Anyone know Hodgetts Farming Ltd?

[SRRC]

They have just bought about 1600 tenanted acres round here, including me, I'm told they have farming interests in the Eastern Counties.
Anyone know anything about them?
Thanks

 

[onthehoof]

Says based in Somerset office in Bath, directors Simone Smith and Nicholas James Burrows net assets £11.5 million

 

[SRRC]

Yes, I read that, trying to flesh it out a bit more by using the combined knowledge of the FF!
It's all owned by a chap called Andrew Brownsword, the Ag side is run by Nick Burrows.

 

[onthehoof]

They have just bought about 1600 tenanted acres round here, including me, I'm told they have farming interests in the Eastern Counties.
Anyone know anything about them?
Thanks

Nicholas Burrows is also a director of Andrew Brownsword hotels also based in Bath with assets of £51 million. Not heard of them farming round here maybe another James Dyson

 

[SRRC]

Maybe my information is incorrect!

 

[exmoor dave]

Maybe my information is incorrect!

Who bough the deer park in the end?

 

[SRRC]

Still not clear I'm afraid. Savills had previously engaged in sale talks with some of us but then stated that the buyer wanted a ring fenced estate and as such The Crown Estate wouldn't sell individual farms. Despite this it seems like Hodgetts Farming Ltd has filleted out the best 1600 acres and left the rest. Savills maintain they are in talks to sell the rest, but trust in what they say has long gone.
The residential has been sold, so apparently has the woodland which had been divided into 3 lots. The Deer Park I don't know.
It's all as clear as mud.

 

[rob1]

IIRC AB is a greetings card producer and used to be a big sponsor of Bath rugby untill dyson took over and broke the salary cap rules, alledgedly of course, think he may still have an role at bath sohis mate dyson probably tipped him off on farmland

 

[West somerset]

Does anyone know what the aim of Hodgetts is in this area. We have an interest in a plot they have bought that the crown tried for building and failed. It is concerned that they will try the same. Little knowledge out there of the companies strategy. However Andrew Brownsword seems like a charitable man. Are they going to invest in the area or take out like the crown did?

 

[welshwizard]

A budding Basil Fawlty branching out into farming - http://www.brownswordhotels.co.uk/about/. He owns the hotel in Exeter that burnt to a cinder last year.

 

[West somerset]

How amusing! I was informed of this hotel. I know it's him behind the business as he is listed with the company as someone with significant control, PSC. However one document states the company bought the land for £11,060,000. Considering that some of the land around us wasn't even registered a year ago Savills has worked hard!

 

[bankrupt]

A budding Basil Fawlty

You mentioned the fire once and I think you may have got away with it.

 

[le bon paysan]

Didn't Brownsword own Bath rugby club, or might still?

 

[Jhabc]

Yes he owned Bath Rugby. Very successful and decent guy. There is nothing Fawlty Towers about his hotels and he has won numerous awards for them. He also owned Snow and Rock the ski and mountain gear retailers. Strongly suspect that Dyson would have suggested to him that he bought farmland.

 

[Exmoor.farming]

Hodgetts Farming Limited is owned by Sir Andrew Brownsword, a millionaire who has very limited interest in this area.
Having made the conscious decision to dismantle a once thriving Marshwood Farm, the company then disposed of all the assets required for a farming business.
They have sold away the farm house, farm buildings and associated equipment, including seven grain silos serviced by a modern grain drier.

In order to maximise grain production Hodgetts have ploughed up all the grassland they could and rented the remaining pasture to a distant sheep farmer some 20 minutes away. In terms of their care for the local environment there has been, hedgerows smashed down to the earth banks, fencing being removed and destroyed, gates and water troughs hit by hedge cutters.

In specific relation to the application:

A new track at the top of Eastbury Hill has been constructed to specifically avoid the difficulty of movement in and out of Wood Lane.

They sold away the farm buildings and now want another one.

3.2 - Although they say the encouragement of walking, cycling has been deemed irrelevant they were quick to impose a restriction when they bought the land to stop any further claims of access.

It would seem somewhat disingenuous to show on the plans new hedges at a minimum height of 2.5m when most of the other hedges on the farm are cut into insignificance.

This council should make a stand against this type of unneccesary development and make it more difficult for absentee land owners to dismantle working farms and then seek to rebuild those exact assets they have stripped away. Hodgetts purchased this estate off the market from the Crown Estate presumably in order to gain benefit from Inheritance tax exemptions, and although this application will most likely be passed, the council should be aware of becoming implicitly involved in contributing to the long term abuse of our environment.

Marshwood Farm used to employ a range of people and products used to flow out from the farm, now there is increased traffic from workers commuting and deliveries of sludge as no farm yard manure is produced anymore.

