Country Matters 2023

COUNTRY MATTERS

With clear and measured advice, will show you the solution.

Life can be puzzling, and it is often difficult to understand what everything means.

WELCOME WELCOME

Irecently met up with an old Cirencester University contemporary and he told me about his life. He had qualified as a Chartered Surveyor, moved to London, set up a development business and was now ‘living the dream’ in Ibiza with his wife, who works as a DJ, and children. He was tanned, fit, and looked very happy.

He then said, “I haven’t seen you for over 30 years but last time we met you were an auctioneer in the West Country. What are you doing now?”

I felt rather unadventurous when I told him I was still in the same firm doing, roughly, the same job and in the same patch. But to my surprise he said he was rather envious. He talked about putting down roots, and building lasting – and trusting – relationships, as well as working in one of the most beautiful parts of the UK.

I have reflected on this many times, especially when we provide our usual forum for friendship and business at the summer shows. We see many familiar faces – some have been clients for generations. There are also those who may be new to the area, and Symonds & Sampson, but all have been warmly welcomed. Meeting the next age group is particularly interesting, and their ideas and energy are often inspiring.

It was particularly good to meet up with my two predecessors, Alastair Cowen and Andrew Robinson (we have had only three Senior Partners in 40 years) last summer. Both men still retain a huge amount of respect, and attract business to the firm, and their wise, sage, words are often quoted among Partners and staff. They also retain a great interest in what we are doing, and it shows, perhaps, that you never really leave Symonds & Sampson!

This edition of Country Matters has encouraged a breadth of articles from all departments, and I hope there will be something for everyone, whether it is a professional article about the present and future, or stories from the past.

We have also indulged our love of art throughout these pages, and taken a few liberties with our interpretation of the classics. It’s all a matter of having the imagination to see things from a different angle – and that’s one of the strengths of Symonds & Sampson.

I hope you enjoy reading the magazine.

#established1858

Whichever way the wind blows, Symonds & Sampson will guide you in the right direction.

Professional and Planning

We’ve packed this section with expert advice!

Whether you’re considering hosting renewable energy equipment on your land, need a steer on getting compensation from utility companies, or want an update on public rights of way – it’s all here. You can get clued up on lawful development certificates, and dip into the world of our Surveyors and Valuers. Join the debate as we ask whether the planning system is failing, and discuss mental health concerns in the construction industry. There’s a behind-the-scenes look at life in Poundbury, a few forays into wartime history, advice on setting up your own airstrip, and we’ve even made time for a hand of bridge.

Bright Ideas

One of the most difficult problems for a landowner to consider when going into a Solar PV Scheme or Battery Energy Storage Solution (BESS) is: In whose name should the land be held?

The life of any Solar PV or BESS system is generally upwards of 35 years, so the person who currently owns the land may well not be at the helm when the scheme comes to an end. This could raise some complicated and financially painful tax issues if not dealt with correctly.

be passed to anyone else, thereby preventing the landowner from going with a different developer.

We would always recommend first negotiating the heads of terms which will dictate the basis of the next 35-plus years, should the developer be successful. Otherwise you risk being stuck with a deal that is less desirable.

We regularly work with clients’ accountants and solicitors. Between the three professionals, it helps to provide well-rounded and sensible advice on what is to be received in terms of the financials, as well as the short and long-term tax implications, and any resulting legal ramifications arising from the development. Taking the right advice early on is key to protecting our client’s estate and the next generation’s inheritance.

In the last 12 months, we have seen an ever-growing number of developers writing direct to landowners, particularly those in good irradiation areas, away from Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (where planning policy is more restrictive), and within easy reach of a sub-station or main overhead line connection.

Very often these developers promise to pay the very best rates, with guaranteed success, early signing fees and suchlike. Such assurances should be treated with caution as a known tactic of some developers is to apply a scattergun approach and attempt to sign up several landowners, keeping them tied up in exclusivity agreements and preventing them from talking to anyone else.

I often hear of developers asking clients to sign an LOA (Letter of Authority) and reassuring them it does not obligate them to commit to that particular developer; it only establishes whether or not there is any capacity on the grid for connection in that location. This is not entirely correct, and we would warn against signing an LOA before ‘heads of terms’ are agreed.

If you sign an LOA, the developer can apply for a grid connection to the District Network Operator. If awarded capacity, that capacity/offer stays with that developer and cannot

What level of income to expect? There are too many variables to list in this article, but as a guide (at June 2022) Solar PV rates are in the region of £1,100 to £1,250 per acre, and BESS systems are in the region of £1,500 to £2,000 per MW stored.

For a BESS arrangement, it is possible to accommodate in the region of 15MW of storage capacity per acre and thereby it is fast becoming the favoured option, given the higher overall value per acre.

We would also usually insist on the landowner receiving a percentage of gross revenue generated by the battery storage, which is in addition to the base rent. The client’s professional fees should also be covered by the developer.

If you are interested in your land being promoted for Solar PV or BESS, please contact us and take the advice of experienced professionals before signing up with any developer. In most cases the developer is only there to complete the site build and commission the connection to the grid. Thereafter the site lease is often sold to a third party and you could be stuck with an unknown quantity for the next several decades.

In these circumstances it is always better to have everything vetted by professionals from the outset, rather than relying solely on the very nice person from that development firm who first wrote to you and assured everything would be OK.

The future is bright when you take the right advice.

It is always better to have everything vetted by professionals from the outset

Apollo Allegory of the Planets and Continents Giambattista Tiepolo

If you’re thinking about hosting a solar farm or battery storage asset on your land, A-J Monro has some useful advice

Utility Room

As our population grows, so does the demand for housing, schooling and retail (to name a few). In order to service this demand, there comes a need for new pipelines and cables for the various utilities.

Whether the intended pipeline is for drainage, water or gas, the cables for internet or electricity, the process under which they are implemented generally begins with the utilities companies.

Every year these companies spend many millions of pounds installing, repairing and improving the infrastructure – some might say they need to spend more!

Cables and pipelines owned by utility companies are, of course, often found on farmland. However, much of this infrastructure is ageing and running at full capacity. Because of this, repair work and equipment upgrades are frequently required in order to keep the networks going.

An owner or occupier of land will receive notice from such a company explaining that they are planning to access land to install, maintain or improve their infrastructure. There is no set time of year for such notice to be served, which can

make it rather inconvenient and frustrating if a crop is about to harvested, or a field has just been drilled.

These companies benefit from a range of statutory powers, which have been granted to them to enter land, such as through the Electricity Act 1989, the Water Industry Act 1991 or the Gas Act 1986. Utility companies use these powers to varying degrees.

Under the Water Industry Act 1991, they will need to serve a Section 159 Notice, which will give 42 days’ notice before they can legally take entry (unless it’s an emergency). If they do not serve this notice, the landowner can refuse their right of entry.

The works must meet certain conditions, and statutory notices must be served for their powers to be effective. In some cases, the statutory powers are only used as a last resort if the utility company and landowner/occupier haven’t been able to agree the terms for access and working arrangements between themselves in the first instance.

Compensation will be due to the landowner/occupier for the work undertaken. With our comprehensive understanding of the legislation, and what’s involved in the access, works, reinstatement and financial loss, Symonds & Sampson is well placed to advise and act for clients faced with the prospect of disruption and loss.

Responsibility for our fees in representing clients rests with the utility company involved, so there is everything to gain from being professionally represented when that notice arrives.

Lucy Carnell MRICS BSc (Hons) Rural Surveyor lcarnell@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01935 382901

Responsibility for our fees in representing clients rests with the utility company

When pipelines or power cables cross your land, utility companies may need access for repairs, maintenance and upgrades.

Lucy Carnell explains your rights

Ground Force

The A30 is a long road – 284 miles – running from London to Land’s End and crosses some of England’s most beautiful countryside. There is often something interesting to see, and many travellers stop at Fovant, in the Nadder Valley on the Dorset/Wiltshire border, to look at the regimental badges cut into the chalk hills.

They date back to the First World War and were created by soldiers garrisoned nearby waiting to go to France. The first was cut in 1916; there were 20 at one time but only nine survive today, and it is little wonder they are now Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

The Fovant Badges Society is a voluntary organisation which has the objective of maintaining the regimental badges. The Society is determined the badges remain a historic, fitting and truly visible memorial to the soldiers, many of whom did not return from the trenches.

Several regiments created replica cap badges on the downs by cutting the turf and infilling with chalk. Although not all the badges have survived, several were recently restored.

Reading left to right if you are looking from the A30, the badges are:

Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry was established in 1794 and disbanded in 1967. Soldiers fought at Ypres in 1917 and the German Spring Offensive of 1918.

YMCA – Young Men’s Christian Association –building huts to support soldiers.

City of London Rifles was a volunteer regiment raised as the Printers’ Battalion. They were involved in the Battle of Loos and the Somme Offensive. The lineage ended after various amalgamations in 1961.

Australian Commonwealth Military Forces suffered terrible losses at Gallipoli and the Western Front.

Royal Corps of Signals was based at Blandford and was established in 1870 with the duty to provide communications by visual signalling, mounted orderlies, and telegraph.

Wiltshire Regiment was formed in 1881 and is now known, after a number of amalgamations, as The Rifles. The soldiers fought at the Battle of Mons, the Great Retreat, Ypres, and the Western Front.

The London Rifle Brigade was a volunteer regiment that started in 1859 and was disbanded in 1919.

Post Office Rifles was again a volunteer unit formed in 1868 but the name was lost in 1921.

Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment and is also a part of The Rifles. It was one of the older established regiments (1685), and fought at the Battle of La Bassée in 1914, the First Battle of Ypres, and was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for holding up the massive final German advance of the war at the Bois des Buttes on 27 May 1918.

It is worth stopping to look at the badges and, perhaps, time for a prayer of thanksgiving for the lives lost in the name of King and country.

Jack Edwards MRICS FAAV Partner jedwards@symondsandsampson.co.uk

Jack Edwards explores the history of the Fovant Badges and the regiments they represent

They date back to the First World War and were created by soldiers garrisoned nearby

Iam a qualified expert witness and frequently accept instructions to provide expert opinion on a range of property and valuation related matters but sometimes people are confused about what my role is.

The primary function of an expert witness is to provide independent, impartial and unbiased expert opinion to assist a Court or Tribunal in reaching decisions on the matters in dispute. An expert can be required to provide written reports and replies to written questions, meet with other experts to narrow the issues in dispute and may be required to appear in various Tribunal settings including arbitrations, mediations and Court hearings for cross-examination of his or her opinion. The expert’s overriding duty is always to the Tribunal and not to any other party including the party that is paying him to appear.

An Expert Witness is a person whose level of specialised knowledge or skill in a particular field qualifies them to present their opinion about the facts of a case during legal proceedings. This differs from an expert advisor who advises an individual party on a matter within the expert’s specialism at any stage of a dispute but who is not actually being asked to provide evidence to the Court.

In summary an Expert Witness will

• Provide an independent expert opinion within their area of expertise on the subject matter in accordance with the instructions they are given. These instructions will be summarised in the Expert’s Report which will be seen by all parties to the dispute and the Court.

• Provide their opinion in the form of a written report and/or evidence before a Court or other Tribunal as required. The report will summarise all of the facts and the evidence relied upon.

• Provide truthful, impartial and independent opinions whether or not these opinions favour the case of those instructing him. The Court may discount the evidence of an expert who is seen to be partisan.

An Expert Witness will not

• Be an advocate for the client’s case and will not find evidence or suggest what the client’s case should consist of.

Experts in Our Field

Patrick Woodford gives his opinion about being an expert witness

It is for the client and their legal representatives to advocate the case.

• Provide any opinion beyond their specific area of expertise or provide advice or act as a negotiator.

• Accept any appointment which involves a conflict of interest (unless resolvable by disclosure).

• Accept any appointment on terms that are conditional on the outcome of the case. Examples of these are success fees or conditional fee arrangements (any form of payment linked to the results of the case). Conditional terms are incompatible with the expert being seen to be independent.

There are two main types of expert witness:

• Party Appointed Expert (PAE): The expert witness is appointed and instructed by one of the parties to the dispute.

• Single Joint Expert (SJE): The expert witness is appointed and instructed jointly by the parties involved in the dispute. This appointment may arise from an Order made by the Court or by the mutual agreement of the parties and their legal representatives.

In both cases the primary duty is to assist the Court on the matters within the Expert’s expertise and this duty overrides any obligation to the parties from whom he has received instructions and by whom he is paid.

I am frequently employed both as a Single Joint and a Party Appointed Expert to provide expert opinion in the areas of valuation, access and boundary disputes. Valuation work often arises from matrimonial, inheritance and family disputes as well as professional negligence cases. Boundary and access disputes often require physical survey and appraisal of a site as well as analysis of historical information in order to provide an opinion. There is a great deal of work and preparation involved in such work. Most cases result in agreement without Court attendance by the experts being necessary but in a small number of cases appearance under cross-examination is required.

Patrick Woodford MRICS FAAV Partner

I am frequently employed both as a Single Joint and a Party Appointed Expert to provide expert opinion in the areas of valuation, access and boundary disputes.

Live and Learn

Morgan Clement on why she recommends the remote route to qualification

Isn’t it funny how one conversation can change the course of your life? For me, it was being told by a colleague that I didn’t need to go to University to become a Rural Chartered Surveyor. Instead, I could apply to the University College of Estate Management (UCEM) to undertake a surveying diploma, followed by an undergraduate BSc (Hons) degree in estate management – and study both courses from home.

This was music to my ears. Unlike most late-teens/earlytwentysomethings, I was a bit of a home-bod. I enjoyed life on the farm with my horses and didn’t want to give it all up for a University “experience”.

I researched the course and it sounded a good fit for me. I’d be provided with the learning materials to work through at home, and there would be weekly online study sessions with a tutor for further support. I’d have to write assignments, go to the University for exams, and complete a dissertation in the last year of the degree.

Two factors which particularly drew me to study with UCEM were that I could fast-track my RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) to one year instead of two, and that the course was significantly more affordable than going to University.

I applied for the full-time route, meaning the diploma would (usually) take two years to complete, and the degree would take a further three. Bravely (or naively, depending on your point of view!), I decided I could do this while also working full time!

Although the surveying diploma can take two years to complete, after one year of exams and good results, I was extremely fortunate to be fast-tracked straight to the degree element.

The degree proved to be the most time-consuming part. I’d be out at work during the day, then spend my evenings and weekends studying, which meant the enjoyment of my horses and social life took a tumble.

The good news is, I have now completed the degree and am working towards my APC interview. I won’t sugar-coat it; it was tough and required a lot of personal motivation. But I’d thoroughly recommend the route I took. It allowed me to gain a huge amount of experience within the industry over four valuable years, compared with those who had gone to University and were only just getting their boots on the ground.

I also have some wonderful friends, family, colleagues, and animals to thank for the regular sanity checks and kind words of encouragement. I don’t think I could have done it without them.

Morgan Clement BSc (Hons) Graduate Surveyor mclement@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01202 882103

I enjoyed life on the farm and didn’t want to give it up for a university ‘experience’

Career Spotlight: Surveyor

Chris Drake on his route to becoming a successful Building Surveyor

As a latecomer to the profession of building surveying, I sometimes wonder why I did not make the decision earlier in life. I have always been a practical person. My father was a surveyor so, growing up, I had a basic understanding of what the role entailed. But it was his passion for buildings that shone through and inspired me. Hours of holding screws and passing the correct tools to Dad while he completed DIY projects gave me a similar passion for buildings and taught me the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of basic construction.

I always enjoyed carpentry, and attended night classes at Poole College. I learnt about roof structures, staircases, suspended floor structures and joinery, all of which greatly benefited my progression into building surveying. I graduated in 2008, at which time the country was in the early stages of the banking crisis and demand for tradespeople was very low.

My entry into the property profession came by way of a negotiator role within a local estate agents. I learnt a great deal about the property market, conveyancing, and the process for buying and selling property.

I moved to Symonds & Sampson in 2017 as an office manager, which broadened my understanding of rural estate agency and professional services, including how they often cross paths.

I wanted to use my practical skills and construction knowledge to further my career as a building surveyor; however the general entry route to membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) requires an accredited degree prior to passing an Assessment of Professional Competency (APC).

Family and financial commitments prevented me from going back to university. However, the AssocRICS pathway to membership is based on a minimum four years’ relevant work experience, which made it a more accessible option.

Symonds & Sampson supported me with my application, and I started as a Trainee Building Surveyor at the Wimborne Office.

The assessment for the AssocRICS pathway required me to show I could competently operate in key areas within the building surveying sector, including contract administration, specification, inspection and design; areas in which I had little experience. By working as a trainee full time, I found I was able to learn and retain much more information than would have been possible from parttime study.

The pathway to AssocRICS is not structured from a learning perspective, so I was required to source my own relevant study material and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to satisfy the objectives set within the assessment.

Juggling family commitments and financial pressures along with learning a new profession and studying was one of the most demanding but satisfying things I have ever done.

The AssocRICS assessment is made up of 13 written competencies, 48 hours of CPD, and the completion of an ethics module, which took me 12 months to submit.

I now work on a variety of jobs, including pre-purchase surveys, specification and procurement; defect reporting and insurance reinstatements. I analyse properties and advise on defects and solutions. I enjoy spending time on site, and the views of the Dorset countryside from the top of a scaffold are amazing!

I am pleased I took the long road to building surveying. The skills I learnt from helping Dad and attending College galvanised a passion for buildings that have finally been put to good use.

Chris Drake AssocRICS Building Surveyor cdrake@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01202 843190

I wanted to use my practical skills and construction knowledge to further my career

Business Rates Revaluation 2023

Companies and businesses pay taxes to the Government on property they own or rent through Business Rates. Every commercial property is assigned a Rateable Value (RV) by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), a Government agency.

The Rateable Value is periodically recalculated with the last revaluation taking place in 2017. The next revaluation will come into effect on the 1 st April 2023, based on Rateable Values as at the 1 st April 2021.

In effect the VOA seeks to give each property an RV which is based on the likely rent that would theoretically be paid by a tenant to the Landlord if the property were to be leased as at April 2021.

