Low Merryton Farm

• CLOSING DATE SET- 12 NOON TUESDAY 3RD OCTOBER 2023
• Spacious Traditional Farmhouse with far reaching views
• A range of traditional and semi-modern agricultural buildings
• A well-managed block of Grade 3.1/3.2 grazing and arable land.
• Areas of Rough Grazing with Natural Capital opportunities
• Historical ‘Home of the Clydesdale Horse’
• Fishing Rights on the River Clyde
• Accessible location straight off J7 of the M74, providing excellent access to road networks.
• 2 Telecoms masts generating income.
• Separate 5 bed cottage which is available for sale through separate negotiation
• FOR SALE AS A WHOLE OR IN 3 LOTS

SITUATIONLow Merryton Farm comprises a productive grassland unit extending to 157.96 ha (390.33 acres), which has until recently been run as a dairy farm. The property is situated in an extremely accessible location a short distance to the west of J7 on the M74. Low Merryton Farm is just 1.5 miles to the centre of Larkhall and 4 miles south east of Hamilton. The historic industrial town of Larkhall provides an excellent range of local services and amenities with the City of Glasgow, Scotland’s largest City, being within 17 miles to the north west of the farm, with world renowned shopping outlets, businesses, and entertainment facilities. Glasgow Airport is about 23 miles and offers regular flights throughout the UK, Europe and beyond. Larkhall, Merryton and Chatelherault railway stations are located close by and provide for easy rail travel with regular connections to Glasgow and beyond. Larkhall is home to a number of primary schools and benefits from secondary schooling, with private schooling nearby at Hamilton College or within Glasgow itself offering a wider range of highly regarded independent private schools. The racecourse at Hamilton provides regular fixtures.Agriculturally the surrounding area of South Lanarkshire provides an attractive location with a combination of productive pasture and arable ground with rolling hills in the distance. The area is well known for being early in terms of grass and crop growth in the spring, compared to other areas of Lanarkshire. The farm is within reaching distance of a number of livestock markets and agricultural merchants.DESCRIPTIONLow Merryton Farm extends to 157.93 ha (390.33 acres) of grassland and rough grazing. The farm is centred around the farmhouse and steading and the farm is split by the M74 creating two separate blocks of land with access over the M74 via a private shared flyover. The farm benefits from a range of traditional and semi-modern agricultural buildings which have been used for the purposes of cattle housing and general storage.The farm steading retains many of its original traditional features such as the tack and farriers’ room from when the Clydesdales were bred, produced and sold at the property. The original oak framed trusses can still be seen in the former stable buildings, which is now a cubicle shed.Low Merryton farm also has the addition of 2 telecoms masts which are located on the property.METHOD OF SALELow Merryton Farm is offered for sale as a whole or in 3 lots.HISTORY OF FARMLow Merryton Farm, previously owned by the Duke of Hamilton, was home to Lawrence Drew, a pioneer in developing the Clydesdale Horse breed, who farmed and offered some of the best quality and highest in number Clydesdale Horses for sale at ‘on farm sales’. These sales included the famous Prince of Wales stallion who sold for a reputed £1,500 in 1867 - £170,000 in today’s money. It is reported that sales ran between 1879 and 1884 and drew buyers from throughout the UK, Ireland and beyond.LOT 1: LOW MERRYTON FARM (INCLUDING FARMHOUSE, BUILDINGS AND LAND EXTENDING TO 157.93 HA (390.25 Acres)Low Merryton FarmhouseLow Merryton Farmhouse is a traditional stone-built farmhouse under a pitched slate roof with UPVC double glazed windows and oil-fired central heating. The farmhouse offers a spacious and flexible accommodation over two storeys which provides the opportunity for modernisation. The farmhouse is located in an elevated position with far reaching views to the northeast.The accommodation over two floors comprises:Ground Floor:Kitchen, pantry, sitting room, lounge/dining room and bathroom with a further utility room, boiler room and lofted room which could be used as an office or bedroom.First Floor:Four double bedrooms and wet roomThe farmhouse benefits from a compact area of garden with a number of mature bushes and trees providing an element of shelter and amenity.Farm BuildingsThe farm buildings at Low Merryton Farm are situated within close proximity to Low Merryton Farmhouse. The farmstead offers a traditional element where the buildings are located in a courtyard setting which include the former dairy buildings, cubicle shed, and barns, all of which are of traditional stone construction under predominately pitched slate roofs with some areas of box profile and corrugated sheeting. There is also a former smiddy and turret set within the farmstead which creates the link back to the farms history and is a key feature of the farm at present.There is a number of semi-modern farm buildings which have been constructed more recently, which are of steel portal frame construction. These