Hodgetts should publicly state their long term plan for the area as they may gain control of other farms in their portfolio which would give them back a multiplicity of farm buildings and farm houses. Also this application shows no provisions for storage of chemicals, seed, machinery all of which are needed for farming. Having some of these assets contracted out how can we be sure that the external contractors are able to carry on this farming enterprise without the need for further buildings and machinery!

 

[Devil's advocate]

Hodgetts Farming Limited is owned by Sir Andrew Brownsword, a millionaire who has very limited interest in this area.
Having made the conscious decision to dismantle a once thriving Marshwood Farm, the company then disposed of all the assets required for a farming business.
They have sold away the farm house, farm buildings and associated equipment, including seven grain silos serviced by a modern grain drier.

In order to maximise grain production Hodgetts have ploughed up all the grassland they could and rented the remaining pasture to a distant sheep farmer some 20 minutes away. In terms of their care for the local environment there has been, hedgerows smashed down to the earth banks, fencing being removed and destroyed, gates and water troughs hit by hedge cutters.

In specific relation to the application:

A new track at the top of Eastbury Hill has been constructed to specifically avoid the difficulty of movement in and out of Wood Lane.

They sold away the farm buildings and now want another one.

3.2 - Although they say the encouragement of walking, cycling has been deemed irrelevant they were quick to impose a restriction when they bought the land to stop any further claims of access.

It would seem somewhat disingenuous to show on the plans new hedges at a minimum height of 2.5m when most of the other hedges on the farm are cut into insignificance.

This council should make a stand against this type of unneccesary development and make it more difficult for absentee land owners to dismantle working farms and then seek to rebuild those exact assets they have stripped away. Hodgetts purchased this estate off the market from the Crown Estate presumably in order to gain benefit from Inheritance tax exemptions, and although this application will most likely be passed, the council should be aware of becoming implicitly involved in contributing to the long term abuse of our environment.

Marshwood Farm used to employ a range of people and products used to flow out from the farm, now there is increased traffic from workers commuting and deliveries of sludge as no farm yard manure is produced anymore.

Hodgetts should publicly state their long term plan for the area as they may gain control of other farms in their portfolio which would give them back a multiplicity of farm buildings and farm houses. Also this application shows no provisions for storage of chemicals, seed, machinery all of which are needed for farming. Having some of these assets contracted out how can we be sure that the external contractors are able to carry on this farming enterprise without the need for further buildings and machinery!

Interesting first post.

Do you not like him?

 

[Bury the Trash]

Interesting first post.

Do you not like him?

where in that post does it say anything about liking or disliking the man ?

do try to read and understand the post at least .

 

[David1968]

where in that post does it say anything about liking or disliking the man ?

do try to read and understand the post at least .

I suspect it was sarcasm.

You don't think it looks like someone with an agenda?

 

[SRRC]

Hodgetts Farming Limited is owned by Sir Andrew Brownsword, a millionaire who has very limited interest in this area.
Having made the conscious decision to dismantle a once thriving Marshwood Farm, the company then disposed of all the assets required for a farming business.
They have sold away the farm house, farm buildings and associated equipment, including seven grain silos serviced by a modern grain drier.

In order to maximise grain production Hodgetts have ploughed up all the grassland they could and rented the remaining pasture to a distant sheep farmer some 20 minutes away. In terms of their care for the local environment there has been, hedgerows smashed down to the earth banks, fencing being removed and destroyed, gates and water troughs hit by hedge cutters.

In specific relation to the application:

A new track at the top of Eastbury Hill has been constructed to specifically avoid the difficulty of movement in and out of Wood Lane.

They sold away the farm buildings and now want another one.

3.2 - Although they say the encouragement of walking, cycling has been deemed irrelevant they were quick to impose a restriction when they bought the land to stop any further claims of access.

It would seem somewhat disingenuous to show on the plans new hedges at a minimum height of 2.5m when most of the other hedges on the farm are cut into insignificance.

This council should make a stand against this type of unneccesary development and make it more difficult for absentee land owners to dismantle working farms and then seek to rebuild those exact assets they have stripped away. Hodgetts purchased this estate off the market from the Crown Estate presumably in order to gain benefit from Inheritance tax exemptions, and although this application will most likely be passed, the council should be aware of becoming implicitly involved in contributing to the long term abuse of our environment.

Marshwood Farm used to employ a range of people and products used to flow out from the farm, now there is increased traffic from workers commuting and deliveries of sludge as no farm yard manure is produced anymore.

Hodgetts should publicly state their long term plan for the area as they may gain control of other farms in their portfolio which would give them back a multiplicity of farm buildings and farm houses. Also this application shows no provisions for storage of chemicals, seed, machinery all of which are needed for farming. Having some of these assets contracted out how can we be sure that the external contractors are able to carry on this farming enterprise without the need for further buildings and machinery!

I'm not quite sure what your point is, if you'd like to talk about it further I'm happy to do so. You know where I can be found.

 

[bankrupt]

I suspect it was sarcasm.

Neither sarcasm nor its close mate irony seem ever to travel well online.