The main point of a revaluation is to make the process of paying business taxes fair and equitable for different types of property given that rents can change over a period of time at different rates on different types of property. Before looking at which businesses may pay more or less after the revaluation, the amount any business pays is calculated by taking the RV and multiplying by a Multiplier (this is nationally set at a figure by the Government and tends to increase every year by an inflationary amount). The Multiplier will be announced by the Government early in 2023.

So what types of property are likely to pay less or have to pay more following the revaluation?

As the retail market has largely suffered over the last 6 years since the last revaluation, it is expected that High Street shops will have lower RV’s than before and will pay less Business Rates by anything up to 25%.

Properties that are likely to have increased RV’s will be in the industrial sector, in particular logistics, with values increasing by over 20% across England. The office sector had strong growth until the end of 2019, however after the Covid-19 pandemic this was curtailed with expected increases in England of less than 5%.

Are there any exceptions to paying Business Rates?

Yes, there are. Small Business Relief is available, so that businesses pay reduced or no rates if they have an RV below £15,000. Of course this may change depending on the Government new rules.

What happens if my RV increases by a large amount?

You can get Transitional Relief for increased bills over a 5 year period depending on the size of the RV until you reach the full amount to be paid. These amounts can change depending on the rules set by the Government.

Equally so, Transitional Relief also applies where there is a reduction in the RV and you pay less following the revaluation.

Are there any other reliefs which you can apply for?

Yes. There are other Reliefs available, such as Charitable Rate Relief, Hardship Relief, Enterprise Zones and Rural Rate Relief, plus other Reliefs.

To find out your Rateable Value please check out the website www.gov.uk/find-business-rates

The Publication of the 2023 Revaluation is due around 3 months before 1st April 2023; it is important to check for factual errors in your valuation so that appropriate representations can be made.

The Deadline for submitting Appeals on the 2017 Rating List is the 31st March 2023. As we move closer to this date, it is important to ensure Rateable Values have been reviewed and Appeals have been submitted where necessary; successful Appeals can be backdated 6 years to the 1st April 2017.

Philip Greenway and Richard Scott, independent Rating specialist.

Philip Greenway BSc FRICS Senior Valuation Surveyor

pgreenway@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01929 508328

There are two types of Lawful Development Certificate:

1. Covered by Section 191 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 – relating to operational development, for example building a structure.

2. Covered by Section 192 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 – relating to the change of use of land. Anyone is entitled to apply under Section 191 or 192 depending on which is appropriate, but choosing the right approach is key.

For a building erected without the benefit of planning permission, it is necessary for the applicant to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the structure was substantially complete more than four years before the date of the submission of the application.

If the application relates to a change of use of land, the burden of proof is on the applicant to prove beyond reasonable doubt the use has been ongoing for more than a 10year period from the date of the submission of the application. Getting these correct is fundamental to the case.

In both scenarios it is important to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the applicant’s claim is correct – and one of the best methods is via the submission of relevant and appropriate Statutory Declarations.

It is usually best if, in addition to the applicant making this formal statement to affirm that something is true to the best of their knowledge , other parties unconnected to the applicant who have a detailed and reliable knowledge of the site and the goings on also provide these Statutory Declarations – bearing in mind they must be able to substantiate their evidence.

Photographic evidence is also useful but unfortunately carries less weight these days due to the ability for images to

be doctored with modern technology. Other evidence such as receipts for building materials or similar can also help but won’t necessarily be conclusive, particularly on their own.

At the time of writing, the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill had not completed its passage into law, but if approved in its current form the four-year rule relating to Section 191 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is to be amended so it is also a 10-year rule.

If a structure is built without planning permission, even if erected under Permitted Development Rights but where no confirmation has been sought from the Local Planning Authority that those Permitted Development Rights apply in a particular situation, it may be worth considering the securing of a Certificate of Lawfulness under the current rules where the four-year rule still applies.

An example would be if a barn has been extended without any regard for whether or not the extension required planning permission. Securing a Certificate of Lawfulness at this juncture will prevent any enforcement action being taken at a later date, which might otherwise lead to it having to be removed.

If you have any concerns about whether or not a structure can be built, or a use can be carried out on your property, or if you would like to look at applying for a Certificate of Lawfulness, please contact us.

A Certificate of Lawfulness will prevent any enforcement action being taken at a later date

If you need to establish whether a development is lawful for planning purposes, A-J Monro has the answers

Is the Planning System Failing?

In 1947, Clement Attlee’s Labour Government introduced the Town and Country Planning Act. It formed the foundation of modern planning in the United Kingdom, requiring planning permission to be sought for land development, and establishing the system of listed buildings. Has it done its job?

It could be said the problem stems from Westminster

Until this legislation was passed, there were 1,400 planning authorities. This was immediately reduced to 145 (County and Borough Councils) and they were tasked with the preparation of a comprehensive development plan.

The Act, although cumbersome, set the tone for development, and little changed until 1990 when new legislation gave back some power to the Secretary of State to ensure private development did not run contrary to the community’s interest.

Section 106 of the Act, rewriting Section 52 of the original, allows for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) and persons interested in land to agree to contributions, arrangements and restrictions as ‘planning agreements’ or ‘planning obligations’.

It also relates to money paid by developers to LPAs to offset the cost of the external effects of development. For example, if a developer were to build 100 new houses, the impact would be felt by local Schools, roads etc.

The Localism Act 2011 introduced wideranging changes – giving communities, through Parish Councils and neighbourhood forums, the chance to develop a neighbourhood plan.

They were given wide-ranging powers to approve planning proposals, develop land themselves or use compulsory purchase powers to buy land and lease it to developers. They were also given powers to preserve woodland or buildings of architectural or historic interest – the latter the beginning of the modern listed building system.

The system, however, is not working well now. Ask any planning expert, architect or developer and they will complain that planning applications take too long to process. This has been caused by a combination of Local Authority staffing cutbacks, and the introduction of badly conceived reforms which delay the delivery of sustainable and social housing.

It could be said the problem stems from Westminster. The Government has, at time of writing, appointed its 14th Housing Minister since the Conservatives came to office in 2010. The post seems to be little more than a stepping stone to greater Ministerial positions. As a result, the incumbent never has time to look carefully at the planning structure.

In conclusion, the Act has done its job but we are now in a real muddle. The Housing Minister must stay in post and do their job.

Edward Dyke FRICS FAAV Partner, Head of Professional Services edyke@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01258 474261

With planning applications facing significant delays, Edward Dyke asks whether the system is fit for purpose

Nutrient Neutrality and Planning

There’s no getting away from it – housing developments can add to the problem of high levels of phosphates and nitrates in our rivers, estuaries and wetlands. The extra wastewater and sewage from new homes, as well as run-off from construction sites, speeds up the growth of algae in water. This process, called ‘eutrophication’, degrades the quality of the water and puts wildlife at risk.

In a bid to tackle the issue, Natural England has told 74 Local Planning Authorities that development in catchments around some waterways cannot go ahead if the new homes would increase levels of nutrients. This includes the Somerset Levels and Moors, and the Poole Harbour catchment which, combined, cover the vast majority of Somerset and a major portion of Dorset.

As a result, thousands of new homes are held in abeyance. This has obvious knock-on effects on housing supply and costs, but also impacts small and medium scale builders, suppliers and trades.

While things are looking quite grim, with many developers and landowners grappling with the issue, there are some rays of light on the horizon.

Permitted development and Class Q applications

After some initial uncertainty, Local Planning Authorities have received advice that Class Q applications and other applications that fall under ‘permitted development’ are not required to assess the ‘likely significant effects’ of development on Ramsar-listed or potential Special Protected Areas (pSPA).

Therefore, any such permitted development applications within the Somerset Levels and Moors Ramsar catchment site (or any other Ramsar site or pSPA) can be granted without the need to be nutrient neutral.

Government intervention

During his time as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice issued a Ministerial Statement followed up by letter to the affected Local Planning Authorities from Natural England and the Chief Planner stating that Government assistance was incoming, and that Natural England had been tasked, funded by DEFRA, to find a strategic solution.

Furthermore, the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill would place a statutory duty on water and sewerage companies to upgrade wastewater treatment works to the highest technically achievable limits by 2030 in nutrient neutrality areas.

It is hoped the availability of Government funds and a renewed purpose for Natural England will speed a more sustainable strategic solution.

Local Authorities bringing forward their own solutions

Despite the recent push from Central Government, some Local Authorities continue to look for their own solutions to free up development. The Somerset authorities have been working together for a couple of years to bring forward a county-wide solution. This seems to be based on a credit scheme piloted by EnTrade. While no credits have been generated yet, we are told by Officers the first tranche are imminent.

Somerset West and Taunton took a report to the Phosphates Planning Sub Committee on 21 July 2022 for the Creation of phosphate credits to offset development in the River Tone sub catchment. Within this report, details were provided on how the Council had created 65.3 phosphate credits which was hoped to release between 150 and 780 homes within the River Tone sub catchment.

It is anticipated the cost of each phosphate credit (1kg worth of mitigation would be 1 credit) would be £54,222, equating to a typical cost per home of £5,500. It is hoped this will provide a workable framework for other areas to copy.

A plethora of solutions

Symonds & Sampson has been working with developers, land owners and consultants to find bespoke solutions, especially for individual or rural dwellings. These solutions range from tree planting to upgrading septic tanks to generate credits. Schemes that have sufficient associated land also have the option to fallow, thus creating credits; this method has been previously accepted by Natural England.

While there is still considerable uncertainty over nutrient neutrality and mitigation measures, there are some solutions available – both temporary and long-term.

Symonds & Sampson has a number of schemes where mitigation has been agreed in principle with Natural England and these can provide a framework for other developments.

Despite the uncertainty it is generally best to proceed with development proposals where possible as, while phosphates are an unknown factor, there remain other technical and policy components that require consideration.

The details are correct at the time of drafting – January 2023.

Andrew Tregay MPlan MRTPI Head of Planning atregay@symondsandsampson.co.uk

Symonds & Sampson has been working with developers, land owners and consultants to find bespoke solutions, especially for individual or rural dwellings

Since 2019, concerns over rising levels of phosphates in waterways have impacted housebuilding. Andrew Tregay reports on the problem – and has some solutions

Development Sites

Ignoring the delays within the planning process Symonds & Sampson, throughout the region, have been successful in the marketing of sites ranging from single plots to those offering opportunity to develop more than 100 houses.

The single plots often attract individual purchasers inspired to create their “dream home” to their own specifications within their budget.

Common factors in deciding to follow this dream are

1) the ease of installing the most up to date energy saving devices into a “from scratch project”. This opposed to having the task of part demolishing an existing home before you begin to improve.

2) Working from home with a new build giving great opportunities to create a workspace to accommodate the office. The multi-unit sites are attracted to the medium sized local and National Developers seeking the next project. The site will usually have an existing planning consent but often the National Developers will look ahead for projects with potential in several years; these projects are acquired either with existing planning, via an option and/or promotion agreements.

A Few Sale Highlights Include:

• Development Land South A357 The site benefits from Outline Planning Permission subject to a S106 agreement under the planning reference number

POUT202102316 for up to 48 dwellings with a 40% affordable allocation. Extending to 2.583 hectares (6.38 acres)

• Development Land North Mead Portesham (sale completed) A site development for the development of 5 homes in this stunning sought after village.

• Development Land North of Charminster (sale completed) 210.88 acres (85.33 hectares) of agricultural investment land, in a strategic position, with potential for development on part, subject to promotion and planning, adjoining Charminster’s Development Boundary.

• Development Land Redbridge Lane Crossways (sale completed via auction) Planning permission for the erection of 9 family homes on the outskirts of the village.

• Development Land Station Road Stalbridge (sold subject to contract) Residential development land with outline planning permission for up to 130 dwellings (40% affordable of which 70% are to be affordable rental). 5.586 hectares (13.80 acres).

• West Farm Barn Tolpuddle (sold subject to contract) A former farmyard now benefiting from residential planning to convert a barn complex to three residences.

North Mead Portesham Elevations

Heavy Load

The construction industry has seen its fair share of problems over the last few years. The Covid-19 pandemic, an unprecedented increase in the cost of materials, and a general shortage of labour. Despite this, output from construction remains strong. But how might these additional pressures affect the workforce?

In 2020 the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) published research from 2019 relating to mental health in the construction industry. The research reviewed data from more than 2,000 respondents with a range of job roles, from onsite labour, through to middle management and senior management levels.

The research indicated that 97 per cent of respondents had experienced stress, 91 per cent had felt overwhelmed, and 87 per cent had experienced anxiety. Of particular concern was the news that 26 per cent of respondents had suicidal thoughts, with separate sources suggesting there are more deaths in construction from suicide than from falling from a height.

The survey identified factors which may contribute to poor mental health. These included pressure to complete work on time and to budget, late payments, uncertainty of work pipeline, and time away from family.

Bearing in mind this data was gathered before the Covid-19 outbreak, it is not hard to see how these numbers may now be greater as a result of the various restrictions imposed during the pandemic.

In December 2021, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) released data from earlier in the year which shows that, prior to the pandemic, cases of stress, depression and anxiety in the construction industry were recorded as being broadly flat. The data, taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), crosses over into the pandemic era – at which point the numbers rise.

Data on any longer-term impact is not yet available. However, the uptick in reported cases shown in the HSE research suggests increased awareness and action is required, particularly as we

continue to see a rise in living costs as the economy declines, and the true numbers from the pandemic are yet to be seen in full.

The human cost is tragic but, from an industry perspective, the effects of potentially increased absenteeism will affect productivity. It also raises the question: could this issue be contributing to the general shortage of labour in the sector?

Encouragingly, the industry is reacting with some positive steps. The HSE’s ‘Working Minds’ campaign has recently partnered with Lighthouse Club – the charity providing financial and emotional support to the construction community and their families – to raise awareness of how to prevent work-related stress and encourage good mental health.

The Institute of Government and Public Policy (IGPP) is also getting involved. It held online events in 2022 to outline best practice for mental health support in construction, and provide guidance on how to implement change and reduce the stigma of broaching mental health issues.

It’s also time to start thinking of health and safety in construction as being more than just ‘slips, trips and falls’ and repetitive strain injuries. A more holistic approach which includes mental health would be more appropriate in order to reduce absenteeism, increase productivity, and promote the industry in general.

In the past few years, we at Symonds & Sampson have supported mental health organisations through our charitable fundraising. If you need confidential recommendations for help, please refer to https://dorsetmind.uk/help-and-support/needurgent-help/

James Shapland BSc MRICS C.Build E MCABE Surveyor Partner jshapland@symondsandsampson.co.uk

The biggest danger in construction work is stress.

James Shapland reports

It’s time to start thinking of health and safety in construction as being more than just ‘slips, trips and falls’ and repetitive strain injuries

Poundbury – Our Part in Managing a Royal Vision

Ever wondered how things are run at the Dorset development championed by King Charles III? Ryan Holmes has the details

Poundbury, near Dorchester, is a pioneering residential and mixed-use development built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, and is designed in accordance with the principles of sustainability and quality promoted by the then HRH The Prince of Wales, now HRH King Charles III.

All houses and businesses are subject to covenants and associated stipulations to ensure Poundbury retains its unique character and visual appeal consistent with the original principles, and for the mutual benefit of everyone living and working on the site.

A key aspect of the design is the inclusion of courtyards and communal areas between properties to incorporate amenities, parking, services and access to garages. The courtyards also include ‘sentinel’ houses, to provide some natural surveillance of these important areas, and are planted with trees and shrubs to create a more attractive environment.

Land Ownership and Adoption

The Duchy oversees the building on licence by selected developers. When properties are built and sold or leased, the developers hand over the roads, streets, green areas and courtyards to the Duchy. In due course the public highways will be formally adopted and maintained by Dorset Council. The Great Field and some other green areas will be leased and maintained by Dorchester Town Council.

The common areas are adopted on long leases by one of four management companies – Mancos 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Manco 4 is still in its infancy). When a property is purchased in Poundbury, the new owner is issued with a share in the relevant Manco and an annual fee is used to fund maintenance and repair of assets, the provision of other communal services and the management and administration costs of the company.

The full adoption process was completed in the Manco 1 area in 2006. However, in the rest of Poundbury, adoption was delayed – primarily to resolve boundaries of areas intended for Council adoption. The main thoroughfares of Peverell Avenue and Bridport Road are being adopted by Dorset Council, the secondary highways will then follow.

Role of the Mancos

The management companies were established as ‘not-for-profit’ organisations that belong to the shareholders who own property within the boundaries of the respective Manco. Each is a Private Limited Company that operates independently and is managed by a Board of Directors comprising volunteer shareholders and Duchy of Cornwall representatives. As the volunteer directors are shareholders within the areas they serve, they have a personal interest in the successful operation of the company.

Manco Responsibilities

• The Mancos are responsible for the maintenance of the communal unadopted facilities of the estate including the courtyards, most parking areas, some squares and landscaped areas.

• Delegated management of parts of the Poundbury Design and Community Code including some of the Poundbury Stipulations.

• Provision and maintenance of lighting (including the cost of replacement and supply of electricity) where this is not the responsibility of any other authority.

• Provision and maintenance of the communal television and radio system.

• Payment of some insurance premiums, professional fees and other charges of a like nature in relation to the communal areas and work of the company.

• The employment of all such agents, surveyors, solicitors, managers, contractors and other persons as shall, in the reasonable opinion of the Directors, be deemed necessary. The maintenance of common areas requires active management. In early years, the need for maintenance is relatively low as assets are new and in good condition. However, with the passage of time, maintenance requirements will increase as assets age, wear and need repair or replacement. The annual subscription paid by shareholders is set with a view to enabling the costs that may arise in the longer term to be met from existing funds.

The work costs associated with the Mancos breaks down into the following broad areas:

For Poundbury, employing managing agents is a recent development but it has already shown tangible benefits

Planned maintenance programme:

Assets requiring a programme of active routine and seasonal maintenance to keep them looking and operating in good condition and, where necessary, planning for their eventual replacement. This includes items such as repainting lamp posts, replacing utility housing and, in the longer term, restoring and repairing courtyards. This also covers the maintenance and repair of TV communication infrastructure and the contract for the provision of the service.