have been utilised for housing livestock. The farm buildings comprise:2 external silage clamps, constructed with steel H-beam and timber sleeper walls.Tank Room (5.65m x 5.18m)Of stone and brick construction under a slate roof with concrete floor.Store Room (5.06m x 2.84m)Of brick construction under a part slate/part box profile sheeted roof with concrete floor.Wash House (3.83m x 3.17m)Of brick construction under a slate roof with concrete floor.Boiler Room (6.5m x 3.00m)Of brick construction under a slate roof with concrete floor.External W/C (6.5m x 2.5m)Of brick construction under a slate roof with concrete floor.Pump HouseOf brick construction under a slate roof with concrete floor. The pump house is split into two separate rooms.Room 1 (2.78m x 1.13m)Room 2 (4.90m x 1.88m)Parlour (18.21m x 4.87m)Of stone and brick construction under a slate roof with concrete floor.Bull Pen (3.75m x 3.36m)Of stone construction under a slate roof with concrete floor.Cubicle Shed 1 (28.9m x 7.11m)Of brick construction with brick walls, part slate/part box profile sheeted roof with concrete floor with 46 cubicle spaces.Cubicle Shed 2 (19.6m x 10.3m)Of brick construction with stone walls, part slate/part profile sheeted roof with concrete floor with 42 cubicle spaces.Feed Area (38m x 23.5m)Of steel portal frame with stone and block walls, under a box profile roof, concrete floor and silage bunkers.Cubicles/Former Stables (36.9m x 7.72m)Of stone construction with stone walls, part slate/part box profile sheeted roof, with a concrete floor with 55 cubicle spaces. There are solid oak timber roof trusses.Cart Shed (8.37m x 5.8m)Of stone construction with stone walls, box profile sheeted room and a suspended timber floor.Harness Room (6.61m x 5.4m)Of stone construction with stone walls. This room has traditionally been timber clad.Lean to (18.77m x 5.16m)Of brick construction with brick walls under a part slate/part box profile sheeted roof with a concrete floorBarn:Of stone construction with stone walls under a part slate and part box profile sheeted roof, the various rooms within the barn have a combination of timber and concrete flooring with the two lofts been timber floored. The rooms are as follows:Loft 1 (12.18m x 6.5m)Loft 2 (20.4m x 6.5m)Bothy above tack room (7.8m x 6.5m)Slurry StoreThe LandThe agricultural land within Lot 1 at Low Merryton Farm extends to approximately 390.25 acres (157.93 ha). The land is split into two blocks by the M74 with access taken to the northern block via an internal shared flyover. The land on the western side of the M74 is predominantly classified as a mix of Grade 3.1 and 3.2 by the James Hutton Institute and has been utilised for purposes of grazing and silage production.The land comprises 194.96 acres (78.90 ha) of arable/silage ground which is currently utilised for grazing livestock but has previously produced arable crops. There is 161.83 acres (65.49 ha) of permanent grazing and a further 5.21 acres (2.11 ha) of woodland. In addition to this Low Merryton Farm also has 28.24 acres (11.43 ha) which include yard, miscellaneous, BPS ineligible areas and road areas plus the additional ownership of the watercourse. It is understood from the Seller that many areas of land which is now classed as silage ground and grazing has historically grown crops of barley given the quality of the underlying soil.The agricultural land at Low Merryton Farm rises to approximately 70m above sea level at its highest point. The majority of the land has stock proof fencing where livestock has previously grazed, further areas of the land have recently undergone fence repairs and new fences have been erected where required.The soils of the farm, on the western side of the M74 are generally classified as Brown Soils of the MacMerry series, mostly being classified as Grade 3.1 with a small area of 3.2 for the purposes of agriculture with the land on the eastern side of the M74 being a mixture of Brown Soils of the Caprington and Darvel series with some Noncalcareous Gleys of the Complex series.LOT 2: TELECOMS MAST 1The mast is located to the south side of the most northern block of agricultural land, running parallel with the M74. The mast is sat on 0.07 acres (0.03 ha) of land. The mast is currently leased to Hutchison 3G UK Limited and Everything Everywhere Limited (Now Mobile Broadband Network Limited, known as MBNL for convenience) and generates an annual rent of £4,500. There is a specific right of access track through Merryton Farm to reach the mast which can be outlined in the lease, and in the sale plan from point A to B. A copy of the lease is available from the Selling Agents.LOT 3: TELECOMS MAST 2A second telecoms mast is also located along the south side of the most northern block of agricultural land, running parallel with the M74. The mast is located on 0.01 acres (0.004 ha) of land and is ring fenced. The mast is currently leased to Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited (CTIL) and generates an annual rent of £5,972.34. There is a specific right of access track through Merryton Farm to reach the mast which can be outlined in the lease, and in the sale plan from point A to C. A copy of the lease is available from the Selling Agents.