  Door to bedroom three.

Bedroom Three

A double bedroom with west facing window to the rear of the property.  Built-in wardrobes with hanging rails.  Storage cupboard.  Hand wash basin.  Door to landing two.

Landing Two

South facing window.  Exposed timbers.  Secondary staircase leading down to the kitchen.  Radiator.  Doors lead to a cloakroom and bathroom two.

Cloakroom

WC and south facing window.

Bathroom Two

Comprising bath, hand wash basin and airing cupboard with lagged hot water cylinder and slatted shelving.  Radiator.  Door to bedroom four.

Bedroom Four

A double bedroom with east facing window with field views.  Part vaulted ceiling.  Radiator.  

From landing one, stairs lead up to two attic rooms.

Attic Rooms

These have been used for a model railway and still contain the tracks.  Vaulted ceiling.  Exposed timbers.  Radiators.  North and south facing windows.

Grounds and Gardens

A gate to the front of the house leads to an extensive shingle driveway and the garden. However, the main driveway to the house is located further along the lane where a five bar gate leads to a shingle drive and parking area.  Here there are a number of domestic outbuildings:

Garage One -  of timber construction on a brick plinth under a pan tiled roof and with weatherboarded elevations - 19’ x 17’5.  Up and over garage door to the front.

Store – of timber construction with weatherboarded elevations under a pan tiled roof -  22’11 x 12’9.  Personnel door at one end.

Office – of brick construction under a pan tiled roof and with windows and a personnel door.  Fitted shelves -  15’6 x 13’9.

Garage Two – of brick construction under a pan tiled roof - 15’4 x 17’9.  Roller shutter door to the front and personnel door.

The extensive parking area leads to the gardens that surround the house.  To the south and west are patio areas abutting the dwelling.  The front garden is fully enclosed by a historic brick and flint wall and is predominantly laid to grass, containing mature beds and trees.  The lawn continues to the north of the house and to the attractive mature garden where there are a number of ponds with footbridges crossing them, and also an abundance of specimen trees.  

Within the garden is a further brick-built store,  a timber summer house and also a brick built summerhouse that measures approximately 7’7 x 15’.    The immediate mature grounds and gardens extend to 1.90 acres (0.77 hectares). Beyond this, lying immediately to the west are two small fields, currently in an arable rotation, but which could very easily be put into grass, to serve as paddocks or amenity meadows to further compliment the farmhouse.  

Immediately south of the farmhouse is the farm yard and buildings. 

Farm Buildings

Providing a good range of traditional and more modern buildings which are accessed from the main farm driveway. There is good scope for alternative use on various farm buildings, subject to obtaining the necessary consents.

Granary/Cartshed 33’3 x 24’8 (10.17m x 7.57m)

A Grade II Listed granary building of timber frame construction with brick plinths predominantly timber clad walls and corrugated tin roof. Two open fronted bays, with store to one side and with steps to former granary above. Dirt floor. 

Suffolk Barn

A Grade II traditional Suffolk barn of timber construction with brick plinth and part timber and rendered walls under a thatched roof with corrugated tin ridge. Original barn doors on front elevation with personnel door to the side. Smaller double barn doors to the rear. The building contains the majority of original timbers but inside the building there is an internal sealed ground floor temporary structure which has been used for many years by the Bury Model Railway Club.

Arcon x2  32’3 x 21’3 (9.86m x 6.5m)

Two identical former Arcon buildings predominantly of steel and asbestos structure with block walling and concrete floors. One has been let out to the Bury Model Railway Club and the other is used as a farm spray store.

General Storage Building 72’1 x 36’ (22m x 11m)

Formally two livestock buildings now used as one, with steel frame and brick, block and asbestos walls with double pitch asbestos roof. Concrete floor. Four metre galvanised roller shutter door and personnel door on front elevation.

