New Lease of Life for Disused Farm Buildings

The Duchy of Lancaster has formed a joint venture with award-winning housebuilder Francis Jackson Homes to transform a number of disused agricultural buildings on its Higham Ferrers estate in Northamptonshire into a small residential development.

Five individually designed homes will be created on Bidwell Lane in the village of Caldecott, just 2 miles from the centre of Rushden. Using traditional materials and built in a vernacular architectural style, each of the family homes will be finished to the high quality standard required by the Duchy under its design guide and interior specification.

Commenting on the scheme Duchy Head of Project Management Graeme Chalk said: “Higham Ferrers is one of the oldest estates in the Duchy’s portfolio and we take our responsibility to these historic assets extremely seriously. We are keen to see these unused buildings brought back to life, adding to the appeal of the surrounding environment and providing high quality homes for local people. Francis Jackson Homes has built up a reputation for the care and attention to detail they bring to their designs, making them the perfect partner for the Duchy on this project.”

Planning for the scheme was obtained in November 2018 and work is scheduled to start on site in Spring 2019, with completion by the summer of 2020. The finished units are expected to sell for

between £300,000 (for the semi-detached homes) to £850,000 (for the largest detached farmhouse).

Higham Ferrers has been part of the Duchy of Lancaster’s ancient inheritance since 1266 when Henry III confiscated the lands of Robert Ferrers (Earl of Derby) and gifted them to his son Edmund Crouchback. Today the Northamptonshire estate covers some 818 hectares and forms part of the modern Duchy’s Southern Survey.