Manx National Heritage, the charity responsible for the Isle of Man’s natural and cultural heritage has started the search for a tenant farmer for land at Cregneash on the Southern Coast of the Isle of Man.
Rental offers are being invited for the landholding, which comprises approximately 126 acres of farmland, including a mixture of permanent pasture, arable land and conservation areas.
The land being offered for lease comprises 114 acres below the mountain line and 12 acres above. MNH is retaining land in the immediate vicinity of the village under its direct control as part of the visitor experience at Cregneash.
Under the tenancy, the MNH Loaghtan flock at Cregneash, along with Shorthorn and Kerry cattle will be transferred to the incoming Tenant under a loan agreement. The tenant farmer will also supply livestock for display in Cregneash village and will work closely with the MNH team.
Edmund Southworth, Director of Manx National Heritage said:
“In addition to operating our museums and visitor attractions, MNH have a wider estate of properties including residential properties, commercial premises and landholdings leased to tenants. Many of these are historic buildings and areas of landscape in some of the Isle of Man’s most stunning and precious settings.
This opportunity at Cregneash will be of particular interest to active farmers, who are keen to work with MNH, build their landholding, engage in conservation and benefit from the new agri-environmental support scheme”.
The duration of the tenancy will be for an initial 5 years and there will be the option to rent Calf View Barn for storage purposes at an additional rental.
Sarah Christian, Rural Property Manager for Chrystals Estate Agents said:
“Chrystals are delighted to be working alongside MNH to secure a new tenant for Cregneash. It is rare for agricultural holdings of 126 acres to come to the market and the letting at Cregneash offers a unique opportunity to promote sustainable farming with an emphasis on ecological biodiversity and conservation.”
Interested parties are invited to contact Chrystals Estate Agents to register their interest in the landholding. An open morning will be held on site at Cregneash on 11 May 2021. Interested parties should register with Chrystals beforehand and meet at 10am at Quirks Croft, which is located within the Folk Village. Draft lease terms will be available for inspection at the open morning.
All interested applicants will be required to submit rental offers and associated documents by 12 noon on Tuesday 1 June 2021.
Find out more at: https://www.chrystals.co.im/agricultural/property/10915623-126-acres-at-cregneash
ENDS
Notes for Editors
Largely driven by Deemster Percy Cowley, the establishment of the Manx National Trust in 1951 empowered the Manx Museum and National Trust (Manx National Heritage) to acquire land and resulted in other donations or purchases of land beyond Cregneash village, extending the ownership from south of Glen Chass to almost the Sound, taking in Spanish Head.
The past strategic acquisitions by the Trust has meant that the small field system at Cregneash has remained largely intact and has successfully resisted the post-Second World War pressures experienced elsewhere to remove hedgerows to create larger fields in the drive to increase production and improve efficiency. The result is that the field pattern that exists now at Cregneash would be familiar to our forebears farming this land many generations ago.
Associated links:
For all tenancy enquiries, please contact: Sarah Christian, Rural Property Manager, Chrystals Estate Agents
E-mail: Sarah.Christian@chrystals.co.im, Tel: 01624 623778.
For all media enquiries, please contact: Lynsey Clague, Communications Manager, Manx National Heritage
E-Mail: Lynsey.Clague@mnh.im, Tel: 01624 648032.