Grain Store One 119’7 x 35’1 (36.5m x 10.7m)

A wooden framed building with brick walls to approximately 1.5m with cement fibre cladding to eaves height and with asbestos roof. Internally, the building has a sloping concrete open to 7.5m in depth leading on to a vented wooden drying floor with a grain drying tunnel on one side of the building.  Capacity for 600 tonnes of grain storage. Double doors at either end of the building with a 5m x 5m galvanised roller shutter door on the front elevation and similar sized double wooden doors on far elevation.

Workshop 29’8 x 17’2 (9.1m x 5.27m)

A very basic steel frame with block walls and asbestos roof. Concrete floor and personnel door.

Grain Store Two 103’3 x 38’3 (31.5m x 11.7m)

A steel framed building with brickwork to approximately 4m on either side and galvanised profile chrome walling at either end with concrete vented floor and internal drying tunnel to one side. Asbestos pitched roof. Capacity for approximately 700 tonnes of grain storage. 3.5m x 4m galvanised roller shutter door on front roadside elevation and 5m x 5m galvanised roller shutter door on rear elevation leading to main yard area.  Internally the building contains the main electricity supply and meter for the farm.

Grain Store Two Lean-to 38’3 x 28’8 (11.7m x 8.8m)

Steel portal frame with brick and block work to approximately 3m on three sides with asbestos cladding above. Concrete floor and monopitch asbestos roof. Open sided on main elevation and dirt floor.

Former Livestock Building 144’8 x 30’2 (44.14m x 9.23m)

A concrete framed building with part block and part asbestos clad walls and open fronted on the southern elevation. Formally a pig or cattle building split into ten bays with predominately concrete floor. Pitched asbestos roof.

Yard 

An extensive and versatile concrete central yard services the majority of the buildings, from where a hard core track provides access to the public highway (Hill Farm Lane).

Farmland

The land at Burts Farm is offered for sale in three lots and is shown for identification purposes on the enclosed plan. In all, the farmland extends to 405.46 (164.09 hectares). The land has been farmed in hand to an exceptionally high standard for many years under a contract farm arrangement.  It is classified as Grades 2 and 3 under the DEFRA 1:250,000 Land Classification Map. The soil type is classified as ‘Ashley’, being a productive loamy and clayey soil, ideally suited to arable and grass rotations.

There is good access into each lot directly from the public highway or via a network of internal tracks. The land, which is comprehensively drained, has typically been in a white straw rotation of winter wheat, winter barley, sugar beet and oilseed rape. 

Lot 2 -  158.07 acres (63.97 hectares) - coloured green on the enclosed plan.

Lying to the north of the farmhouse and buildings, this lot comprises a superb block of predominantly arable land lying either side of Deadmans Lane. There is also a small area of mature woodland, two concrete pads and a small area of grassland.

Lot 3 - 199.11 acres (80.58) - coloured blue on the enclosed plan.

Situated to the south of Burts Farm, this lot also comprises an excellent ring fenced block of land with gentle and attractive undulation. With the exception of a grass meadow adjacent to Hill Farm, the land is all in arable production, with good size fields suitable for modern large scale machinery.  

Lot 4 - 48.28 acres (19.54 hectares) - coloured yellow on the enclosed plan.

Comprising a good sized single arable field, currently cropped in winter wheat, which has consistently produced high yielding crops.  The field boundaries are well defined by mature trees, hedgerows and ditches. Although Lot 4 is within a different ownership to Burts Farm (it is owned separately by the contract farmer), it has been farmed as part of the overall Burts Farm rotation.

Holdover

The vendor will require rights of holdover for the growing, harvesting and storage of certain crops through to  31st March 2025. Further information is available from the Agent.

Sporting, Timber and Minerals

All sporting rights, standing timber and mineral rights (except reserved by Statute or The Crown) are included in the sale of the freehold. 

Rights of Way, Wayleaves, Easements and Restricted Covenant 

The property is sold subject to and with the benefit of all rights of way, wayleaves and easements that may affect the property.  