Reactive repairs and maintenance:

Issues that require immediate attention, largely arising from complaints from residents or identified through routine inspection. These range from minor routine activities carried out on a regular basis such as replacing damaged lightbulbs and removing fly tipping, to major one-off unexpected incidents such as the appearance of a sink hole or a collapsed drain.

Ongoing management and contractual work associated with the day-to day running of the company: This includes the annual fees paid to the managing agents, the company’s solicitors and accountants, together with the annual cost of software licences, and asset and liability insurances. In addition, there are incidental costs associated with running the business such as hosting the AGM and communicating with shareholders.

Provision of one-off professional services: There will be the occasional need to engage the services of experts to resolve particular identified issues. This could include surveying common areas to ensure there are no underlying problems or developmental work to ensure the efficient running of the business.

The long-term nature of Poundbury and the management of the common parts means that parts of the estate have an indefinite lifespan and workload. A pragmatic approach has therefore been taken to the time horizon of any works planning cycle.

The Manco Boards and managing agents meet frequently

to discuss the delivery of planned maintenance and other management issues. The Board and managing agents will then programme and commission work as needed.

To ensure economies of scale when commissioning work, the Manco Board will normally plan its more detailed schedule of work over a three-year timeframe. Residents in the vicinity of any work are contacted at the actual delivery time if planned work is likely to have a direct impact on them.

The Managing Agents

Since February 2020, Symonds & Sampson has represented Mancos 1, 2 and 3 as managing agents to deliver the day-today estate management contract, including arranging repairs and maintenance, providing professional advice to each Board to ensure delivery, forward planning and to ensure that expenditure is appropriately targeted and within budget.

Although for Poundbury employing managing agents is a recent development, it has already shown tangible benefits for shareholders as we are more able to respond immediately to problems raised by shareholders and have the expertise and professional contacts to run contracts and address issues. As an integral part of our service we also provide all Manco shareholders with a central point of contact to report and discuss problems and give the confidence that issues raised are being resolved.

The Challenges

At the time of writing there are still many unknowns on the full extent of the asset base for Manco 2 and Manco 3. Furthermore, the actual lifespan and maintenance regime of assets has yet to be fully tested. The passage of time will provide greater clarity on both these aspects.

While adoption is ongoing, there are also challenges in the absence of a formal lease setting out repair and maintenance liabilities for the communal areas of Manco 2 and Manco 3. To overcome this, Manco 2 and Manco 3 have established a maintenance protocol with the Duchy to set the parameters for courtyards being taken into ‘active maintenance’ by Manco. Once the Duchy are content that all remedial work by the developers has been completed or scheduled, they liaise with the Manco Board to commence active maintenance, prior to full adoption.

To address these issues and ensure accuracy as far as possible, the Manco courtyard maintenance and strategic plans are reviewed periodically. This enables more accurate predictions to be made of the likely future work programmes and cost.

Shareholders can have confidence the Manco Board is planning for adequate maintenance and upkeep of the courtyards and common places, and that the fees they pay each year are being spent prudently.

Ryan Holmes AssocRICS MARLA Commercial Partner rholmes@symondsandsampson.co.uk

01305 261008

Queen Mother Square

The Joys of Kitchen Bridge

The chance to play a fun, friendly card game in comfortable surroundings? Deal me in, says Andrew

Igrew up playing rummy, scats, racing demon, canasta and, strangely, Mahong; and only started bridge when my wife and I were encouraged by some very patient friends to take it up in middle age.

I cringe now at how elementary our game must have been, but it was enough to allow us to play with friends occasionally after supper or on holiday. From there, we realised what fun it could be at any level – and how much there was still to learn.

In simple terms, bridge is a game of whist with some bidding to start. The highest bidder declares how many tricks they may get and how, then has to win them as the tricks are played. Given that no one can see anyone else’s hand, the bidding round offers endless possibilities. To improve the silent dialogue between partners, many cunning conventions have evolved, leading to gentle satisfaction, spectacular triumph, or complete carnage.

I well remember somehow agreeing to play the “fivecard major” with a new partner, having unfortunately omitted to remind myself of a few basics. The opposition, playing no conventions whatsoever, dissolved into hysterics as hand after every hand failed. We have all enjoyed similar moments of disguised glee and, when an ambitious bid works, it is impossible not to feel rather smug. For myself, I can manage the conventions starter “toolkit” but have yet to master Roman Key Cards, Benjaminised Weak Twos et al.

Carless

However, don’t be put off by the terminology. Obtain a reasonably firm grip of the few basic rules and a clear recognition of your limitations, and it can be a fantastic game for everyone.

A wonderful friend has, pro bono, taught the basics (followed by an “unmuddling” session or two) to many more than 100 “ducklings”, who have then gone on to play a little, a lot, or not at all. Our part of Dorset is now full of bridge players, some playing seriously but most just meeting occasionally for casual “kitchen bridge”.

The wonderful thing about kitchen bridge is that you can invite near strangers for supper and then, should the conversation drag, quickly get down to cards.

Alternatively, I have returned home late to find that only four convivial hands have been played all night, but it doesn’t really matter either way. Generally, the evening won’t be too long, the food isn’t the centrepiece, and there is usually the memory of some small triumph – a clever bid, finesse or sneaky defence –or laughable blunder.

Even if your guests are much better than you, as long as they know what to expect and you are, preferably, “allowed to talk”, ie discuss the cards, then you can learn a lot and everyone will have enjoyed themselves.

Other games undoubtedly provide equal pleasure but bridge seems to be particularly good at hitting the spot in many ways. Above all, there is no need to be scared of it. If someone offers to explain the basics, I would say yes and see where it takes you. It may well be no further than your own, or a friend’s, kitchen table – and that’s just fine.

Andrew Carless MAAT MARLA Partner acarless@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01305 236560

Our part of Dorset is now full of bridge players

The ‘Schindler’ of Swanage

Richard Mogg tells the story of the Purbeck man whose bravery in saving children destined for Nazi concentration camps has been likened to that of Oskar Schindler

In August 2022 in an emotional ceremony in Swanage, a statue of Trevor Chadwick, a local teacher and lifeboat volunteer who rescued 669 children from Prague in early 1939 from German occupation, was unveiled by his grandson, Samuel.

The bronze statue was created by local sculptor, Moira Purver, and has been positioned next to the children’s playpark, now called the Chadwick Playground, near the seafront.

Trevor moved to Swanage in 1928 when his father set up Forres School in Northbrook Road, now Purbeck View School. He worked there as a Latin teacher and was also a volunteer member of the Swanage lifeboat crew.

In early 1939, Trevor Chadwick became one of a handful of mainly British volunteers who rescued children in Prague most threatened by an impending German occupation. The majority were Jewish but others were the sons or daughters of Czech and Slovak anti-Nazis.

He originally went to Prague to bring back two refugee boys to the School. In the event, he also took another child, Gerda Mayer, who became a celebrated poet. Trevor delivered the three children, then returned to Prague to work for the rescue of further refugees.

His first operation was an evacuation by 20-seat aeroplane from Prague, but later evacuation of children was usually by train. Chadwick accompanied the children to Prague Station and then, with adult escorts, they journeyed by rail through Poland to a seaport on the Baltic Sea from where they sailed to Britain.

On 15 March 1939, the situation in the former Czechoslovakia became more dangerous. German troops took control of the entire country, and a crackdown stimulated a large market in forged passports and exit documents, in which Chadwick was probably involved.

The volunteers who risked their lives included Doreen Warriner, who is credited with helping thousands escape persecution in Czechoslovakia. Eventually, Warriner and many other refugee workers found it prudent to leave the country and, in early June 1939, Chadwick saw off a final trainload of 123 children and left Czechoslovakia.

Despite their heroic efforts, most of the volunteers who risked their lives went virtually unacknowledged and, at the time of Chadwick’s death in 1979, their work had been largely forgotten. The exception was Sir Nicholas Winton, who was knighted in 2003.

Of Chadwick, Sir Nicholas later wrote: “Chadwick did the more difficult and dangerous work after the Nazis invaded ... he deserves all praise.”

Richard Mogg MRICS Partner rmogg@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01202 639407

Trevor Chadwick became one of a handful of mainly British volunteers who rescued children in Prague

Statue with sculptor Moira Purver

Trevor Chadwick, dubbed the “Purbeck Schindler”, helped rescue 669 children from Czechoslovakia

Trevor Chadwick

The Life of Joe Symonds

Remembering our esteemed colleague who, as an Officer

in the Second

World War, bowled his steel helmet towards the enemy as he led the charge

Lieutenant-Colonel Joe Symonds, who died in 2010 aged 95, took part in 22 attacks in the North West Europe campaign and was awarded an MC and Bar.

The 4th Battalion the Dorset Regiment landed at Le Hamel, Normandy, on 23 June 1944. On 10 July, Symonds was in command of ‘B’ Company in the battle for Eterville, south of Caen. After an approach march beginning at midnight, his men arrived in the forward assembly area in the early morning.

A Lance-Corporal sounded the charge on his bugle, and the battalion overran a German platoon and advanced to the edge of the village, where Symonds gave the signal for a final assault.

Symonds led his men with great dash on to the objective. They took 70 prisoners, but other German soldiers – who had been subdued by the weight of supporting fire and were concealed among the thick bocage – then began to mortar and shell his company.

Symonds was digging his own slit trench when he was hit and thrown into it, losing consciousness. For his part in the attack, he was awarded a Military Cross.

Giles Symonds, always known as Joe, was born at Frome St Quintin, Dorset, on 28 June 1915. He was educated at Blundell’s and, in 1938, commissioned into the Dorset Regiment. The following year he was recruited and led the Evershot platoon to war.

After being wounded in Normandy, he was evacuated to England. At one stage, while he was on a stretcher, an alert nurse discovered his water bottle contained nothing but Calvados. After surgery and convalescence, he returned to France and his unit.

On 15 February 1945, Symonds was in command of ‘A’ Company during the Battle of the Ardennes. They were east of the Forest of Cleve and it was estimated the enemy had more than 300 guns in support of the sector. Their objective was a group of fortified farm buildings at the top of a dominant feature but, as they formed up, they came under very heavy fire.

The CO wrote afterwards: “I shall always carry a vivid picture of the tall figure of Major Symonds standing up, blowing his

whistle, and bowling his steel helmet in the direction of the Germans. The Company appreciated this typical gesture by its Commander and followed him to a man.”

They soon ran into very tough opposition from German paratroops but, disregarding the accurate Spandau fire and intense mortar and shell fire, put in three attacks before finally taking the strongpoint. Many of the Germans decided to run, and in the subsequent pursuit no quarter was given.

Returning in a tank, Symonds was seriously burned about the hands and face when it received a direct hit and ‘brewed up’ at once. With his usual thoroughness, however, he reorganised the remnants of his Company before he was at last evacuated in great pain.

The citation for the Bar to his MC stated: “Major Symonds displayed superb gallantry throughout.”

Many of his comrades did not expect to see him again before the end of the war, but he returned to his Company in time for the Rhine crossing in March and the remaining battles in the campaign.

In 1947 Symonds was appointed second-in-command of the battalion, and took command in 1951. He was appointed OBE in 1953.

After retiring from the Army, he became an agricultural valuer, auctioneer and land agent in the family firm – Symonds & Sampson, Dorchester – until his retirement in 1980. He was a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and also farmed in partnership with other family members.

He hunted with the Cattistock for many years and was still riding into his eighties. Joe Symonds died on 15 August 2010. He married Thelma Thornicroft, in 1940. She predeceased him, as did their elder son, Giles. Their younger son, James, survived him.

With thanks to The Old Blundellian Club magazine, 2010

Mark Lewis FRICS FAAV FNAVA Senior Partner mlewis@symondsandsampson.co.uk

After retiring from the Army, he joined the family business – Symonds & Sampson in Dorchester

Farm Strip Flying

Ihave held my private pilot’s licence for 22 years and have more than 1,000 flying hours, a high percentage of which have been flown at ‘farm strips’. The UK has a vast network of these small grass strips. They tend to be in open countryside with a reasonably level field away from controlled airspace or another airfield.

Most can be used by private pilots, and can be very convenient for visiting friends and family, staying at a hotel, or enjoying a day out. Pilots should always seek prior permission before use, of course, and can expect to receive details of any special approach and landing requirements.

With farm strips, the wind direction is an important consideration, and dealing with a crosswind requires a degree of stick and rudder piloting skill to prevent take-off ‘crab offset’. This matters if the runway location is restricted by trees and buildings. Two runways would be ideal, but that would require more room and, consequently, more maintenance.

And what of the planes themselves? Small light aeroplanes come in all sizes and two main categories – microlight, with a maximum take-off weight of 450kg; and general aviation, with a range of weights up to 5.7 tonnes.

A private pilot’s licence is required to fly these aircraft, and the amount of training depends on the weight and complexity of the machine. It’s a lot easier and cheaper to start at the microlight end and upgrade as required.

Microlight aircraft are ideal as their low mass enables them to take off and land in very short and restricted runways. However, this very same low mass means low inertia, which makes them less able to fly in windy, turbulent conditions.

If the idea of having your own farm strip appeals, you need

to work your way through a tick list. Once you’ve identified a suitable field and have chosen your aeroplane to suit the runway length, you need to consider taxiway access and a building to accommodate the machine.

The wingspan will need a wide ‘doorway’ but it is not impossible to put the aeroplane on a cradle with castors so that sideways handling can be made. There are folding wing options for some aeroplanes. An existing building will accommodate the aeroplane, but putting up a new structure will most likely need planning permission.

Operating an airfield can be done under permitted development for 28 days of the year and, in my experience, has never been a problem provided you don’t annoy your neighbours by overflying houses – or horses!

Take-off is carried out at full power and can be noisy, so “take off and clear off” is the name of the game. Landing is not as noisy as the engine is at a low power setting for the descent. If you want to make the airfield status more formal, apply for planning permission – or better still, wait for 10 years’ continuous use and then apply for a Certificate of Use.

This is just a general summary of the pleasure of owning an aeroplane and operating from your own backyard. The aviation fraternity are a great bunch of individuals who help each other and are generally good company. Symonds & Sampson has sold properties with aviation facilities and will be very happy to assist in the setup.

Jeremy Cozens MRICS Consultant building surveyor jcozens@symondsandsampson.co.uk

The UK has a vast network of small grass strips

Jeremy Cozens on the pleasure of owning an aeroplane and operating from your own backyard

The Price is Right

I’m one of the newest recruits at Symonds & Sampson, having joined the Commercial Department in late 2022. Although now based in Wimborne, my career began in 1989 in the Bath branch of the Government’s Valuation Office.

This first rung on the ladder provided me with experience in valuing a diverse range of property types in the South West. Some of the more unusual examples include a crematorium, public toilets, an oil terminal, and a commercial airport. I was also a member of a team responsible for acquiring properties to facilitate the construction of the Prince of Wales Bridge over the River Severn.

A subsequent move into private practice enabled me to expand my knowledge. I valued both residential and commercial properties for a variety of reasons including secured lending, acquisition and disposal, and taxation.

No two instructions are the same, however, and I continued to provide advice in respect of some more unusual properties including a Second World War hangar used as a go-karting centre, a nationally renowned theme park with campsite and a carp lake, a private school, and a restaurant run by a celebrity chef.

Each valuation requires a broadly similar approach. The property is inspected to establish its positive and negative attributes, the planning background and environmental factors are researched, and market evidence is gathered and analysed.

This information is then considered to establish an opinion of value. A written report is then issued to the client. In most instances, this is required to be in accordance with the RICS Valuation – Global Standards, widely known as the ‘Red Book’.

One of my more recent interesting valuations related to a Grade II-listed country house within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. What set this property apart was that the remains of a substantial Roman villa, together with some earlier Iron Age artefacts, had been found in its grounds.

This resulted in a family home being designated a Scheduled Monument. It was fascinating to learn that a house listed due to its historic character was, in fact, only the most recent dwelling built on a site occupied for more than 2,000 years.

One of the principal considerations was how this designation would affect the value. With such a unique set of circumstances, and no directly comparable properties, I relied on my knowledge of the wider market, together with my own professional judgement, to reach a conclusion.

In my opinion, just as many potential purchasers would be excited by the emerging history of the property as would be deterred; accordingly, I advised my client there would be no adverse impact on value.

After many years in the profession, I remain excited by the diverse range of instructions which come my way. The benefit of working for a multi-disciplinary firm like Symonds & Sampson is the depth of knowledge that exists across our network of 16 offices with residential, rural and commercial teams. This provides a wellspring of experience to draw from when dealing with anything out of the ordinary.

Rupert Williams FRICS Senior Surveyor rwilliams@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01202 639401

I remain excited by the diverse range of instructions which come my way

Schools, restaurants, even a commercial airport – Rupert Williams has successfully valued them all

Liquid Assets

Many landowners have power lines, gas pipes or water pipes crossing their property and are likely to have had dealings with utility companies seeking access for repairs, maintenance and upgrades. Due to the importance of water as a resource, water companies hold some of the strongest powers of entry to carry out these works.

The Rights of Water Companies

Section 159 of the Water Industry Act 1991 dictates that water companies have the power to “lay new pipes; to inspect, maintain, adjust, repair or alter existing pipes; and to carry out any works requisite for, or incidental to, doing so”.

In the event of an emergency such as a leak, no notice is required to gain entry to land. Otherwise, the following Notices must be served to the owner and the occupier:

• Section 159 with 3 months’ notice to lay new pipes; or

• Section 159 with 42 days’ notice to alter (change direction or diameter of) existing pipes; or

• Section 162 or 172 with 7 days’ notice to inspect, survey, maintain, repair, disconnect or remove any meter and associated pipes.

The landowner may refuse the water authorities right of entry if the appropriate Notice has not been correctly served.

The Rights of Owners and Occupiers

While the statutory powers exist to give a water company rights of access, the owner or occupier has the legal right to make a claim for compensation for any damage or disturbance caused by such works. A claim should be of an amount which compensates the occupier of the land to an extent where they are in the same position they would have been if the works had never happened. Generally, a claim for compensation would normally include the following headings:

• Reduced freehold value of land – usually a per metre rate, but watch for impact on potential development land.

• Crop loss.

• Reinstatement works (fencing, gateways etc).

• Temporary loss of BPS.

