Following the refurbishment of a Grade II listed residential property on the Duchy’s Crewe Estate in Cheshire, Red Lion Farmhouse has been let to Tim and Joanne Leese.

Tim is an experienced engineer with a strong track record in the automotive industry, where he has held various senior roles for companies such as Rolls Royce and Audi UK. He is currently a senior manager at Bentley Motors Limited in Crewe, where he is responsible, among his other duties, for the management of the team responsible for the preparation of vehicles used by members of The Royal Family.

Joanne is a ward clerk at nearby Leighton Hospital and a veteran of the Royal Air Force. She has been the driving force behind the Hospital’s recent accreditation as a silver member of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). These awards are for employer organisations which pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to the armed forces community and whose values are aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant.

Tim and Joanne have three children, the youngest of whom, Amelia, has just begun her degree studies at Keele University. Both are keen gardeners and are currently in the process of restoring the property’s former vegetable garden.

Commenting on the letting, Senior Estates Surveyor Lydia Richards who manages the Crewe Estate, said: “We are delighted to welcome Tim and Joanne to the wider Duchy family. Red Lion Farmhouse is a spacious family home which has been fully refurbished in line with the Duchy’s own design guide and quality specification. We know that Tim and Joanne will enjoy living in this lovely characterful property and look forward to seeing the results of their hard work restoring the garden next Spring.”

Red Lion Farmhouse in Weston is one of 70 rural residential properties owned by the Duchy of Lancaster on the historic Crewe estate, many of which are period properties built by Lord Crewe in the 1850s. The Crewe Estate was acquired by the Duchy from Lord Crewe in the 1930s.