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Bargain
You can buy this entire village - including pub, petrol station and 43 houses - for €25 million
West Heslerton was owned by the same family for 150 years. But now the last owner is gone, and she had no heir…
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IF YOU’RE A multi-millionaire, sinking £20 million (€25 million) into a property in London will get you either a luxury flat or a house in one of Britain’s capital’s most sought after areas.
However, if you’re looking further afield, £20 million will buy you an entire Yorkshire village.
As of 4 April, estate agency Cundalls is selling West Heslerton - a Yorkshire village that comes complete with a 21-bedroom mansion, 43 houses, and over 2,000 acres of surrounding countryside. The village comes with its own sports pavilion and playing fields, too.
Tom Watson, a director of Cundalls estate agency, told the Yorkshire Post that: “it would be perfect for somebody wanting to build up and leave a legacy. The estate has been very much untouched in the past 50 years and is now a blank canvas ready to be shaped for the next generation.”
He added that he expects a huge amount of interest from developers and investors.
Take a look inside the incredible and quaint Yorkshire village that is up for sale.
West Heslerton was owned by Eve Dawnay who inherited the village from her father following his death in 1964. The village has been owned by her family for 150 years.
She died in 2010 at the age of 84 but didn’t leave the village to a single heir.
Instead she left the Yorkshire village, near Malton, to a number of beneficiaries who are looking to sell it off via Cundalls.
The village has 43 houses – all of which, according to Watson who spoke to the Yorkshire Post, were rented out at low prices.
“[Dawnay] was very kind and the property rents are, and have always been, very low. This has helped keep a village community with a mixed group of ages and there are obviously a lot of people hoping that somebody with a similar benevolent nature will come along to take over the estate,” said Watson.
The village also comes with over 2,000 acres of surrounding countryside.
It is made up of 2,116 acres of agricultural land, including 112 acres of woodland. Watson told the Yorkshire Post that the total annual rental and agricultural subsidy income is around £388,000 (€484,000).
West Heslerton even has its own sports pavilion, playing fields and its own football, cricket, and bowling teams.
It even has its own petrol station / garage.
One of the beneficiaries, Dawnay’s younger sister Verena Elliott, told the Yorkshire Post: “It’s not the prettiest of villages. It wouldn’t go on the front of a chocolate box but my great grandfather, grandfather and father loved it.”
“We all loved it and it would be very hard to find a village with more loyal and lovely people living in it. There is a real sense of community, which is hard to find these days. There are generations of families who have lived in the estate houses. In fact, there was a time when nobody ever seemed to move away,” added Elliott, who now lives in London.
Elliott said that while her family appreciates the loyalty of the villagers: “times have changed, especially when it comes to farming, and it will be lovely to see new life breathed into the estate.”
The centre-point to the village is the 21-bedroom West Heslerton Hall. However, Cundalls said that it is in need of renovation as Dawnay hadn’t lived in the hall for three decades.
Watson said that it is possible for a buyer to further expand and develop the land – into potentially more houses – without “spoiling the character of the village”.
Basically, if you buy the village, you’ll be able to make a lot of money off rent and expand your income by building more houses on it.
“It is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I just hope we can find the perfect buyer,” said Watson.
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