• Claimant’s time spent and disturbance to business. If you are making a claim, your agent’s fees can also be included –meaning owners and/or occupiers can appoint an agent to work on their behalf to ensure adequate compensation is paid, without incurring any cost themselves.

Remember, if you are served Notice by any utility provider, you would be prudent to appoint an agent at an early stage. Likely early steps will be for the agent to meet the utility company on site to discuss the proposals and how they might be amended to mitigate any impact, as well as recording a schedule of the condition before entry to avoid future disputes in negotiations.

If you have water pipes on your land, tap into this essential guide by George Whittaker

The owner or occupier has the right to make a compensation claim for any damage or disturbance

We

Agriculture

Wellies on for this section as we take a stroll through our farm dispersal sales, share our tips on renting a farm, and explore the challenges of rewilding. We recall boarding school memories, and look to the future with the NFU’s initiative to educate children about farming. There are features on Frome Market and Exmoor ponies, news of a scandalous affair in Dorset, and an amusing tale of rare breeds, rosettes and romance.

Farm Dispersal Sale Highlights

Whatever it is, wherever it is, we can sell the lot

Top price Lot: John Deere 6130R at £80,300

The largest Lot sold: John Deere 7450 Forager or Bateman RB35 Sprayer

The oldest tractor sold: 1939 Case Model C

Most peculiar lots sold: Either the mobile sauna attached to a dung spreader chassis or 300+ lots of Cacti & Succulent Plants!

Most fun lots sold: Off-Road Mini or Eagle 500 Racing Hovercraft

Biggest lot offered: Grimme Varitron potato harvester

Acres of Standing Straw Sold: 11,084 acres

Largest number of items in an auction: 949 for Tetra Pak who were relocating their manufacturing business to Poland.

Biggest Somerset sale: Bearley Farm Tintinhull.

Dispersal Auction area: Garden Nursery at Saltash, Cornwall through to Farm Dispersals on Dartmoor and Exmoor across to King Worthy, Hampshire

Online Timed: Auction area Entries from Liskeard, Cornwall through to Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Largest auction revenue: £1.2m

Most phone calls: The Series 1 Field Marshall at Middle Watchcombe. We have never received so many phone calls about a single lot.

Furthest buyer: Across both Northern and Southern Ireland to Thurso, Scotland.

Biggest crowd: Phil Bennett’s dispersal of his contracting equipment at Alweston Sherborne Dorset – a credit to Phil’s equipment.

Most Specialist Sale: Dillington Farms – auction of specialist potato growing, harvesting and grading equipment.

What Happens Behind the Scenes of a Dispersal Sale?

Greg Ridout

The Farm Dispersal department is a highly important part of Symonds & Sampson’s business, allowing our expert auctioneers to deal with dispersing entire enterprises, whether machinery, livestock, fodder or business clearances totalling millions of pounds every year. Trust is often given to one of our two auctioneering departments, but many people do not realise what happens behind the scenes. From receiving the first phone call or email, the whole process quickly starts to gather pace.

q Picking the right date

This may seem a bit obvious but we need to work around livestock market days, other sales in the UK, time of year, a sale of silage making equipment will attract more interest in the Spring, and also whether it should be on a Saturday – often the most popular day for socialising and for the ‘hobby’ farmer to attend.

w Cataloguing

The various lots to be sold are detailed giving as much information as possible to potential purchasers. Particularly for the more modern machinery these can include the type of gearbox, tyre sizes, guidance compatible, these descriptions can be endless!

Many buyers will be bidding online and we usually interact with people all over the UK and Ireland who rely on our photographs and descriptions to bid with confidence.

e Advertising

Once we have the relevant lot information, we organise an advertising campaign utilizing local newspapers, magazines, and social media, using our marketing department to create succinct, but eye-catching adverts to gain maximum exposure.

r Mailing Lists

We have thousands of people registered for various auctions, whether they are livestock, machinery, fodder,

etc. Catalogues are mailed out to our huge number of dedicated followers, and this is all done before we have even stuck on a single lot number!

t Lotting

Nearer to the sale day lots are laid out and a digital catalogue is created to allow for both live and online bidding.

y Enquiries

From the initial adverts through to sale day we receive a huge number of enquiries about certain lots. Information requested can be anything from additional photos through to arranging finance.

u Sale Day

I always think that sale day is one of the easiest parts as you’ve worked relentlessly for weeks to try and enable the vendor to have a highly successful auction. The day starts with putting up our ‘To the Sale’ boards, then to discussing specific items with people both in the sale field and at home, having a quick bacon sandwich, all before the auction starts and the fun begins.

i Post-Sale Accounting

As soon as the sale is over, our work continues, taking payments, invoicing finance companies and most importantly paying out our client as soon as possible.

We are with you every step of the way, so if you are thinking of holding an auction for a full dispersal or just have a few items in the back of a shed you are wanting to get rid of, please feel free to give us a call.

Greg Ridout MRICS Partner, Head of Agricultural Sales gridout@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01935 382909

The Do’s and Don’ts of Farm Tenders

Applying for a farm tenancy is one of the most exciting and nerve-racking experiences any farmer will go through. The excitement starts when you visit the farm on the viewing day, and builds as you create a business plan for your farming venture.

On average, we receive 10–15 full business plans for every farm we let, with popularity and demand increasing year on year. The reality is there aren’t enough farms and land to meet demand, leaving a significant number of people disappointed.

When something does become available, you need to act fast as Landlords prefer applications by tender, and the timeframe is usually quite short. Here are our top tips when tendering:

Get organised

There’s a lot of information required for a tender. Our advice is to get the application pack as soon as it becomes available, and see what’s needed.

Show you are financially prepared

If you need a business loan, state this in your application and make sure you have a loan offer agreed.

Know your budget/cashflow

Be realistic on budgeted figures and cashflows, and take professional advice as these are a very important part of an application.

Make the most of viewing day

This is your chance to get a feel for the land/farm. Take the opportunity to ask questions of the representatives as they will give you an idea of the Landlord’s wishes. If it isn’t right for you, leave it and concentrate on the next opportunity.

One other viewing day tip: be aware it’s not only for your benefit – it’s a chance for the Landlord or agent to meet you, and first impressions count.

Give your application the personal touch

The application process is typically very rigid with a set number of questions which need to be answered in full. However, our tip for applicants is to write a covering letter with details about you and your family – where you are on your farming journey and what you have achieved.

Attach a photograph so the Landlord/agent can remember you from the viewing day and, if you feel unhappy with the formal layout of the application, make your own template – but be sure to cover all points necessary.

The applications that stand out invariably show a high level of preparation, good understanding of the finances, and a viable

business proposition. This enables a Landlord to understand exactly what you plan to do with their asset, and how you are going to achieve it. Simply saying you are going to milk 200 cows or run a suckler herd isn’t enough. There needs to be a business plan and a personal statement drawing on your experience and explaining why you are the person best suited to the tenancy.

Supply good references

Personal and professional references are required – Bank managers, agents or accountants are typical for professional, with fellow farmers for personal.

Be realistic about the rent

Rent is a key part of any application. As a tenant you need to make money to live and reinvest, while the Landlord needs a sensible return on their investment. However, a high rent which is not sustainable causes all parties unnecessary stress. The farm or land’s earning potential will dictate the level of rent – fertile Grade 2 land which can grow root crops will command a far higher premium than steep permanent pasture restricted to grazing.

Repairs

It’s important to understand your obligations around repairs. Not all farms and land, especially with Farm Business Tenancies, will be the same. Some farms are let on a ‘full repairing and insuring’ basis, others on more traditional ‘model clauses’, and some are a hybrid between these.

Ingoings and future investment

Always a tricky situation, in terms of initial and future capital required. Typically, there are none on bare land (unless you are taking over a crop), but for farms it’s best to ask for a detailed list from the agents as they can run into tens of thousands of pounds on dairy farms – and be clear on the payment terms.

Don’t get disheartened

Tenders are highly competitive. For example, when Dorset Council invited applications for its farms near Shaftesbury, they attracted 45 tenders. There will always be disappointment along the way, but with every unsuccessful application, you will gain knowledge to take to the next.

Greg Ridout MRICS Partner, Head of Agricultural Sales gridout@symondsandsampson.co.uk

On average, we receive 10–15 full business plans for every farm we let

Greg Ridout shares his advice on how to tender for a farm tenancy

Progress in the agricultural transition plan has been achieved during the past 12 months. The first cuts to Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments have begun and various new funding schemes have emerged. The final year for BPS payments to be received remains to be 2027. Payments will be delinked from 2024 onwards, meaning payments will be based on your average BPS payments in the reference period from 2020 to 2022. It is hoped that this will reduce the amount of paperwork and free up additional time for farmers and agents to take advantage of the new schemes and how their businesses may adapt.

In the spring of 2022, DEFRA launched the Lump Sum Exit Scheme, which allows eligible BPS recipients to exit the industry. Applications to this scheme have now ended and applicants are required to submit all land sale/FBT evidence and surrender their BPS entitlements by 31 st May 2024.

During 2022 we have assisted with several Countryside Stewardship applications and with an improved, simplified scheme with higher payment rates available, it proved to be popular. 2023 will be the last year businesses will be able to apply for a Countryside Stewardship Agreement.

2022 saw the introduction to the first part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) open for applications and three SFI standards are now available: Arable and horticultural soils; Improved grassland soils; and Moorland with payments from £22 to £58 per hectare. Some farmers may need to grow more cover crops, but some are already meeting the rules and requirements of the scheme.

A Soil Management Plan and soil organic test must be completed. SFI can be applied for in addition to Countryside Stewardship, but a farmer cannot be paid twice for a similar activity or outcome on the same area of land at the same time (known as “double funding”). Agreements are three years in length, payments are quarterly, and do not require the whole farm to be included. We have seen some uptake for this scheme and those who we have assisted already

in applying for SFI have already been carrying out most of the scheme requirements with minimal changes to existing farming practices.

It is understood that more standards will be added between 2023 and 2025 and that existing agreements can be altered and additional options added if farmers wish to do so. The SFI has a rolling application window and whilst SFI may not suit everyone, it may be worth considering if you are already meeting the criteria or if only a minimal change to farming practice is required. Bear in mind that the payment rates are potentially going to increase and more standards may become available.

DEFRA planned the launch of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway towards the end of 2022. This scheme provides funding for vet visits for commercial beef, dairy, pig and sheep farmers. At the same time, they also planned the launch of the Slurry Investment Scheme. At the time of going to press, exact details of this were unknown but grant funding for farmers to upgrade existing slurry infrastructure is hoped to be available.

The agricultural transition and evolving schemes will be one of the most significant changes to agricultural support since the 1950s. Our qualified professionals are always here to provide help, guidance and support. Please do not hesitate to get in touch at any stage.

Lester Williams and Will Wallis

Biodiversity Net Gain – What does it all mean?

What is Biodiversity Net Gain?

The Environment Act 2021 introduced a mandatory requirement for all new developments in England (there are a few exceptions) to provide a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).

How is BNG Measured?

The intention is that any new development must show that on completion the biodiversity value associated with the development must exceed the pre-development biodiversity value by at least 10%. The biodiversity value is comprised of a combination of:

• the post-development biodiversity value of the habitat within the site;

• the biodiversity value of any registered offsite biodiversity gain allocated to the development; and

• the biodiversity value of any biodiversity credits purchased for the development

The Offsite BNG Market

The opportunity to secure offsite BNG has the potential to create a market for the provision of ‘habitat banks.’ This is an evolving market and as such care will be needed, particularly by those with the potential to provide such habitat, to ensure that they will receive full consideration for the value of the benefit provided. However, there is an onus on developers to prioritise any attempts at mitigation by firstly avoiding or reducing any biodiversity impacts on the site, before then seeking to enhance and restore biodiversity on site. Only then can consideration be given to creating habitats off the site through enhancement of

existing habitat features elsewhere such as woodland, ponds, scrub, hedgerows and watercourses.

Given the commitment and scale of future housing targets in England, the potential demand for suitable habitat banks is huge.

Implications for habitat providers

The supply of a habitat site is a significant commitment as it will need to be maintained for at least 30 years after the works are completed.

The Legal Framework

Under the Act, private agreements between landowners and responsible bodies known as ‘conservation covenants’ came into force in September 2022, under which the landowner can commit to managing the land for conservation purposes.

So where are we now?

The rules enabling a conservation covenant to be registered as a local land charge came into effect on 30 November 2022. While it may be too early to say how widely conservation covenants will be used we can expect to see the BNG market begin to grow as developers seek appropriate mitigation measures ahead of the requirements of the Environment Act 2021 coming into effect in Autumn 2023.

Neil Gladwin provides a brief summary of the issues and who might gain?

Farmers for Schools

It is perhaps a bold statement to begin with, but I feel passionately that the lack of relationship between producers and consumers is causing a spiral of negative impact on our local and national efforts to support British farmers.

While writing my recent dissertation entitled ‘Adding value to beef products within direct-to-consumer systems’, I came across an astonishing amount of evidence that shows the majority of people do not know where their food comes from, or what labelling on different packaging means.

Although many consumers’ food shop decisions are made around cost, multiple research projects have shown people make better decisions if they have some understanding and appreciation for British farmers and what they do to provide our food.

With this in mind, when I heard about the NFU’s new programme ‘Farmers for Schools’, I knew I had to get involved and do my bit to turn things around.

Farmers for Schools is a programme designed to educate school children about farming, specifically those in more urban areas. I, along with other participants, attended a training session which briefed us on the level of detail we should go into, typical questions that children who know very little about agriculture will ask, and questions about difficult/sensitive or incorrect media-led topics.

We now await being invited into schools to hold assemblies and talk about this matter with the children. Hopefully, when those children go home and discuss what they have learnt with their parents, we, along with British farmers, might be at the forefront of the discussion.

While Farmers for Schools is a good place to start, as the Social Secretary of my local Young Farmers’ Club and agri

representative for my county, I have every intention of creating an agri-educational movement, whereby as a group we will go on tour to promote British farming.

Whether it is as little as someone being able to recognise a decent tractor (John Deere), or understanding the high welfare of our livestock and the basic operations put into growing a crop, I would hope that reclaiming some of the distance that has occurred between farmers and the public will help create some appreciation and genuine interest for what goes on at the forefront of food production and those labouring in the industry.

When I wrote my dissertation, I was also able to outline that creating relationships between producers and consumers can be achieved virtually, via social media or television programmes. Following a farming social media page, especially a family orientated one, often makes people feel more connected to the farming going on around them.

Broadening this scope, a recent article in Farmers Weekly discussed how improving relationships between farmers and those living in nearby villages and towns can heighten respect for farmers and their land. The public, for instance, would be more likely to make the farmer aware if an animal got loose, and would be less likely to block gateways or walk across fields.

All in all, the social and practical benefits of creating these platforms between producers and consumers are worth their weight in fertiliser when it comes to supporting our future of farming.

I knew I had to get involved and do my bit to turn things around

Ashleigh Stokes Graduate Rural Surveyor astokes@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01722 334323

Ashleigh Stokes is involved in the NFU initiative to support British farming, and it’s inspired her to create her own agri-educational movement

Rare breeds, Rosettes and Romance

Sitting down for a coffee and need an entertaining read? You’ve come to the right place. Settle in for our tongue-in-cheek tale

The June rain was easing. From torrential a few moments ago it was now best described as a sweeping horizontal drizzle. As Paul Radcliffe, twenty-something local auctioneer, tilted his head forward, water drained from his bowler hat and on to the notebook of his steward, Jack.

Jack shook his papers and tucked them inside his jacket. “What a way to spend a Sunday morning – getting soaked and staring at cattle. Have you decided who’s won yet? The sooner you make up your mind, the quicker we can get into the beer tent.”

What

It was a rare breed show and Paul had the unenviable duty of judging the cattle. Unenviable, because it seemed impossible to know how to differentiate between a belted Galloway steer, a White Park heifer, a British White bull and a Longhorn cow and calf. He stared at the cattle as they were led around the show ring by their handlers.

Paul turned to Jack. “I don’t know what to do! How on earth am I going to place them in the right order?”

“Don’t ask me, you’re the judge,” said Jack. Then, relenting, he sighed: “Why don’t you have a chat with the handlers and ask when they last showed and how they got on? But be quick about it!”

Paul followed the advice and spoke to each person in turn, finding out who had won what and where. However, he received a sharp rebuke from the owner of the Longhorns. “You shouldn’t be asking these questions; you should be judging the animals. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

The woman was well-known to Paul as an outspoken, fearsome and formidable champion breeder. If she didn’t get her own way, there was always hell to pay. While her social skills were questionable, her husbandry skills were beyond reproach, but Paul decided to award first prize elsewhere.

Forty minutes later, Jack passed Paul a pint of beer as they waited for lunch. “You’ve got some nerve to do that, young Paul. She was fuming when you passed her the runner-up rosette.”

Paul slowly stroked his chin and thought about why he’d snubbed her cattle when they were clearly worthy winners. Was it because he was wet, cold and would have preferred to be at home? Was it because she was so critical and bullying? Or was it because the owner of the belted Galloway was a stunning brunette, her hair set in a ponytail, with the most beautiful brown eyes? Her smile could light up the most inclement day.

Paul had met her a few weeks earlier when he’d visited her father’s farm to carry out the annual stocktaking. She brought the coffee into the dining room and Paul felt he’d been hit by a thunderbolt.

Back in the office, Paul’s secretary, Mary, asked how the valuation had gone. “I suppose the daughter was trotted up and trotted back for your benefit? Young bachelor like you might be in demand.”

Paul sipped his pint and was remembering the moment, when a shrill voice cut across the crowd: “Where is that so-called judge?”

“Uh-oh,” said Jack. “The entertainment has arrived.”

Paul turned to face the disappointed second-prize winner. Her eyes were flashing as she poked her finger into his chest. “I want to have a word with you. I’ve shown cattle all over the country and have never met such an inept judge. You clearly don’t have a clue what you’re doing.”

Jack sprang to Paul’s defence. “Judging is subjective, and young Mr Radcliffe gave the prizes as he saw fit. A different day, a different judge, a different result – but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Despite Jack’s efforts, the lady was not to be placated. “Rubbish! Any judge worth his salt would have given me first prize.”

