A Prime Arable Unit In The Heart Of Angus

Bell Ingram Press releases

Lot 2 (7) (1) RESIZE

A prime piece of Angus estate that offers a variety of development and agricultural opportunities – as well as a unique historical connection to South Africa – has come onto the market.

Holemill extends to around 82 hectares in total and is being sold as a package of five lots – available individually or as a whole – which includes the possibility of the redevelopment of two unique properties and the creation of an equestrian business.

The site, around six miles south of Forfar, also provides a powerful link to South Africa – Holemill was the original home of Peter Smith who emigrated to South Africa in the 1800’s where he founded the City of Dundee in Natal, having made his fortune in discovering and mining coal in the area.

Holemill is being marketed by Bell Ingram in Forfar for offers over £2.12 million for the whole. Each of the five lots are also available separately and priced accordingly.

Stewart Hamilton, of Bell Ingram’s Forfar office, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer these five properties to the market.

“Each one is productive and well situated and, whether purchased as a whole or individually, offers a fantastic opportunity to buyers to expand their existing business. We are looking forward to seeing the interest it generates.”

The main lot comprises the near 80 hectares of prime arable land divided into 10 parcels. The soil is Class 3(1) on the James Hutton Institute Land Capability for Agriculture Land Classification and is suitable for a wide range of crops.

The Holemill Farmhouse (Lot 2) has been tastefully adapted and enlarged to provide comfortable accommodation over two levels and includes six bedrooms. It includes a unique mill wheel feature in the living room. The adjoining buildings have been adapted for equestrian use and come with six acres of paddocks, providing scope to expand this as a separate business.

Holemill Cottage (Lot 3) is a charming, stand-alone two-bedroom cottage, with sunroom, with panoramic views over the countryside while Cotton of Kirkbuddo (Lot 4) provides an opportunity to develop a rural property in an unspoilt area into high quality family accommodation.

Finally, Holemill Mill (Lot 5) offers a unique opportunity to redevelop the original mill – originally dating to 1723 – into bespoke family accommodation. Full planning permission has been obtained.

Peter Smith seized on the opportunity of coal when the first proper survey of the Natal coalfields in 1880 confirmed that large workable deposits lay beneath the surface. The Dundee Coal and Estate Company was formed and a town plan set on the farm to meet the growing need for facilities and housing.

Peter Smith with his son, William Craighead Smith, son-in-law Dugald MacPhail (reputed to be among the last men to escape alive from Isandlwana, a major battle of the Anglo-Zulu War), and Charles Wilson, a close family friend, named the new township Dundee in 1882.

Smith floated the Dundee Coal Company on the London Stock Exchange in 1899, and Dundee soon emerged as a boomtown graced with stately homes and the first theatre north of Port Durban, Natal.  Pioneer traders from the Indian sub-continent settled here during the following decade, when Dundee became the meeting place of seven roads into the hinterland and coast of Africa. It remains a convenient central base for exploration of this corner of KwaZulu-Natal.

Dundee, Natal, is also central to many of the battlefields of the Boer War including Rorke’s Drift. The family gravestone funded by Peter Smith is located in the graveyard at Inverarity and many of his descendants still farm and live in the Dundee area.

Established 112 years ago, Bell Ingram has 130 professional staff across 11 UK offices, including chartered surveyors, estate and forestry managers, estate agents, architects, building surveyors, tourism and green energy specialists.
As Agents for the AMC, Bell Ingram can assist in securing finance for a huge number of on-farm projects or in the purchase of land and machinery. With a straightforward and knowledgeable approach to agri-businesses and with fixed interest rates available for up to 30 years, AMC can tailor their products to suit any requirement.