Way out west

Two vast and important estates in the South-West have it all, from copious farmland and rental income, to clifftop views and near-private beaches

- Penny Churchill

CURRENTLY for sale through Savills, two timeless mixed farming and residential estates in scenic and much sought-after areas of the South-West are already attracting interest from prospective purchasers in all sectors of the property world-from private and institutional investors to farmers, landowners, lifestyle buyers, conservationists and even would-be rewilders.

Today sees the launch in COUNTRY LIFE of the spectacular, 1,199-acre Trevalga estate on the north Cornwall coast between Boscastle and Tintagel, an area forever associated with the legend of King Arthur. The sale is being handled on behalf of the trustees of the late Gerald Curgenven, last Lord of the Manor of Trevalga, by Penny Dart of Savills in Exeter (01392 455700) and Alex Lawson in London (020-7016 3715), who quote a guide price of $15.75 million for the property as a whole.

The ancient Manor of Trevalga was given by William the Conqueror to Robert, Earl of Morton when he made him Earl of Cornwall in the 11th century. From the early 13th century until 1601, the manor was held by the Bassetts, before eventually passing to the Stephens family. In 1889, the Trevalga estate was placed in a trust for the Stephens family and continued in their ownership until 1933, when Mrs E. G. Stephens died, with no beneficiary to inherit.

In September 1934, the trustees sold the manor, comprising 12 houses, seven farms and some 845 acres of land to Gerald Curgenven, who subsequently acquired nearby Trehane Farm, Cardew Farm and Treweens Farm, thereby increasing the size of the estate to just short of 1,200 acres. Since Mr Curgenven's death in 1959, the estate has been managed by his trustees, who have authorised the sale in the hope that the estate will be bought as a whole by another committed long-term owner who will appreciate its unique appeal.