Paul had heard enough. He put down his pint. By now, the bar was silent and everyone was listening. “Why don’t you stand back and look at the bigger picture? Maybe you would have won with another judge, but the average age of the owners is fairly high and we have encouraged a younger generation today. A girl in her early twenties could be part of the showing scene for years to come. But I guess you are too narrow-minded and sour to think about that.”

The lady stood, open-mouthed, for a while and then threw her rosette on the ground and walked out. People in the bar clapped Paul on the back and offered to buy him a drink.

When he got home, he took a restorative bath and prepared supper. He was setting the table when he heard a car pull up. He looked out of the window and saw a girl with beautiful brown eyes and dark hair, set in a ponytail, walk up the path.

He opened the door and stepped back to let her in. He was right. Her smile really did light up the most inclement day.

a way to spend a Sunday morning –getting soaked and staring at cattle

A Scandalous Affair in Dorset

Richard Miller on how the transfer of agricultural land led to the downfall of a Minister and

The Crichel Down affair caused political scandal when, in 1954, a public inquiry into the events surrounding the acquisition of land by the Government revealed a catalogue of ineptitude and maladministration.

It resulted in the resignation of Sir Thomas Dugdale, the Secretary of State for Agriculture, and was the first case of Ministerial resignation since 1917. Five civil servants were ‘reassigned to other duties’ after being criticised in an independent report.

The case centred on 725 acres of agricultural land at Crichel Down, near Long Crichel , Dorset. Much of the land in question was part of Lord Alington’s Crichel estate. The land was subject to compulsory purchase in 1938 by the Air Ministry for use as bombing practice by the Royal Air Force . The purchase price when it was requisitioned was £12,006.

In 1940, Lord Alington died on active service in the RAF, and the Crichel estate passed in trust to his only child, Mary, then aged 11.

In 1941, Winston Churchill stated in Parliament that the land would be returned to its owners after the Second World War, when it was no longer required for the purpose for which it had been bought. He subsequently reneged on this promise. Instead, the land (then valued at £21,000) was handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture who increased the price to £32,000 – far beyond the amount the original owners could afford –and therefore the Ministry leased it out.

In 1949, Mary married Lt-Cdr Toby Marten. As owners of the estate, the pair began a campaign for the Government’s promise to be kept. They gained a public inquiry, conducted by Sir Andrew Clark QC, whose damning report cited delays in correspondence, poor minute taking, and inertia by those acting for the Government.

After Dugdale’s resignation, the portion of land from the Crichel estate was sold back to the Martens, but only after heavy protest meetings in the County.

While the case was, in the scale of things, trivial, involving the transfer of some 725 acres of agricultural land in Dorset, the ramifications for subsequent Government procedure have been enormous.

Crichel Down was probably the first instance of close and very public scrutiny being directed at a Minister of the Crown in the execution of their duties. It highlighted the need for an independent body to deliver redress to the public, and led to the creation of the post of Ombudsman.

The Crichel Down rules are now part of Government guidance and are very clear that any land compulsorily purchased which has subsequently been declared surplus to requirement, and provided there hasn’t been any material change in character of the land, should be offered back to the original owners or their successors at market value. But the case was also about the openness, fairness and impartiality of Government committees.

For a full report of these fascinating proceedings in Parliament, it is worth looking at Hansard. It makes some of the more recent Government scandals look rather tame!

Visit: https://bit.ly/3SOt0JH

Richard Miller MRICS FAAV Managing Partner rmiller@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01305 236574

The case was about the openness, fairness and impartiality of Government committees

Thomas Dugdale

Mary and Commander Marten

Painting by Claire Thomas clairethomas.co.uk

the rise of the Ombudsman

Frome Market START TIMES

Wild about Rewilding?

Rewilding’ seems to be the word of the moment, but what is it? According to Oxford Languages, rewilding means to “restore (an area of land) to its natural uncultivated state (used especially with reference to the reintroduction of species of wild animal that have been driven out or exterminated)”.

In recent years, in a bid to tackle the ecological and climate crises, landowners across the West Country have been taking action by rewilding. From the creation of the first ‘super’ National Nature Reserve at Purbeck Heaths in Dorset, to the planting of orchards, woodlands and wildflower meadows on small farms, a network of ‘wildlife corridors’ is gradually being created across our region.

These habitats provide essential refuge for our wildlife which has been experiencing a dramatic decline. The long-term goal of rewilding is to reverse this decline and enhance local biodiversity, while tackling climate change by increasing the amount of carbon held in healthy soils, woodlands and wetlands. Rewilding doesn’t mean abandoning land management; it means letting nature lead and having different priorities.

The National Trust, the nation’s largest private landowner, plans to create 25,000 hectares of new habitats by 2025 – the equivalent of more than 33,000 football pitches.

Locally, the Dorset Wildlife Trust has acquired ‘Wild Woodbury’ – 170 hectares of land for a large-scale community rewilding project near Bere Regis to include 11 hectares of new woodland and 30 hectares of wetland.

In addition to these large-scale projects, local Councils have been rethinking their traditional management strategies, with many trialling conservation road verges. Dorset Council is one such Local Authority, managing more than 4,970 miles of rural verges which are an important feature that can provide wildflower-rich habitats.

The Government wants the rewilding initiative to be extended further so is launching the Environmental Land Management Scheme which has three main elements: Sustainable Farming Incentive, Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery – the latter two supporting rewilding.

Local Nature Recovery

This scheme will pay for actions that support local nature recovery and meet local environmental priorities.

Landscape Recovery

This is aimed at large-scale sites, typically 500-5,000 hectares, and includes activities such as woodland planting, creating nature reserves, and wetland/peatland habitats. The scheme aims to produce environmental and climate outcomes through land use change, and habitat and ecosystem restoration.

Striking a Balance

While wildlife needs championing, it is important that a balance is struck between rewilding and farming. Agriculture needs to remain financially viable and, in order to produce good quality local products for the ever-increasing local population, the most productive land should ideally be retained for cultivation.

To this end, the Government’s third scheme, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, focuses on continuing agricultural activities while making them more sustainable. This scheme pays farmers for actions such as reducing inorganic fertiliser and pesticide use, taking care of our soils, and improving farmland biodiversity, water quality, air quality and carbon sequestration.

Tax

It should also be noted that agricultural land currently benefits from certain Inheritance Tax reliefs and other capital tax advantages, but it is not clear whether the same will apply to land managed for environmental outcomes. Therefore, anyone considering rewilding land should consider the tax implications in their business plans.

The Future

These are interesting times with real change under way. Rewilding is no longer an alien concept but is happening all around us. Symonds & Sampson will be up to date with the latest information and able to advise you as further details on all the new schemes emerge over the next few years.

Rewilding doesn’t mean abandoning land management; it means letting nature lead and having different priorities

Annabel Douglas MRICS FAAV Rural Surveyor

Annabel Douglas explores the benefits and difficulties of rewilding our landscape

Are they? There seems to have been a headlong rush to re-introduce these increasingly divisive creatures all over the UK under that assumption. Anyone who dares raise an objection – nay, even a querying finger – gets treated with disdain as though they’re an eco-Neanderthal.

Early advocates for ‘spreading the beaver love’ included Zac Goldsmith (something senior at DEFRA until Truss sacked him – one of her few key achievements) and Carrie Antoinette who benefitted from plumping the then Prime Minister’s pillow. They appeared to ramrod the policy through the corridors of power in an unseemly rush. Natural England and DEFRA were keen co-conspirators.

So cunning were they that enough of the furry varmints were swiftly introduced to qualify them as an endangered species, thus making them rather more protected under the law. During this stampede, questions have either been ignored or insufficiently answered, so perhaps now is the time:-

• Has anyone analysed the ‘success’ of Scottish beavers? There they have effectively taken large areas of land out of production with flooded fields and undermined banks, not to mention large numbers of mature trees that have been ring barked and thus killed?

• Has anyone asked why Beavers are regarded as a destructive pest in Poland, the one European country with an all-too-healthy population?

• Has anyone from Dorset Wildlife Trust (Dorset being a County where Beaver projects seem 10-a-penny) ever visited the River Otter just over the county boundary in East Devon? Last time I asked, the reaction was effectively “why would we want to do that?” If they had they would have seen swathes of fields effectively taken out of production without any compensation to the farmers.

• There are plans to release Beavers into more areas of the Frome and surrounding rivers, with the National Trust climbing on the bandwagon in the lower reaches. Millions of UK and EU money was spent in recent decades clearing blockages which stopped Atlantic Salmon (a critically endangered and iconic species) from spawning throughout the system. Now that work is to be effectively reversed. Bonkers? You may think so. After all, salmon can

Beavers are Beautiful Things

Beavers Are Beautiful Things –so said a certain libidinous ex Prime Minister; I kid you not.

force themselves up waterfalls but not over beaver dams. Questions have been asked but, as usual, ignored.

• One of the supposed advantages of the dams is they effectively take silt out of the system by storing it on the upstream side. Apparently they only break in ‘significant weather events’ – heavy rain to you and me; not true. One dam broke on a Frome tributary on a dry sunny day this autumn, sending a bore of water, thick with silt, down a grade 1 chalk-stream and cover the bed with a carpet of brown sludge for miles. Silt smothers and kills fish eggs –especially trout and salmon.

So why has all this been allowed to take place without debate? Well, they have had stakeholder (I know, it’s one of those modern words beloved of the tofu-eating wokerati) meetings attended by traditional countrymen who know a thing or three about wildlife management having made a rather wonderful job of it for the last hundred years without costing the taxpaying public one centime. I have heard these highly experienced practical conservationists, from all walks of life, raise many legitimate objections. The new powers in the Countryside, Natural England, Wildlife Trusts, National Trust etc. barely give them the time of day and carry on as though they are the only ones who know what they are doing.

It’s enough to make you weep for the future of our fair land and those who both conserve and make a livelihood from it.

Mark Firth has worked in the countryside all his life and lives in West Dorset with his long suffering wife Fiona on their family trout farm.

To read Mark’s newsletters Firthy’s Frothings please email him mark@markfirth.net

Editor’s note: Mark’s is one view and we are aware that it is a much-debated subject – see www. rewildingbritain.org.uk for an alternative stance.

A Breed Apart

The best thing about Exmoor? From the inspiring landscape to spectacular coastal views, there’s plenty to recommend this corner of Devon. But for me, the top spot goes to the native ponies.

Believed to be one of Britain’s oldest breeds, the ponies have roamed Exmoor for thousands of years. The herds can be seen on several of the commons. The Anchor herd, in the care of third-generation owners David and Emma Wallace, runs on Winsford Hill, while the Milton family’s Withypoole herd can be found on Withypool Hill and West Anstey Common.

About 600 Exmoor ponies roam the moors. October is one of the busiest months for Exmoor pony breeders. Every autumn the herds are gathered in by their owners. This entails a lot of manpower so farmers help each other, and many breed enthusiasts descend on the moor to lend a hand.

About 600 Exmoor ponies roam the moors

There are also ponies on Dunkery, Haddon Hill, Simonsbath, Codsend Moor and many other locations across the National Park. Pony maps, showing the location of the different herds, are available at tourist information centres.

It is quite a spectacle to see a herd of 40-plus ponies cantering across the heather. The older mares, who have lived on the commons since birth, know exactly where to go – which makes the gatherers’ job much easier – but plenty of people are still needed to round up stragglers and prevent breakaway groups making off over the moor. The ponies’ welfare is the top priority, and the aim is to get them to their destination with as little stress as possible.

Anyone wishing to observe a ‘gather’ can contact the Secretary of the Exmoor Pony Society (details below). Herd owners are usually happy to have people along to observe and will give detailed instructions on the best places to stand and, most importantly, not to stand as the ponies can be easily spooked by someone in the wrong place.

Back on the farm, all the ponies are checked to make sure they are fit and healthy. The foals are then examined by official Exmoor Pony Society inspectors. The inspection ensures not only that the foals meet the criteria set out in the breed standard, but also that the breed stays pure and maintains its crucial native hardiness and survival characteristics.

Most foals pass their inspection, but those that do not are given a second chance a few months later. Only foals whose parents, both sire and dam, are already entered in the studbook are eligible for registration. This again is to ensure the purity of the breed.

The Exmoor pony is one of Britain’s iconic native breeds, but work needs to be done to safeguard its future, as Sue Berger reports

Exmoor ponies are one of the rarest of our native equine breeds, and are listed in the “Priority” category of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. The total number of Exmoor ponies (worldwide, but mostly in the UK) is approximately 4,000, but only around 600 make up the breeding population. This means the Exmoor pony gene pool is very small and the breed is vulnerable to a variety of potential threats.

To conserve the breed for future generations, the Exmoor Pony Society has embarked on a ground-breaking plan to preserve genetic material as an insurance policy should a catastrophe such as a disease or the effects of climate change decimate the population.

The creation of the Exmoor pony gene bank will involve collecting, freezing and storing semen from 25 stallions that have been carefully selected to represent as much of the existing genetic variation as possible. Should disaster strike the

breed or a family line, the gene bank will come to the rescue and prevent the disappearance of this treasured native pony.

As a spokesperson for the Exmoor Pony Society’s Scientific Advisory Panel explains: “The creation of the gene bank is the most important step the Exmoor Pony Society has taken since first registering Exmoor ponies in 1921.

“Everyone can play a part in safeguarding this ancient Briton: to achieve the size of gene bank needed, we need help as this is a very expensive undertaking. We can probably get halfway thanks to a generous legacy; we hope the public will seize the moment to donate and get us to the magic 25 stallions needed.”

To donate, contact Exmoor Pony Society Secretary, Jay Gee via secretary@exmoorponysociety.org.uk

It’s an ill wind

He drove down the potholed track far too fast, weaving and bouncing around the deep puddles, water splashing up around the door handles before he skidded to an untidy stop in the farmyard. He got out of his mud-splattered 4x4, arched his back, stretched, and broke wind in one movement.

Local auctioneer and agricultural valuer, Paul Radcliffe, shook Randolph Hunter Crème’s hand. He was the Landlord’s agent, ten years Paul’s junior at 26 and well known behind his back as Creamy, possibly because he was thick and wet. There was little doubt he owed his position to the fact that his father was a major client of his employers.

It was nine forty-five in the morning and the meeting had been arranged for nine o’clock, although Paul had been at the farm since seven thirty with his client Maurice Williamson, the outgoing tenant. The purpose of the meeting was to agree the compensation, and dilapidations, at the end of Maurice’s tenancy.

Maurice was not the best farmer, and the farm was in a shocking state, he had neglected his husbandry and it would be a tough negotiation to get him any money.

Paul introduced his client to Randolph. “ Call me Randy, all the girls do,” he laughed throwing his head back showing his teeth, still decorated with breakfast remains. “Talking of the fairer sex, got to be in London by six for a wild weekend, tux in the back and a case of Berry’s finest in the boot. Hello girls, Randy’s here, it’s party time.” He laughed loudly again and snorted, “Got to be away by two.” He clapped his hand on Maurice’s shoulder “Shouldn’t take too long they say you’re the worst farmer in Dorset. Time to take your caning as a man!” Maurice looked embarrassed and Paul resolved to get the better of Mr Hunter Crème.

It was Michaelmas, 29 September, and the new tenant was moving in the next day so the valuation had to be agreed that day. It had been a miserably wet autumn and Paul donned his waterproof trousers. “No need for those,” scoffed Randy “We can drive around in the Rangy. I am not going to walk the farm; I’ll be shattered before the weekend starts.”

This was ideal for Paul’s client. They drove around the fields, dock leaves all over the pasture unseen from their elevated position. The rotten fencing stakes with loose barbed wire, making the fields less than stockproof, were ignored and every

gate had been left open so they could drive through without checking whether they shut properly.

They eventually arrived at a meadow field close to a stream and Paul suggested they walk this one as it was so wet.

“Nonsense.” said Randy, “this old girl will go anywhere.” Maurice said nothing as they drove into the field and promptly became stuck. The more Randy revved the engine, the greater the wheel spin as the vehicle sank further into the ground. “ Better get your tractor to pull us out tenant.”

“Sorry Mr Agent,” said Maurice with relish, “Paul auctioned off my machinery last Saturday, but I could cross the fields and ask Farmer Barbour to come and help.”

“Barbour? Why does that name ring a bell?” Paul glanced at Randy wondering whether he was joking. “Well Randy, Mr Barbour farms next door and you and I have had two meetings to try and settle his rent review.”

Whilst Randy searched his memory Paul suggested they walk back to the farm and measure the hay and silage, look at the tenant’s ‘improvements’, check over the house and settle the neighbour’s rent review at the same time. As they walked back Paul showed him a kale crop, making Randy walk through it, avoiding the area where the seed had not taken. The recent rain clung to the leaves and Randy’s trousers were soon soaked.

By the time Ben Barbour and Maurice arrived back at the yard Randy was cold, wet and a beaten man. It was gone two o’clock. “Now then Randy” said Paul winking at Maurice “ what shall we give Mr Barbour for towing you out? How about a couple of bottles of wine?” Randy looked aghast, “Flippin’ heck Paul, do you know how much they cost?”

There was still much to agree and the valuation wasn’t finished until five o’clock by which time Randy was only too happy to agree to anything Paul put in front of him. They signed each other’s valuation books and Randy got into his Range Rover, lifted his right buttock off the seat, broke wind and drove off, not bothering to avoid the puddles.

Paul and Maurice stood in silence for a while, watching him drive away. “I can’t believe you got me off so lightly Paul, that new tenant will be on the telephone to the Landlord on Monday and then watch out Creamy! Shall we go for a pint?”

“I’ll tell you what Maurice,” said Paul “Let’s call in on Ben Barbour and I can tell him about his new rent. I think he might be happy to share a bottle of claret with us.”

Tenanted farms were traditionally ended, and started, in spring or autumn (Lady Day or Michaelmas). This is an imagined short story.

The Thomas Hardye School

The Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester dates from 1567-9 when The Dorchester Free School was built on the site of the Hardye Arcade in South Street by the efforts of the townspeople. A Protestant Grammar School, it was designed for the free education of local boys in (Latin) grammar prior to University.