Town and Country Planning 

The property is sold subject to any development plans, tree preservation orders, ancient monument orders and Town and Country schedules or other similar matters that may be or come into force.

Outgoings 

The land is sold subject to any drainage rates and other outgoings that may be relevant.  

VAT 

Should any sale of the Property, or any right attached to it, become a chargeable supplier for the purpose of VAT, such VAT shall be payable by the Purchaser in addition to the contract price. 

Structural Survey 

The vendor has commissioned a full building survey of Burt’s Farmhouse for the benefit of interested parties. Upon completion, the surveyors will assign the survey to the purchaser,  who will reimburse the Vendor for the cost of the survey, being £1,650 plus VAT - further detail is available from the Agent. 

Basic Payment Scheme 

No Entitlements nor any other quotas are available with the land.  The vendor will receive and retain all de-linked Basic Payments relating to the land.

Environmental Land Management

The land is not currently within an Environmental Stewardship Scheme nor Sustainable Farming Incentive. 

Ingoing Valuation 

If applicable, in addition to the purchase price, the purchaser will take over and pay for all cultivations and growing crops upon completion. Payment is to be made at the figure assessed by the Vendor’s Agent based upon CAAV rates or contractors’ rates where applicable and invoiced costs of seed, fertiliser and sprays applied plus enhancement value. 

Boundaries

The boundaries are based on the Ordnance Survey and are for reference only. Purchasers should satisfy themselves regarding these as no error, omission or misstatements will allow the Purchaser to rescind the contract nor entitle either party to compensation thereof. Should any dispute arise as to boundaries or any points arise on the general remarks and stipulations, particulars, schedules, plan or the interpretation of any of them, such questions shall be referred to the selling Agent whose decision acting as expert shall be final. 

The Property is registered with the Land Registry under Title Numbers SK302808, SK302803 and SK399136.

Lotting & Cross Rights

If the property is sold in Lots, there may be reserved rights agreed to benefit each lot and to ensure the continued access, maintenance and supply of services across the farm. Further details available from the Agent.

Fixtures and Fittings 

Unless described in these particulars, all fixtures and fittings are specifically excluded from the sale.

Information Pack

Additional information relating to Burts Farm to include data such as field names, past cropping, soil indices, rights of way, holdover, asbestos and building surveys etc is available from the Agent.

Anti-Money Laundering

In accordance with the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, once an offer has been accepted, the purchaser will be required to provide proof of identity and address prior to the instruction of solicitors. 

Viewing  Strictly by appointment with the Agent.  

Services  Mains electricity and water connected - the water is shared with other properties. Private drainage system (treatment plant).

Council Tax  Band G,  £3,277.13 payable per annum 2024/2025.                 

EPC  Rating  F.

Local Authority Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX.  [use Contact Agent Button].

Vendors’ Solicitor (for Lots 1-3 and Lot 4) Greene & Greene, 80 Guildhall Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 1QB. Contact: Jonathan Mathers. [use Contact Agent Button] Telephone:[use Contact Agent Button].

NOTES

1.      Every care has been taken with the preparation of these particulars, but complete accuracy cannot be guaranteed.  If there is any point, which  is of particular importance to you, please obtain professional confirmation. Alternatively, we will be pleased to check the information for you.  These Particulars do not constitute a contract or part of a contract.  All measurements quoted are approximate.  The Fixtures, Fittings & Appliances have not been tested and therefore no guarantee can be given that they are in working order.  Photographs are reproduced for general information and it cannot be inferred that any item shown is included.  No guarantee can be given that any planning permission or listed building consent or building regulations have been applied for or approved. The agents have not been made aware of any covenants or restrictions that may impact the property, unless stated otherwise.  Any site plans used in the particulars are indicative only and buyers should rely on the Land Registry/transfer plan. 

2.  The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 require all Estate Agents to obtain sellers’ and buyers’ identity.  May 2024