Tillyfour - Whole
Tough, Alford, Aberdeenshire, AB33 8DX
Guide Price
£7,000,000
Residential Tags: Farmhouse
Property Tags: Livestock Farm
Land Tags: Arable Land, Commercial Woodland, Fishing Rights and Lakes, Pasture Land, Permanent Pasture, Woodland
Summary Details
- First Marketed: Jul 2022
- Removed: Date Not Available
- Residential Tags: Farmhouse
- Property Tags: Livestock Farm
- Land Tags: Arable Land, Commercial Woodland, Fishing Rights and Lakes, Pasture Land, Permanent Pasture, Woodland
The ‘original home of the Aberdeen Angus breed’ - an exceptionally attractive livestock and arable farm
Description
Tillyfour is a highly attractive and renowned stock farm featuring an exceptional principal house with beautiful gardens. Extending to about 1,086 acres, the farm occupies a magnificent position surrounded by gently rolling and picturesque countryside with the backdrop of the Cairngorm mountain range in the distance to the west.
Tillyfour is approached from a private well-kept tarmac driveway with open fields on both sides. At the brow of the hill the drive branches into two with one leading to Tillyfour House and the other to the main farm steading. In addition to Tillyfour House there is a second farmhouse, Cairnhill, which can be reached from an alternative drive or by a well maintained internal track. Across the farm there are eight further dwellings.
In recent years the farm has been let on a Short Limited Duration Tenancy (SLDT) which comes to an end on 27 November 2022. The farm is well suited for carrying suckler cows and has in the past carried a herd of 190 spring calving cows and 100 autumn calving cows with followers in addition, albeit this included some additional land which may be available to lease. The land comprises a well balanced combination of arable and silage ground, permanent pasture and rough grazing which is interspersed with woodlands providing shelter and amenity.
The Tillyfour farm steading has an extensive range of buildings which are extremely well equipped for housing and handling cattle. There is a secondary steading at Cairnhill offering further stock housing and general purpose storage. The holding is entirely self-sufficient in terms of silage production, with about 200 acres of silage being cut and clamped or baled each year. The land has benefitted from regular applications of manure and rotational grass leys ensuring the land remains in good heart.
The farmland is classified by the James Hutton Institute for Soil Research as Class 3.2 and 4.1 and can be described as a medium loam ideal for the production of excellent grass and a variety of cereal and forage crops. It rises gently from about 190m above sea level along the northern boundary to 300m in the southeastern corner of the farm. The fields are well laid out and lie within a ring fence interspersed by good internal tracks facilitating easy movement of stock and farm machinery to most parts of the holding.
The amenity of the farm is greatly enhanced by the numerous and varied mature plantations which have been carefully planned and managed over the last 20 years to provide sport, shelter and commercial timber. With 92 acres of established woodland combined with the undulating topography, Tillyfour has the scope to provide exciting driven shooting. Until recently the sport was let and enjoyed on an informal basis but there is potential for a keen sportsman to develop a first class shoot particularly with the establishment of game crops. The extensive woodland plantations also provide cover for a number of roe deer.
The commercial woodland compartments, extending to 55 acres, primarily comprise mature conifers which could provide a valuable timber crop in the next five years. The remaining 37 acres are mainly native broadleaves. A felling licence has been granted for the clear felling of 46 acres across the farm. The proposed felling operations are a consequence of windblow damage that has resulted from the recent winter Storms Arwen, Corrie and Malik.
Tillyfour is offered for sale as a whole or in two lots as follows:
Lot 1 -Tillyfour Farm including Tillyfour House, Glentough Cottage, five cottages, farm steading and land extending to 735 acres
Lot 2 - Cairnhill Farm, including Cairnhill Farmhouse, two cottages and land extending to 350 acres.
Additional land extending to approximately 280 acres may be available to lease by separate negotiation. Further details are available from the selling agents.
Location
Tillyfour has an enviable position in rural Aberdeenshire. Private, yet accessible from the unclassified public road, Tillyfour occupies a slightly elevated position with far reaching views towards the Howe of Alford to the northwest and Craigievar Castle to the southwest. The landscape is typified by beautifully undulating farmland, punctuated with the occasional broadleaf tree copse and shelter belts, barley fields and grazing livestock.
Located in the northeast of Scotland, Aberdeenshire is one of Scotland’s largest and most diverse counties and extends from the North Sea coastline inland to the Cairngorm mountains which rise majestically to the west. Alford lies about 45 minutes’ drive west of Aberdeen (25 miles), nestled in the most attractive gently rolling countryside. Boasting fertile farmland, the area is renowned for producing award-winning livestock and all arable crops including malting barley which supplies many whisky distilleries in the region.