Robert Napper donated property adjoining the School to house an under-master. It wasn’t his only act of local philanthropy. Dorchester residents will be familiar with Napper’s Mite, the site of 10 almshouses built by Sir Robert in 1615.

There were few pupils at the School in the early days. In 1885, the name was changed to Hardye’s and, following the Balfour Act of 1902 which saw education increasingly funded by the state via the newly formed County Councils, the School gradually prospered and moved to a new site at Fordington in 1928.

When I boarded at Hardye’s...

Mark Lewis shares his memories as a boarder at Southfield House in Prince of Wales Road.

To promote a sense of competition and loyalty among the boys, we were grouped into ‘houses’ – as was quite usual at Grammar Schools. Each house had its own colour, displayed as a stripe on the school uniform tie and a button on top of the uniform cap.

There was great rivalry between the houses, with tradition and pride ensuring every sports match and competition was fiercely contested.

My house was Treves (for boarders), and the day-boys were in either Pope, Hodges or Williams. I must confess I didn’t stop to think where these names came from at the time, but assume the following:

Pupil Numbers

1569 – 5

1927 – 160

1979 – 820

2022 – 2,100

Hardye’s continued on the Fordington site as a boys’ Grammar School matched by the ‘Green School’, or girls’ Grammar School, in Queen’s Avenue in about 1930. The Butler Education Act of 1944 gave rise to the Dorchester Secondary Modern School in 1945. The three Schools became two comprehensives – Hardye’s boys’ at Fordington, and Castlefield girls’ on the secondary modern site, in 1980.

It was not until 1992 that the merger of the two comprehensives created The Thomas Hardye School on the Castlefield site which fulfilled the dream of the 16 th century burgesses of Dorchester in offering, in the one school, “the necessary education and instruction of children in all degrees in good discipline” , as proposed in the Deed of Endowment in 1579.

Pope: after the brewer Edwin Pope of Eldridge Pope. Hodges: after John F Hodges and Sons, wine merchant. Treves: after Sir Frederick Treves who gained fame firstly as the man who looked after Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, and second as Royal Surgeon to Edward VII, operating on his appendix and saving his life just two days before the planned date of the King’s coronation.

Williams: after Williams bank in Dorchester.

With thanks to the website for Old Boys of Dorchester Grammar School and Hardye’s School https://old-hardyeans. com/index.html and The Thomas Hardye School website https:// www.thomas-hardye.net/

Mark Lewis FRICS FAAV FNAVA Senior Partner mlewis@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01258 473766

Not to be confused with his novelist relation, Thomas Hardye has his own place in Dorset history.

Agency and Auctions

Plenty to inform and entertain in this section! We hear from colleagues glad to have swapped the Capital for the countryside. There’s advice to help you sell your home, insights on what buyers really want, and a look back at some of the properties we’ve sold in 2022. We have a treat for petrol heads, good news for culture lovers, and reveal the little-known link between Frankenstein and Bournemouth. There are features on fossil hunters, farmhouses and in praise of ponds. We hear about the Churchwarden with a side line in smuggling, why Weymouth is the coast with the most, and the Dorset village touched by the Profumo affair. Landlords and tenants are well catered for in these pages. Plus, we review our best auction lots, recount a cautionary tale, and share sound advice to help keep your property safe from fraud. And to round things off, we paws for thought with our canine correspondent.

The Farmland Market

Our geographical coverage has expanded! Hot on the heels of new offices opening in Devizes and Tiverton, 2022 has seen us extend our reach into Oxfordshire and Cornwall – so we are exceptionally well placed to provide a snapshot of the land and farms market across the south and west.

Supply

Supply in 2022 saw a mini bounce following Covid-restricted markets of 2020 and 2021, however it is still below historical supply levels of the noughties and nineties.

The majority of farm disposals were the result of retirement. Despite there being a handful of new entrants into agriculture who normally establish through renting, it is clear in recent years that farmers’ children are not tempted by the prospect of working and running their own business, all hours, 365 days a year, in all weathers – even in our wonderful countryside!

Death, divorce and restructuring fall in behind as the other main sale drivers. DEFRA’s Lump Sum Exit Scheme has not resulted in more retirements and land on the market. Most owner-occupier retirees will meet exit rules by transferring land to successors or letting under a Farm Business Tenancy.

We have seen a small increase in blocks of land of 10 to 100 acres on the market. In previous years, these were viewed as too small to create a farm or too large for non-farming buyers –now they attract much more interest from a wider audience.

Demand

There is no let-up in the demand for farms and bare land. Almost every day I’m asked if we have any land coming!

The ongoing conflicts across the globe, most notably Ukraine, are driving up all input prices from fertiliser and energy to medicine and feed, and whilst much of this is being passed on to the end consumer, our ever-more powerful supermarkets still manage to maintain their margin. This is making many, including the Government, reassess food security.

It is absurd in a country boasting world leading agricultural technology, research and production methods that we are one of the least self-sufficient nations for food production.

Food production competes directly with energy production, housing, recreation and environmental uses of land; therefore it appears the demand for land will not wane in the short to medium term.

Andrew Tuffin, Partner and Head of Farm Agency, has your rural update

The land market will see a more diverse mix of buyers competing for land

Buyers

‘Rollover’ farmers, as I call them, are particularly prominent and putting a bottom in the market for farms and larger acreages at around £8,500 per acre for productive bare pasture and arable land.

These buyers, mainly farmers, from across Southern England and the Midlands to East Anglia who have sold land for development, are very prominent in the current market.

That said, they do not take an ‘at all costs’ approach, with some spending funds elsewhere or paying the CGT if the right land is not available.

The land market going forward will see a more diverse mix of buyers competing for land. We have:

• Farmers and investors using land for food production.

• Investors using land for energy production (solar, battery storage and biodigester crops).

• Investors, house-builders, funds and private individuals using land for environmental benefits (ELMS, Natural Capital, Biodiversity Net Gain, Carbon Capture, rewilding).

• Investors and funds viewing land for its health benefits and potential for use in ‘green prescribing’ – nature-based interventions and activities to help improve people’s mental and physical health.

• Recreational buyers using land for camping, tourism, horses, picnics, family, bird watching, star gazing, gardening, landing strip and vineyard to name a few.

• Residential buyers seeking land near or adjoining their dwelling

S&S Buyer Profile

Values

Many blocks of bare land have achieved more than £10,000 per acre, but it would not be fair to say this is the average –in reality, that’s 5-10 per cent lower. What we continue to witness is a large divergence in value and naturally there are often farm buildings with blocks of land which in themselves are significantly more valuable, whether due to costs of construction or Class Q potential.

So we are seeing larger blocks of bare land achieving anything from £5,000 to £18,000 per acre.

Small parcels under five acres are in a category of their own, making £10,000 to £35,000 per acre.

Private off-market deals and buying agents are commonplace now and these transactions work. However, as evidenced in the range of values above, one never knows who might be out there willing to pay best price – which is why open marketing will remain the most popular route.

Jack Edwards Hampshire & Wiltshire

Ross Willmington Devon & Somerset

Lucy Carnell Somerset

Andrew Tuffin Dorset, Somerset & Wiltshire

Will Wallis Dorset

Tuffin’s Top 10

Our Head of Farm Agency, Andrew Tuffin, picks his highlights from Symonds & Sampson’s 2022 sales

Best Farm Largest Farm

Chancellors Farm, Shepton Mallet

183 acre commercial dairy farm with 2 dwellings. Sold to a local farmer. The first farm for our Devizes office.

Hidden Gem

Dewlish, Dorchester

389 acres of chalk downland in the heart of rural Dorset. Offered in 4 lots, 17 offers from across England, sold locally.

Most Rewarding

Cummins Farm, Honiton

Gloriously privately situated late medieval house for restoration in 21 acres of pasture and woodland. 88 viewings in 4 weeks selling well over guide.

Ashmore Barn Farm, Blandford

143 acre farm appealing to a wide cross section of buyers. 30 viewings during bespoke 2 week marketing campaign and sold well over guide.

Best Location

Most Diverse

Isle

300 acre farm sold off market. Large range of farm buildings with huge potential, cliffs, beach frontage and a film location.

Furthest East

Redcliffe

107 acre residential farm on the River Frome with cottages, woodland, water meadows and marsh. Sold to 5 different buyer types.

Furthest West

Newbury, Berkshire

22 acres with consent for a replacement 4 bedroom house and a farm building.

Best Farmhouse

Penderleath,

19 acres of scrubland with potential for various uses located on a holiday route near St Ives

Most Viewings

West

A fine 7 bedroom country house in Exmoor National Park with 4 holiday cottages, outbuildings and 53 acres. Sold well over guide.

Quarry

20 acre smallholding with ag tied dwelling, class Q barn for conversion and land. 110 viewings. Sold in 5 lots.

of Purbeck

St Ives

Farm, Wareham

Hollowcombe, Exmoor

Farm, Gillingham

Return of the Mac

At the sparky age of 17, I made my merry way through the Symonds & Sampson office doors and began my two-week work experience. Little did I know that, the following year, I would be given the auspicious opportunity to become the company’s first-ever apprentice.

The apprenticeship was to take place over a consecutive two-year period, providing essential structure and extensive learning, within the field of real estate. I started in Sturminster Newton but moved to the Bridport office to learn from the masters – James Pellow and Jon Summers. And learn I did.

After five very happy and harmonious years, I was encouraged to broaden my horizons. I had been born, raised and schooled in Dorset, so I was lured by the lights of London and felt ready to develop my experience and expertise further.

I started at Douglas & Gordon. I was like a rabbit in headlights, trying to navigate the convoluted meanderings of London life. It proved quite the contrast to my previous cosy countryside vocation!

What was supposed to be a fleeting few moments of city excitement, eventually turned into 12 influential and invaluable years, working at Strutt & Parker, then back to Douglas & Gordon and finally Winkworth, selling property within Kensington, Fulham and Putney. It was strange to meet buyers of my own age completing on properties valued at more than £1m, and often as high as £5m

I met my future wife, Poppy, on a habitually fun and frenzied Fulham night out. We discovered we both came from the same captivating and charming county of Dorset (what a relief!).

We eventually decided it was time for the good life once again and swapped the city for the shires, to start our next chapter. For me it was unequivocal and unconditional that I returned to the Symonds & Sampson fold. It’s a very special firm and one that retains a robust venerability, which is quite a unique and elusive quality to uphold.

I am now happily ensconced as Residential Sales Manager in the Sherborne Office. It feels very good to be back!

James Mckay MNAEA Residential Sales Manager

James Mckay heeds the siren call of Symonds & Sampson

I was like a rabbit in headlights, trying to navigate London life

West End to the West Country

London has its charms but former Belgravia-based estate agent, Will Tremlett, is glad his new role is in the country

When I decided to relocate from the capital to the countryside, many of my former London colleagues were intrigued. I’ve swapped 20 years as an estate agent in Belgravia to head up a Residential Sales team in Dorset. But what has really changed? Absolutely nothing!

Principally, it is the same job with the same ideologies – discretion, hard work, communication and building longstanding relationships. Top that up with a couple of decades’ worth of experience, and I can offer our clients level-headed advice gleaned from working in one of the capital’s most desirable residential hot spots.

Belgravia is certainly full of characters. Settle down with a coffee and a cupcake outside the renowned Peggy Porschen bakery, and you’d never get bored of people-watching. You’ll spot the ‘old’ money and a lot of foreign investors, but also nannies with well-dressed children on

the way home from Eaton Square Nursery School, high-rollers in chauffeur-driven cars, and couples treating themselves to a few nights at The Goring Hotel.

One might say it was all glamour in Belgravia. Yes, some properties came with the latest hi-tech features and dizzyingly high price tags to match, but once you’ve seen one fancy home cinema, you’ve seen them all.

Now, rather than mastering the intricacies of remote controlled lighting and entertainment systems, I am faced with other, more earthy, problems – septic tanks, agricultural ties, and some testing directions to properties.

I am still delighted to meet many characters, not so different from London in many ways. And, although I miss the hustle and bustle, Oxford’s bakery in Sturminster Newton gives Peggy a very close run for her money!

William Tremlett Residential Sales Manager

Rather than mastering remote controlled lighting systems, I am faced with septic tanks

Selling in a Changing Market

Jon Summers on how to maximise your selling success

Following the last few years of Lockdowns and uncertainty, our region has experienced exceptional price growth driven by unprecedented demand from regional buyers and those escaping the city to set up home in one of our vibrant towns or picturesque villages.

As we regain some semblance of normality, we have seen many return to their place of work, some by choice others at the request of their employers. There are many who will continue to work from home for the long term, and buyers in this category often prioritise independent workspace and internet quality.

Whatever the future holds, the property market is no different from any other – there are fluctuations, dips and rises, and I have experienced many during my 30 years in the industry. But what is apparent is property remains a sound investment whether it is buying your first home, upsizing, investing in buy-to-let, extending, or perhaps later in life having the ability to downsize or consider equity release to fund retirement or support the family.

We are confident that, despite the challenges the country faces, the market will remain resilient in our region over the long term. The lure of the country and coast will continue to attract buyers from far and wide. This was noticeable at our last London Property Event, with potential purchasers of all ages approaching us for advice, and assistance with their search.

The market has been very much a sellers’ market – multiple offers and strong sale prices have been a common theme. Increased interest rates and the cost of living will have an impact on the market as we move forward, but 30 per cent of our buyers are mortgage-free.

Instructing a qualified, experienced agent is essential. Setting your property up for sale prior to launching is often overlooked by many agents, and that’s one of the reasons why you will see many sales fall through and properties remarketed.

Buyers need all the information relating to a property, such as tenure, covenants, charges and so on. A fully apprised purchaser will often open with their best bid if they feel more confident there will be no surprises.

Our diverse business of experienced professionals including Chartered Surveyors makes us best-placed to guide you through the market.

One piece of advice, however: choose your solicitor carefully. If you search online, you may be seduced by a company whose fees are lower than local solicitors. They will be cheap for a reason and, by the time you realise this, you may be extremely frustrated and stressed.

Ask us for the names of the best conveyancers and we would hope the sale will then proceed more smoothly.

If you are considering a move, we would be delighted to talk with you.

Jon Summers MNAEA MNAVA Partner, Head of Agency jsummers@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01305 251154

30 per cent of our buyers are mortgage-free

The Race for Space

In the year Symonds & Sampson were established, 1858, many people were leaving rural areas to seek work in the Cities but now, for some of our buyers, it is the reverse. Not that there is work, necessarily, in our region but with the ability to work from home it can become a lifestyle move.

The property press is very good at defining buyer habits. We are all familiar with the terms “escape to the country” and “location, location, location” – phrases now synonymous with television programmes. But a new buying habit has come to the fore in the last two years: the “race for space”, triggered by the increasing ability to work from home.

I have first-hand experience of this phenomena through my sister and brother-in-law. For many years, they lived and worked in the centre of Bournemouth within easy commute of the office. However, both now work from home three days a week. So they took the plunge, sold their two-bedroom flat, and found a threebedroom house on the outskirts of Poole with an annexe – which is now a perfect home office.

It’s win, win, win – the house has no office clutter, they live in a quieter location, and my sister reports a better working environment without distractions. They are just one of many buyers making this type of relatively local move, having been released from the grind of the daily commute.

The second type of race-for-space buyer is closely associated with the ‘escape to the country’ trend, where buyers move –often from London and the home counties – in search of rural living and a better quality of life.

In the past, this tended to be predominantly retirees, perhaps moving to the beautiful areas they had discovered while on holiday. Now, with working from home so commonplace, we find all ages relocating. A property with office space gives home-workers the chance to keep their job but change their lifestyle – and enjoy the wonderful countryside and coast our region has to offer.

Often, however, the wishlist goes beyond this to a property with significant outside space – somewhere to walk the dog, to enjoy a view over your land – a buffer between you and the rest of the world.

Outbuildings could become a studio, a bakery, a microbrewery; a paddock could be used for glamping or to site a shepherd’s hut; woodland could be home to a forest school. The permutations are endless, and the countryside offers ample opportunity for creatives and entrepreneurs to flourish.

It’s hard to see this buying pattern changing. As technology improves, even the most remote areas are becoming connected, allowing a wide demographic of buyers to live and work in our beautiful region.

David Price Residential Sales Manager

Today’s buyers want workspace inside, garden space outside, and breathing space in the form of proximity to the coast or countryside, says David Price

As technology improves, even the most remote areas are becoming connected

A Selection of Sales

Ilminster, Somerset

An Arts & Crafts house in 1/3 of an acre, located in one of the town’s most prestigious locations.

Tarrant

Gunville, Dorset

A charming Grade II listed farmhouse with original period features and mature gardens.

Marnhull, Dorset

An exclusive countryside development of nine individual 3-4 bedroom character homes.

Stour Provost, Dorset

A south-facing Georgian farmhouse with wonderful views over the Blackmore Vale and River Stour.

Nr Uplyme, Devon

A stylish individual dwelling in mature gardens, within a short drive of the coast.

Weymouth, Dorset

A striking warehouse-style apartment forming part of an award-winning harbourside conversion.

We put Buyers and Sellers together

Halstock, Dorset

An attractive family home constructed to a high specification and located in a sought-after village.

Upottery, Devon

A fine modern country house with glorious views, mature gardens, stables and 10 acres of pretty pastureland.

Allowenshay, Somerset

A Grade II listed cottage with considerable potential (STPP) and attractive, south-facing gardens.

Poundbury, Dorset

An elegant and well-proportioned townhouse situated in the heart of Poundbury close to Queen Mother Square.

East Chaldon, Dorset

Grade II listed former dairy building within a picturesque courtyard development close to the coast.

Upwey, Dorset

A charming period house with attractive garden and range of outbuildings.

We put Buyers and Sellers together

Child Okeford, Dorset

A substantial village house with excellent accommodation, a pool and just under an acre.

Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset

A Grade II Listed farmhouse with substantial outbuildings in a wonderful rural location.

Owl Barn, Marnhull

A spacious 4 bedroom property with large garden and lovely countryside views.

Weymouth, Dorset

A well-appointed luxury duplex apartment with balcony offering stunning views across the bay.

Vespers Hollow, Buckhorn Weston

A flexible 6 bedroom house with delightful gardens and adjoining field.

Shillingstone, Dorset

A substantial and impressive house in a sought-after village with south facing garden and stunning views.

A Selection of Sales

We had a seamless service from Symonds & Sampson. The agents were knowledgeable, and helpful and responded to any queries very promptly. Can’t fault them and would recommend them for any property transactions. –

Ms P

A very friendly and professional team who all know the local area very well. Always very prompt at responding and dealing with queries, and you have the sense they all want the best outcome for their clients. –

Ms M

Charmouth, Dorset

An outstanding contemporary house with a studio, beautiful gardens and impressive views to the sea.

East Stoke, Dorset

A farmhouse in 14.59 acres situated in a highly desirable and much sought-after area of the Isle of Purbeck.

Donyatt, Somerset

A contemporary riverside property with spacious and versatile accommodation.

Misterton, Somerset

A unique and beautifully presented former barn overlooking its 2.19 acres of grounds.

Supercars in Sherborne

On Sunday 17 July, one of the hottest days of 2022, I set off at 8am with my wife, son and father-in-law to attend the Classic and Supercars Show in Sherborne.

We had two cars on display. I own a Maserati GranTurismo S 2010, and my wife, Georgie, has a temperamental Fiat 500 Giardiniera 1969 which, on a good day, can do 50mph – hence the early start!

This was the first show for two years due to the pandemic and, despite weather warnings for extreme heat, the attendance was fantastic.

A supercar is loosely defined as a street-legal, highperformance sports car. Devotees describe them as luxurious and prestigious. Critics may say they are expensive and flashy. I think of a supercar as top of the line – the best of the best. Each to their own, I say!

The venue could not be better. Sherborne Castle, built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594, sits beside a 50-acre lake and 30 acres of gardens designed by Capability Brown, and forms a dramatic backdrop to this impressive show.

It has been the home of the Digby family since 1617, and we are able to stage this event with the kind permission of the Wingfield-Digby family, who are also Presidents of the show.

Across the lake stands the ruin of the Old Castle, built by the Normans in the 12th century and falling to Cromwell during the Civil War, since when it has remained a noble ruin.

Sherborne Classic and Supercars Show, now in its 17th year, is regarded as one of England’s premier motoring festivals, with more than 2,000 cars on display from veteran and heritage vehicles to the latest models. In recent years, the show has raised in excess of £230,000 for national and local charities.

Alongside the private classic and supercars, the host of attractions includes motor club and trade stands, an autojumble, craft fair, catering village, and VIP Members’ area. The show attracts visitors from around Dorset, Somerset and the wider West Country.

And speaking of noble ruins… the only disappointment of the day came when it was time to leave the show. Georgie’s car failed to start, so we had to get it transported back home. The joys of Italian classic car motoring!

The date for this year’s event is Sunday 16 July 2023. A great day out and always in support of a very worthy cause.

Andy Wakinshaw MNAEA Partner

Sherborne Classic and Supercars Show is one of England’s premier motoring festivals

They’re high maintenance and highly unpredictable, but for the owners of classic and supercars, the chance to display these venerable vehicles is not to be missed, says Andy Wakinshaw

Magic Formula

Matthew Edmunds is in pole position to tell us about the changes coming down the track in Formula One

Iam often asked what I see in Formula One. Many say to me, “I just don’t get it” – and I suppose that’s the nub. You either get it or you don’t!

The World Drivers’ Championship, which became the FIA Formula One World Championship in 1981, has been one of the world’s premier forms of racing since its inaugural season in 1950. The ‘formula’ part of the name refers to the set of rules to which all participants’ cars must conform.

A Formula One season consists of a series of races, each known as a Grand Prix, which take place worldwide on purpose-built circuits and, as in Monaco, closed public roads.

My passion for Formula One stems from the sound of a 1,000hp car screaming at 15,000rpm to be the fastest on the track.

This year my passion has grown stronger due to one of the biggest shake-ups we have seen on the grid, with greater use of ground effect aerodynamics, and modified wings to reduce the turbulence behind the cars – the goal being to ease overtaking. This makes a huge difference and the races have become even more exhilarating to watch.

I do, however, wonder how the future of the sport will be shaped by climate change and escalating costs.

Formula One has launched a plan to become carbon neutral by 2030. By 2025, all events should become sustainable, including eliminating single-use plastics and ensuring all waste is reused, recycled or composted.

In January 2020, FIA and Formula One signed up to the United Nations’ Sports for Climate Action framework, with then-FIA President Jean Todt announcing: “We aim to inspire

greater awareness and best practices in sustainability motorsport standards.”

All cars have now increased the bio-component of their fuel. And in December 2020, the FIA claimed it had developed a fuel with 100 per cent sustainability, to be used in Formula One from either 2025 or 2026 when new engine regulations come into force.

That wasn’t the only big announcement of 2020. On the eve of the new season in June of that year, Formula One launched #WeRaceAsOne. Primarily focused on visible displays of solidarity in the fight against racism on Grand Prix weekends, the initiative also saw the creation of a Formula One Task Force that will “listen to people from across the paddock ... and make conclusions on the actions required to improve the diversity and opportunity in Formula One at all levels”.

The move stems from the growing questions about racism and global inequalities perpetuated by the sport. The 70-year history of the World Championship has been dominated by European and white drivers, with the first and only black driver (my hero, Lewis Hamilton) winning in 2008.

A lot will change and all for the better, and I will not be leaving my seat when the lights go green!

Matthew Edmunds Residential Negotiator

My passion for Formula One has grown stronger due to one of the biggest shake-ups we have seen on the grid

County Champions

When The Telegraph decided to rank England’s counties from 1 to 48, we were heartened – but not surprised – to see the counties in Symonds & Sampson’s region claim five of the top 10 spots.

For their 2022 list, the newspaper’s travel experts scored England’s 48 counties on their natural wonders: history and culture; luxuries; and peace and quiet.

Ready to see how Symonds & Sampson’s very own ‘home’ counties have fared?

Tenth in The Telegraph list is Dorset. It has 14 Blue Flag beaches (more than any other county) along its 174km of coastline. There are two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and 10.8 per cent of the county is woodland.

Delicious local produce was also highlighted, especially foodstuffs with protected geographical status such as West Country Lamb, West Country Beef, Dorset Blue, and West Country Farmhouse Cheddar.

In seventh is Hampshire. It has two National Parks (the New Forest and the South Downs), two cathedrals and two International Dark Sky Reserves. Amazingly, it has 105 museums and galleries, and 15 English Heritage properties.

Fifth is Cornwall. This county has 841km of coastline (the most in the UK), nine Blue Flag beaches, and an average of 1,636 hours of sunshine per year.

This Celtic nation with a rich history and folklore, whose wild, rugged beauty inspired the works of Daphne du Maurier and the Poldark novels.

There are three Michelin-starred restaurants, and foods with protected status include Cornish Clotted Cream, Cornish Sardines, Fal Oysters, and the famous Cornish Pasty.

With two Dark Sky Reserves, no major cities or motorways, and a low population density (410 people per square mile), Cornwall also scored very highly for peace and quiet. Although The Telegraph adds the proviso: “so long as you avoid August”!

Somerset comes in fourth. It has Exmoor National Park and four Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 25 National Trust listings and 13 English Heritage properties.

The food and drink products with protected status include Exmoor Jersey Blue, and Somerset Cider Brandy. Somerset has four RSPB reserves and, if you consider Bristol as a county in its own right, no airport – so peace and quiet are hard to beat.

So which county in England claims the top spot? It’s Devon! There are two National Parks and five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Devon has 13 Blue Flag beaches along its 495km of coast – second only to Cornwall. You’ll also find nine RSPB reserves, an RHS garden, and vast tracts of woodland (9.9 per cent of Devon is tree-covered). Devon’s sons include the front men of two of the most successful stadium rock bands Coldplay and Muse.

Devon offers 177 museums and galleries, 34 National Trust listings, 13 English Heritage properties, and – in Exeter – a Cathedral.

The rich food culture ranges from the historic Plymouth Gin distillery, Devon Cream Tea (jam on top) to the array of fresh seafood, all bolstered by four Michelin-starred restaurants. All reassuringly familiar yet constantly surprising!

Angela Gillibrand MNAEA Negotiator agillibrand@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01297 33122

Angela Gillibrand reveals how our region fared in The Telegraph’s list of England’s best counties

Delicious local produce was also highlighted, especially foodstuffs with protected geographical status

Tina Morgan – Walking the dogs Exmouth – marinehousebeer.co.uk

How about a Brand New Home?

People love old houses

others

Higher Stour Meadow Marnhull

An attractive countryside development with the specification you expect from modern construction practices and materials... Limited remaining availability

Chesil Beach Mews Portland

A small development of town house style homes adjacent to The Cove Beach Portland…All now sold

Palmers Meadow Bridport

The development lies on the Western edge of the town. Bridport is a bustling and vibrant market town which has a history of rope making and is now a gateway to the Jurassic, World Heritage coastline at nearby West Bay…All sold

Spring Meadows

Fontmell

Magna

Dukes Court Crossways Dorchester

Dukes Court is an exciting new development of 5 houses close to the centre of the popular village of Crossways. Built by LAWSH, a bespoke developer, who have a local reputation for building high quality homes…All now sold

East Farm Owermoigne

A small private development of just eight detached village houses. All now sold

Yeabridge Court

(Pennyfarthing site) Located on the western edge of Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this beautiful village is surrounded by delightful open countryside, and hosts a friendly village shop.

A stunning collection of beautiful barn conversions in the quintessential hamlet of Yeabridge makes Yeabridge Court Barns the perfect place to call home.

but

prefer modern living with a New Home Warranty. Here are some sites we are involved in.

Before and After

When we received instructions to market a pair of Lady Wimborne cottages for auction, we expected, because of their history and heritage, considerable interest from local and national buyers.

There are thought to be around 111 Lady Wimborne cottages in total, built between 1867 and 1904 for the estate workers of Canford Manor, the now Canford School, which at the time belonged to Sir John Josiah Guest and Lady Charlotte Guest.

The distinctive Tudor Gothic design was the creation of Sir Charles Barry junior (son of the architect who designed the Houses of Parliament), and the cottages were commissioned by Lady Charlotte, a keen philanthropist, to replace the overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions in which the estate workers lived. The project was later taken over by, and named after Lady Charlotte’s daughter-in-law, Lady Cornelia Wimborne, who continued to build the cottages until 1904. Most of the cottages were constructed by a local builder, George Jennings, using bricks produced at his pottery in Parkstone, Poole. The cottages are predominantly semidetached pairs, and all feature a plaque depicting the coat of arms of the Wimborne family and the date they were built.

155 years on, each cottage retains its original number above the doorway, denoting the chronological order in which they were built, as opposed to its street address. Some are still subject to the restrictive covenants that were written into the deeds when they were first constructed.

We launched 44 & 45 Knighton Lane to the market in February 2022 and they proved to be popular with builders, developers and investors. Several prospective buyers had elaborate ideas to acquire both cottages, with the view to gaining planning permission and Listed Building consent to knock them into one larger property, whilst others hoped to sympathetically restore the existing accommodation. Having undergone alterations over the years, the layout of the cottages differed slightly with 45 providing three bedrooms and a range of outbuildings in just under a quarter of an acre of grounds, whereas 44 Knighton Lane comprised two bedrooms, a firstfloor bathroom, and 0.14 acres.

After over 80 viewings, nearly 30 bidders registered for each cottage. On auction day, 45 Knighton Lane was offered first and after some very competitive bidding, sold to a telephone bidder for 37% above its guide, who was bidding from the top of a mountain in Gibraltar. The disappointed underbidder was determined to win 44 Knighton Lane and cheered with relief when her bid was successful.

Since purchasing the property in April, the buyers have sympathetically restored the cottage to its former glory and have described the project as “a real labour of love – from removing 100 years of birds’ nests to restoring a 100-year-old lock and removing 100 years of paint to bringing an impressive stone doorway back to life – it’s been a journey!”

The residential team at the Wimborne office is delighted to bring 44 Knighton Lane back to the market after a very impressive 6-month refurbishment project, and what a transformation…

Meredith Holmes MNAEA ANAVA Auction Manager mholmes@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01202 843190

Home is where the Hearth is

The inglenook fireplace came into being in the late 16th century and literally means ‘chimney corner’. It replaced earlier fireplaces which were simply a pile of logs on a central hearth in the middle of the floor, where smoke escaped through a hole in the roof.

An open fireplace was the only means of heating, cooking and damp control within homes right up to the 19th century. During the winter months, a fire would have been burning 24 hours a day.

Inglenook fireplaces were often built with a seat or stand-in alcoves to allow people to get as close as possible to the fire. Some had built-in ovens to the side with vaulted ceilings to bake bread.

If your home has an inglenook fireplace that you wish to renovate, it’s important to use appropriately vintage materials such as old bricks, natural stone, lime mortars, lime plaster and lime paints – and allow the materials to breathe so dampness does not become an issue.

Many inglenooks still have their original bressummer beam. In the 16th and 17th centuries, this load-bearing beam may have been marked with small cuts, symbols, letters, notches and burns along its length – the aim being to ward off evil. It was thought that while

doors could be barred and windows shuttered, the chimney –open to the sky – was vulnerable. Witches, you see, could turn themselves into birds or bats!

If you live in a timber-framed house of the period, look for these apotropaic markings. You may see a repeated W thought to be a double V for Virgo Virginum. Or a daisy wheel (a circular device with petals), runic symbols, a P incorporating a cross, or a W incorporating a P.

These ‘Marian’ marks are generally found incised into timbers with a race knife, sometimes only very lightly inscribed at the top corners of the fireplace. They were also painted on to plaster. In the photograph, you can see the apotropaic marks which appear on a wall which originally housed a staircase leading up to the first floor, next to the inglenook.

If you do see these signs in your house, take comfort. Evil witches will be scared off and the only visitor to arrive via your chimney will be Father Christmas! With thanks to lassco.co.uk

Philip Greenway BSc FRICS Senior Valuation Surveyor

Now that’s what we call a fireplace – cosy, comforting and quintessentially English. Philip Greenway gets all fired up about inglenooks

Inglenook fireplaces were often built with a seat or stand-in alcoves to allow people to get as close as possible to the fire

Sale of the Century

1958 was a good year. Ian Fleming published Dr No, and a different Mr Bond, Michael, introduced us to Paddington. People could enjoy the gourmet delights of a Little Chef, Blue Peter was on television, and Cliff Richard released Move It – the first authentic rock and roll song produced outside the United States.

Meanwhile, in Dorset, the Burton Bradstock estate was for sale. The estate formed part of the great estates of the Pitt Rivers family and had been closely linked with the history of the county since the 17th century.

The particulars note that “Burton Bradstock has an atmosphere of its own, springing not only from the beauty of the scenery and its seafaring associations and seaside attractions, but also because of its mild climate, which is kinder to older people, and which, combined with the exceptional fertility of the soil, has made the village noted for its beauty and early growth of its gardens.

“The village has been long associated with the manufacture of rope, twine and net for varied needs, and the export of a particular quality of shingle has linked the village to many places

Steve Allen delves into the archives to review the 1958 auction of the Burton Bradstock estate

It was an historic sale and we have retained the original sets of particulars with maps and posters

abroad, the unique tidal action of the famous Chesil Bank providing a never-failing supply of ready graded gravel.” The sale, on behalf of Captain GHLF Pitt Rivers and advertised to take place over two days, had 145 lots including:

• 1,682 acres – the greater part of the village.

• 5 farms – let to good tenants.

• 3 caravan camps.

• 3 private beaches and the West Dorset Golf Club.

• 2 licensed free houses (The Anchor and The Dove Inn).

• 3 attractive residences with vacant possession.

• 7 residences let.

• 50 cottages let and a main road filling station.

• Haddon House at West Bay with vacant possession, and 7 cottages and warehousing.

Many of the tenant farmers had been on the estate for generations and, interestingly, the particulars mention the land may appeal to buyers requiring a safe investment and carrying the advantage of the 45 per cent estate duty concession on agricultural property – now known, for Inheritance Tax purposes, as Agricultural Property Relief.

It was an historic sale and we have retained the original sets of particulars with maps and posters. The most significant keepsake is the book written up by Arthur Richards, the sale’s auctioneer, in which he noted the reserve price (in a code only our present-day gavel maestro, Mark Lewis, understands), what he expects the lot to sell for, and the sale price with the purchaser’s name.

I have chosen a few lots of particular interest.

Lot 83 was Burton Beach and Hive. It included 32 acres –part of which was Burton Beach, 4.86 acres, the car park with room for 200 cars and boasting that 9,000 car parking fees were paid in 1957. The sand and shingle, café and lavatories.

The income from these parts was:

• Shingle – £180

• Car park – £473

• Café – £80

• Lavatories – £21

We can trace some lots to properties sold in recent years:

Lot 84 was The Green Bungalow at The Hive, a wooden structure, rented for £5 5s per annum. The reserve in 1958 was £450 and it sold for £1,050. In 2007, Symonds & Sampson auctioned The Green Bungalow for £364,000 to a buyer from London who had not viewed it!

Girt House, a detached medium-sized character residence, sold on reserve for £4,000. It was marketed in 2022 at £1,200,000.

Manor Farm was 385 acres when offered for sale with six cottages and buildings, selling for £19,000. In 2011, we sold the farmhouse and 24 acres for £1,550,000.

As the aerial photograph shows, Burton Bradstock has changed a great deal since 1958 – some would say for the better – but many of the original families living as tenants in the cottages were able to buy the freehold, and their descendants remain today.

What did things cost in 1958?

• A gallon of petrol – 5s 8d

• Pint of beer – 2s

• 20 cigarettes – 3s 11d

• Pint of milk – 8d

• A dozen eggs – 3s 3d

• Ferguson 17’’ television

– 66 guineas

The average weekly pay was £8.

Steve Allen MNAEA Residential Partner sallen@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01308 422092

The Langton Matravers Smuggler

In most murder mysteries, the least likely person is often the villain – and what better way to hide in plain sight than as a Churchwarden?

Charles Hayward was not involved in murder, but he was a smuggler. In the 17th century, Hayward was Sexton and Churchwarden of St George’s Church, Langton Matravers. He also rented the Dancing Ledge quarry and was Subpostmaster in the village. But this respectable pillar of the community concealed a dark secret – one shared by his grandson, Charlie.