Aberdeen is a vibrant city with its oil and gas corporate headquarters, universities and colleges and provides all the services expected of a major city. Private schools include Robert Gordon’s College, the Hamilton School, St Margaret’s and The Albyn as well as the newly built International School of Aberdeen. Tillyfour is also well placed for easy access to Gordonstoun (private co-educational, day and boarding) which lies 42 miles to the northwest.
More locally, the small but growing town of Alford (5 miles) provides everyday facilities including a convenience store, doctor’s and veterinary surgeries, bank, post office, hotel, primary school and a new secondary school. The town also boasts a dry ski slope and the Grampian Transport Museum. The regional towns of Inverurie to the northeast and Banchory to the southeast, both 17 miles from the property, host additional amenities and facilities.
Aberdeenshire is a popular tourist destination for both the domestic and international market. Famous for first-class field sports including driven pheasant and partridge days, there are also a number of well managed grouse moors close by with hill and deer-forest stalking also available. The nearby rivers of Don and Dee, along with the rivers Deveron and Ythan to the north of the county, offer renowned salmon and sea trout fishing.
Tillyfour is well positioned to access a wealth of walking, hiking and cycling opportunities, including those offered within the Cairngorms National Park that attract many national and international visitors to the region each year. Away from the hills, there are distillery trails to follow and numerous golf courses in the county, with a local golf club at Alford, along with Trump International at Balmedie and Royal Aberdeen
Acreage: 1086 Acres
Additional Info
History - Tillyfour has a longstanding history with Aberdeen Angus cattle and is proclaimed to be the birthplace of the breed. The connection dates back to 1805 when William McCombie was born at Home Farm, Tillyfour. William McCombie was educated locally followed by further education at Marischal College in Aberdeen. He returned to the family farm working as an employee within the family business which involved transporting cattle to the borders of Scotland and England for fattening. During the 1820s McCombie took on the lease of Tillyfour from his father and began to build up his own herd. McCombie combined Angus ‘Doddies’ with Aberdeen ‘Hummlies’ to produce the black, hornless Aberdeen Angus cattle we know today. The two breeds were combined for their resistance to harsh weather, their undemanding and adaptable good nature and for their nicely marbled beef. McCombie referred to the date he founded his herd as 1832 which was the year his cattle won first prize at exhibitions. McCombie won over 500 prizes throughout the UK and Europe. In 1867 there was a Royal visit by Queen Victoria to Tillyfour to officially recognise the Aberdeen Angus as a breed. Prior to her visit a new wing was added to Tillyfour House and it is reported that she sat in the drawing room (now the principal bedroom) to watch the cattle being paraded in the field (known as the Bull Field) to the front of the house. McCombie was reported to be the most renowned breeder, feeder and exhibitor of cattle in Europe and amongst the best in the world. This reputation also stretched to the farm itself with Tillyfour regarded by many to be the original home of the Aberdeen Angus cattle.
Marketed by: Savills, Edinburgh Country
Description
Tillyfour is a highly attractive and renowned stock farm featuring an exceptional principal house with beautiful gardens. Extending to about 1,086 acres, the farm occupies a magnificent position surrounded by gently rolling and picturesque countryside with the backdrop of the Cairngorm mountain range in the distance to the west.
Tillyfour is approached from a private well-kept tarmac driveway with open fields on both sides. At the brow of the hill the drive branches into two with one leading to Tillyfour House and the other to the main farm steading. In addition to Tillyfour House there is a second farmhouse, Cairnhill, which can be reached from an alternative drive or by a well maintained internal track. Across the farm there are eight further dwellings.
In recent years the farm has been let on a Short Limited Duration Tenancy (SLDT) which comes to an end on 27 November 2022. The farm is well suited for carrying suckler cows and has in the past carried a herd of 190 spring calving cows and 100 autumn calving cows with followers in addition, albeit this included some additional land which may be available to lease. The land comprises a well balanced combination of arable and silage ground, permanent pasture and rough grazing which is interspersed with woodlands providing shelter and amenity.
The Tillyfour farm steading has an extensive range of buildings which are extremely well equipped for housing and handling cattle. There is a secondary steading at Cairnhill offering further stock housing and general purpose storage. The holding is entirely self-sufficient in terms of silage production, with about 200 acres of silage being cut and clamped or baled each year. The land has benefitted from regular applications of manure and rotational grass leys ensuring the land remains in good heart.
The farmland is classified by the James Hutton Institute for Soil Research as Class 3.2 and 4.1 and can be described as a medium loam ideal for the production of excellent grass and a variety of cereal and forage crops. It rises gently from about 190m above sea level along the northern boundary to 300m in the southeastern corner of the farm. The fields are well laid out and lie within a ring fence interspersed by good internal tracks facilitating easy movement of stock and farm machinery to most parts of the holding.
The amenity of the farm is greatly enhanced by the numerous and varied mature plantations which have been carefully planned and managed over the last 20 years to provide sport, shelter and commercial timber. With 92 acres of established woodland combined with the undulating topography, Tillyfour has the scope to provide exciting driven shooting. Until recently the sport was let and enjoyed on an informal basis but there is potential for a keen sportsman to develop a first class shoot particularly with the establishment of game crops. The extensive woodland plantations also provide cover for a number of roe deer.
The commercial woodland compartments, extending to 55 acres, primarily comprise mature conifers which could provide a valuable timber crop in the next five years. The remaining 37 acres are mainly native broadleaves. A felling licence has been granted for the clear felling of 46 acres across the farm. The proposed felling operations are a consequence of windblow damage that has resulted from the recent winter Storms Arwen, Corrie and Malik.
Tillyfour is offered for sale as a whole or in two lots as follows:
Lot 1 -Tillyfour Farm including Tillyfour House, Glentough Cottage, five cottages, farm steading and land extending to 735 acres
Lot 2 - Cairnhill Farm, including Cairnhill Farmhouse, two cottages and land extending to 350 acres.
Additional land extending to approximately 280 acres may be available to lease by separate negotiation. Further details are available from the selling agents.
Location
Tillyfour has an enviable position in rural Aberdeenshire. Private, yet accessible from the unclassified public road, Tillyfour occupies a slightly elevated position with far reaching views towards the Howe of Alford to the northwest and Craigievar Castle to the southwest. The landscape is typified by beautifully undulating farmland, punctuated with the occasional broadleaf tree copse and shelter belts, barley fields and grazing livestock.
Located in the northeast of Scotland, Aberdeenshire is one of Scotland’s largest and most diverse counties and extends from the North Sea coastline inland to the Cairngorm mountains which rise majestically to the west. Alford lies about 45 minutes’ drive west of Aberdeen (25 miles), nestled in the most attractive gently rolling countryside. Boasting fertile farmland, the area is renowned for producing award-winning livestock and all arable crops including malting barley which supplies many whisky distilleries in the region.
Aberdeen is a vibrant city with its oil and gas corporate headquarters, universities and colleges and provides all the services expected of a major city. Private schools include Robert Gordon’s College, the Hamilton School, St Margaret’s and The Albyn as well as the newly built International School of Aberdeen. Tillyfour is also well placed for easy access to Gordonstoun (private co-educational, day and boarding) which lies 42 miles to the northwest.
More locally, the small but growing town of Alford (5 miles) provides everyday facilities including a convenience store, doctor’s and veterinary surgeries, bank, post office, hotel, primary school and a new secondary school. The town also boasts a dry ski slope and the Grampian Transport Museum. The regional towns of Inverurie to the northeast and Banchory to the southeast, both 17 miles from the property, host additional amenities and facilities.
Aberdeenshire is a popular tourist destination for both the domestic and international market. Famous for first-class field sports including driven pheasant and partridge days, there are also a number of well managed grouse moors close by with hill and deer-forest stalking also available. The nearby rivers of Don and Dee, along with the rivers Deveron and Ythan to the north of the county, offer renowned salmon and sea trout fishing.
Tillyfour is well positioned to access a wealth of walking, hiking and cycling opportunities, including those offered within the Cairngorms National Park that attract many national and international visitors to the region each year. Away from the hills, there are distillery trails to follow and numerous golf courses in the county, with a local golf club at Alford, along with Trump International at Balmedie and Royal Aberdeen
Acreage: 1086 Acres
Additional Info
History - Tillyfour has a longstanding history with Aberdeen Angus cattle and is proclaimed to be the birthplace of the breed. The connection dates back to 1805 when William McCombie was born at Home Farm, Tillyfour. William McCombie was educated locally followed by further education at Marischal College in Aberdeen. He returned to the family farm working as an employee within the family business which involved transporting cattle to the borders of Scotland and England for fattening. During the 1820s McCombie took on the lease of Tillyfour from his father and began to build up his own herd. McCombie combined Angus ‘Doddies’ with Aberdeen ‘Hummlies’ to produce the black, hornless Aberdeen Angus cattle we know today. The two breeds were combined for their resistance to harsh weather, their undemanding and adaptable good nature and for their nicely marbled beef. McCombie referred to the date he founded his herd as 1832 which was the year his cattle won first prize at exhibitions. McCombie won over 500 prizes throughout the UK and Europe. In 1867 there was a Royal visit by Queen Victoria to Tillyfour to officially recognise the Aberdeen Angus as a breed. Prior to her visit a new wing was added to Tillyfour House and it is reported that she sat in the drawing room (now the principal bedroom) to watch the cattle being paraded in the field (known as the Bull Field) to the front of the house. McCombie was reported to be the most renowned breeder, feeder and exhibitor of cattle in Europe and amongst the best in the world. This reputation also stretched to the farm itself with Tillyfour regarded by many to be the original home of the Aberdeen Angus cattle.
Marketed by: Savills, Edinburgh Country
Land Registry Data
- No historical data found.