As Charlie later wrote:

“In October 1869 just after dusk, I was requested by my grandfather to stand outside the church gate – but not to look too involved with anything particular, and I must needs walk to and fro past the gate, and not stand too still. I found this nothing but necessary, since there was a cold wind.

“My grandfather also gave me strict instructions to alert him – he being within the church – if a Peeler-Policeman came up or down the road.

“Seven gentlemen arrived variously to meet my grandfather, and they all went inside the church. A Peeler came down the road from Garfield, past me, and thence on to Stepps. I had given the alert (taking my cap off, shaking it, and putting it on again) and, whilst the Peeler walked by, all was silent in the church, nor any light.

“Presently came two stone-carts from Garfield end, and the seven gentlemen came out and assisted the drivers with unloading the stones; these were stacked flat-down and not up-down. The men then brought in barrels of all sizes and different shapes. All together this went into the church – I could not see where.”

If you have been down to Hayward’s quarry, you’ll see it could have been the perfect place to land and hide smuggled goods – it is remote and fairly easily accessible. Hayward would have needed help transporting the goods, and local folklore says he used a hearse. He would also have needed someone to turn a blind eye. For this, he may once again have relied on family.

Hayward’s eldest daughter had married an Exciseman, who was a well-known drunkard, and his dereliction of duty, possibly

fuelled by the contraband, may have provided opportunities to smuggle more goods into the village.

So what was being smuggled all those years ago, and why?

At the time, illegal trade across England’s coast was growing at a prodigious rate. What had previously been simple small-scale evasion of duty turned into an industry of astonishing proportions, syphoning money abroad, and channelling huge volumes of contraband into the Southern Counties of England.

It was not unheard of for a smuggling trip to bring in 3,000 gallons of spirits and, according to some contemporary estimates, 80 per cent of all tea drunk in England had not paid duty.

Before judging Hayward and his ilk too harshly, it is important to understand people’s attitudes to smuggling in those times. Whole communities connived in the trade and profited from it.

Charles Hayward’s secret remained undiscovered outside Langton Matravers until his grandson’s diary was found. And Hayward appears to have managed his double life with aplomb –he died on 11 May 1879, at the ripe old age of 82.

Credits

Neal Wilson Residential Branch Manager

Neal Wilson tells the story of the Churchwarden who led a double life

Whole communities connived in the trade and profited from it

A Langton Smuggler : R J Saville Langton Matravers local history preservation society

Dancing Ledge

Charles Hayward

Rattenbury Tales

Beer fishermen have always had a fine reputation for their ability to handle and sail boats. With this ability and the ideal geographical location for landing contraband and transportation to remote farms and houses, smuggling became an alternative “trade” for some of the fishermen.

This village on Devon’s south coast was, in the late 18th century, the headquarters of a gang of smugglers led by Jack Rattenbury, dubbed the “Rob Roy of the West”. But Rattenbury was far more than a local bad boy. He wrote a journal detailing his exploits – including when, as a privateer commissioned by the Government to do quasi military activities, he was taken prisoner by the French, and thrown into jail in France.

He escaped but his boat was captured by the French and they left him in charge of the helm while they got drunk below. He sailed for England and, when he could see Portland Bill, he convinced the crew that it was Alderney. As they got closer he jumped overboard and swam into Swanage harbour raising the alarm, and the boat was recaptured.

Over the years he escaped from customs men, the press gang (also known as the Impress Service who forced sailors to serve on naval vessels), the Navy and privateers.

His stories – some say they may be exaggerated – often have him stripped to the waist, with a knife in one hand and a hand-scythe in the other, facing soldiers who were determined to arrest him as a deserter. As he tells it, at one time he took up position at the stable door of a cellar, closing the lower half...

“I declared I would kill the first man who came near me, and that I would not be taken from the spot alive. At this, the sergeant was evidently terrified, but he said to his men: ‘Soldiers, do your duty, advance and seize him’; to which they replied, ‘Sergeant, you proposed it: take the lead’... no one, however, offered to advance.”

Rattenbury must have been a persuasive talker as he often wriggled out of scrapes using his wits. He certainly seemed to make money and, by the age of 30, was trading in boats. His modus operandi was to buy a boat from the Channel Islands and sink it off the Devon coast for later collection. He also made trips

to Cherbourg and returned with some French prisoners, saying to the magistrate he thought they were from Jersey. All he received was a lecture!

Rattenbury’s funds fluctuated but he joined forces with various villagers for help. He used The Three Horseshoes Inn at Branscombe, sold at auction by Symonds & Sampson, as a regular meeting place for farmers, and there were many men who could help land smuggled goods.

He said: “Sidbury financed, Branscombe landed, Sidmouth found wagons, and Salcombe carriers; but the six ‘escort-men’ with blackened faces and swingle bats were always specialists from Yeovil.

“There was also, unfortunately, some violence and a Customs House Officer met his end at the bottom of a cliff. He was endeavouring to extinguish some fire made between Beer and Seaton as a signal to a smuggling boat then off at sea. He fell by some means or other from the top of the cliff to the bottom by which he was unfortunately killed.”

The Branscombe smugglers hid contraband in a novel way. They dug a sloping tunnel leading to the centre of a field then, at its end, hollowed out a circular pit some 12ft underground. The entrance to the chamber was concealed using earth and turf. These storage places have often been uncovered during farming and, in 1953, an estate map showed the location of no fewer than six of them, found between 1909 and 1939.

The Beer Quarry Caves were also of great use to smugglers and proved the ideal spot to hide contraband from the excise officials. One such cave was the Adit between Branscombe and Beer Head, known as Jack Rat’s Cave after Rattenbury.

Jack died in 1844 aged 66 and has become a folklore hero. He is buried in Branscombe churchyard.

With thanks to smuggling.co.uk

Ross Willmington DipAgFM Partner, Farm & Rural Agency rwillmington@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01297 33122

I declared I would kill the first man who came near me, and would not be taken from the spot alive

Ross Willmington recalls the exploits of Jack Rattenbury – author, smuggler and Beer folklore hero

Three Horseshoes

Weymouth –Britain’s best beach?

As someone born and bred in the Weymouth area, the question: “Is Weymouth Britain’s best beach?” is an easy one to answer. Even more so now Tripadvisor has taken it further and named Weymouth as one of the top 25 beaches in Europe – ranking it above tourist hotspots in Crete, Italy and France!

Weymouth’s three-mile stretch of sand has clean bathing water and traditional seaside attractions, as well as live music and free summer fireworks displays. It is also one of the most family-friendly beaches, especially as the gentle lapping of waves on the shore makes it ideal for paddling.

George III holidayed in Weymouth 14 times in 15 years. A painted statue of the former monarch stands on the seafront, and a chalk figure depicting him on his charger, Adonis, is carved into the hills of Osmington. The horse faces away from the town, and legend has it that George took offence, believing it was a sign the townspeople did not welcome him.

Queen Victoria is also remembered, with the Jubilee Clock Tower erected in 1887 to mark the 50th year of her reign, and a life-size bronze statue unveiled in 1902.

Royal connections aside, a trip to Weymouth is not complete without a visit to the harbour where there is an eaterie for every palate.

I always find one of the best times of year to enjoy walking along the beach is winter. There are fewer crowds, our Labrador can enjoy jumping in and out of the sea, and the kiosks are still open for a warming cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

The unique part, however, is looking back at the almost unbroken line of elegant seafront terraces now converted into hotels, apartments, guest houses and shops.

Visitors should, however, beware. Last summer a man was seen berating his wife; children screamed, he dropped the baby, the police were called, and an alligator ran off with the sausages! Britain’s best beach? Just ask Punch and Judy!

Jon Summers MNAEA MNAVA Partner, Head of Agency

For Jon Summers, there’s only one answer. Shell yeah!

Weymouth is one of the most family-friendly beaches – ideal for paddling

The Girl in the Pink Jeans

It is 60 years since an ‘indiscretion’ by the Secretary of State for War effectively brought down the British Government and, perhaps, we can add Dorset as a footnote.

John Profumo was a highly respected Minister, married to the glamorous actress Valerie Hobson. In 1961 he started an affair with Christine Keeler whom he met at Lord Astor’s estate. At the time, Keeler also had another lover –

Commander Eugene Ivanov, a Soviet naval attaché.

With the Cold War at its height and British politics so recently rocked by the exposure of Soviet spy rings, the situation was extremely sensitive. What secrets, heard as pillow talk from Profumo, was she passing to the Russians?

A question about Profumo’s affair was raised in the House of Commons and he strenuously denied the accusation. But, after a Police investigation exposed the truth, he resigned two weeks later severely damaging Her Majesty’s Government which, in turn, led to the resignation of then-Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan.

Stephen Ward – the society osteopath who had brought Keeler and Profumo together, and was known to make many such ‘introductions’ for the aristocracy and other establishment figures – was due to be sentenced for living off immoral earnings. He committed suicide before the verdict.

Just before the scandal broke, Christine Keeler and her flatmate Mandy Rice-Davies lived in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, where Keeler was known locally as ‘the girl in the pink jeans’. The pair hid letters in the Dorset flat, which were later passed to Lord Denning for his inquiry into the Profumo affair.

When I was younger, I remember people in Marnhull pointing out a distinguished man and whispering about his part in the

Profumo scandal. I thought nothing of it until about 15 years ago. Symonds & Sampson were instructed to auction a stylishly furnished and decorated house in the village for a deceased estate. The deceased’s son mentioned that Rice-Davies, seeking refuge from the press in 1963, had stayed with his parents.

Never one to miss an opportunity to get some publicity for a sale, I telephoned The Sunday Times and told them the story. They were fascinated but sceptical, and said they’d run the story if I could provide photographic proof.

Unfortunately, there was no such record that Rice-Davies had stayed in Marnhull, but I assured them the son said it was definitely true.

The journalist’s reply echoed the immortal words uttered by Rice-Davies at Keeler’s trial, when told that Lord Astor denied having an affair with her: “Well he would, wouldn’t he!”

They didn’t run the story.

Before the scandal broke, Keeler and RiceDavies lived in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth

Christine Keeler is synonymous with the Profumo affair, but the locals of one Dorset town know her by another name, says Giles Wreford-Brown

John Profumo and Valerie Hobson

Mandy Rice Davies and Christine Keeler

Damp and Mould

Time to open your minds and the windows writes Sam Brown

Some homes can become damp which can cause mould to grow on walls, furniture and rot window frames. Most damp is caused by condensation, although some is caused by leaking pipes, rain seeping in or rising damp.

Condensation occurs mainly during cold weather. It does not leave a tidemark like other causes of damp often do. Proper steps need to be taken to deal with condensation but there are some measures you can take right away:

• Wipe down the windows and sills every morning.

Ventilate:

Keep some windows ajar, all the time if possible or particularly when someone is in the room. More ventilation is needed

• when cooking, washing up, bathing and drying clothes.

• Heat the property a little more. In cold weather, the best way to avoid condensation is to keep low background heating on all day.

• Dehumidifiers will help dry out damp in newly built houses.

Manage Mould

• Treat the mould already in the property. If the basic problem is dealt with, mould should not reappear.

• To kill and remove the mould, wipe down with a fungicidal wash.

• Shampoo carpets. Brushing or vacuum cleaning can disturb mould and increase the risk of respiratory problems.

Produce less moisture:

• Cover pans of boiling water while cooking.

• Put washing outside to dry, or put in the bathroom with the door closed and the window open or extractor fan on. Do not dry clothes on radiators.

Samantha Brown MARLA Lettings Manager sbrown@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01308 426926

Better lets

Karen Mitchell shares her top tips to help Tenants and Landlords enjoy a more harmonious residential rental experience

Tips for Tenants

q Learn how the boiler works

There will usually be a manual at the property, but YouTube is a very good source for a step-by-step guide about how to programme the heating and hot water. Calls saying the boiler is broken just because the timer isn’t set correctly should be unnecessary.

w Open the windows occasionally

Fresh air is free, whereas living in a hermetically sealed home can encourage mould and condensation. Open the windows after showering or cooking, and feel and see the benefits.

The following guide contains some useful tips and reminders: http://bit.ly/3GXeP2H

e Try not to be a moaner

When you have a valid point to make, try to be courteous. If nothing happens, then become more vocal. Bad feeling is often just a result of bad communication.

r Communicate

If, for example, you are changing jobs and money will be tight for a few months tell the Landlord. It can be embarrassing to discuss your personal circumstances, but better this than silence.

t Play by the rules

When you sign a tenancy agreement, you’re agreeing to abide by the terms. Make sure you read the document in full before you sign it, and if there’s anything you don’t understand – ask. By understanding your obligations, you’ll be less likely to breach any terms that might lead to friction with your Landlord.

Tips for Landlords

q Make sure the property is professionally cleaned before the tenancy Comments such as: “Well you should have seen our own house when we moved in. This is a palace in comparison” are irrelevant. Your level of what is acceptable may not be the same as the Tenant’s. Have the property professionally cleaned before the tenancy starts. Pay particular attention to bathrooms and kitchens – especially the cooker.

w Get the boiler serviced

If the boiler has been switched off for a period of time, all sorts of strange things happen – radiators develop cold areas, timers go wrong and Tenants can, quite rightly, get grumpy. It’s a legal requirement for the Landlord to have the boiler serviced once a year anyway, so had just as well be done at the start of the tenancy.

e If the work needs doing, get it done

There will always be a few people who complain about everything, and this can be wearing for a Landlord –and their agent. However, vital work must be done. For instance, if a fence has blown down, the guttering is broken or the loo leaks, it is a genuine problem – so get it fixed in a timely manner.

r Communicate

If some works need to be delayed, maybe you need three quotes or your favoured handyman is on holiday, then tell the Tenant.

t Give the Tenant quiet enjoyment

If you, or a relative, used to live in the property, let all those memories go. It isn’t your garden any more so if certain flowers with sentimental appeal are not being cared for and it is upsetting, then the best thing to do is stay away. The phrase “never go back” fits well here.

Karen Mitchell MARLA Lettings Manager kmitchell@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01935 382903

Landlords’ Briefing

Is the abolishment of the Section 21 Notice that bad for Landlords?

Rachael James reports

On 17 October 2022 it was announced by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities that the Renters’ Reform Bill will be introduced during the current Parliamentary session. It is predicted to become law by spring 2024.

Over the last few years, there have been numerous announcements in the press with headings such as “More Rights for Tenants” and “No-Fault Notices Banned”. Much of the press coverage has been misleading or confusing. Add in a White Paper yet to be passed through Parliament (at the time of writing), and the result is uncertainty in the market.

So, amid all this ambiguity, it is important Landlords understand they can get possession of their property for the following reasons:

• Landlord wishes to sell – If the property remains unsold after three months, it is suggested a dwelling can re-enter the rental market.

• Landlord or a close family member needs to move in –This provision needs further debate and refinement as it could be opened for abuse; a Landlord could, for example, move their children into the property and then move them out again.

• Serious rent arrears – Four weeks’ notice to apply to the Court for possession. This is a very positive proposed change as it will speed up proceedings.

• Repeated arrears – Tenant must have been in at least two months’ arrears at least three times in the past three years. Another positive change. The Landlord can apply for possession even if there are zero arrears at the time the case goes to Court. If a Section 8 Notice was used

previously for rent arrears, Tenants in the past have taken advantage of this rule and before the Court date, they paid just enough rent to ensure they were less than two months in arrears and the Landlord had to start the possession proceedings again. Therefore, the Section 21 Notice has been so popular because possession is mandatory.

• Anti-social behaviour – Two weeks’ notice to apply for possession if the Tenant is convicted.

No more winter lets, though – The White Paper has removed the ground to allow Landlords to apply for possession of a property to be listed on the holiday letting market.

No security for Landlords – The Government plans to introduce a single system of periodic tenancies which means tenants can leave at any point on giving two months’ notice. In 92 per cent of cases between 2020 and 2021, Landlords did not end the tenancy. Therefore, the removal of the Section 21 Notice is probably not going to make a significant difference to the rental market because renters will continue moving on to other dwellings. The loss of the Section 21 will only affect the 8 per cent who have been asked to leave by the Landlord.

Rachael James MARLA Partner, Head of Lettings

It is important Landlords understand they can get possession of their property

I want to let my property and I have a mortgage. Do I need to inform my lender?

Yes. You will need to obtain consent from your mortgage lender before you can let your property. You may be able to obtain a buyto-let mortgage if you are buying a property with the intention of letting it out.

As a Landlord, will I need to pay tax on my rental income?

All Landlords, whether living in the UK or abroad, are usually liable to pay tax on their rental income.

Who is responsible for paying the Council Tax during the tenancy?

Unless you choose to include Council Tax within the rent, the Tenant is responsible for paying Council Tax during the term of the tenancy. However, if a property is vacant, the Council Tax is the Landlord’s responsibility.

Why should I use an agent to manage my property?

A fully managed service provides Landlords with peace of mind and creates professional distance during the tenancy, meaning your agent can take care of everything for you. This includes dealing with property maintenance, rent arrears, deposit disputes and regular visits to the property. Legislation within the private rented sector can change rapidly, and Landlords can be assured their legal obligations are being met.

Do I need Landlord insurance?

Yes, it is highly recommended Landlords take out an insurance policy that provides buildings insurance as well as a limited amount of contents insurance.

Do I require an EPC for a listed property?

Yes, under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) legislation, all rented properties must achieve an EPC rating of E or above, and this also applies to listed properties.

Can I enter my property during the tenancy?

Yes, but you will need to obtain consent from the Tenant and you will also need to give them the appropriate amount of notice before you enter the property.

Do I need smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms?

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 state that, from that date, all relevant Landlords must ensure that:

• At least one smoke alarm is installed on each storey of the property where there is a room used as living accommodation

Landlords FAQs

Lucy Nolan answers your Frequently Asked Questions about letting residential property

• A carbon monoxide alarm must be installed in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers)

• Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are repaired or replaced once a Landlord is informed and found that they are faulty. Tenants are responsible for testing the alarms and replacing the batteries during the tenancy.

What happens to the Tenant’s deposit?

It is a legal requirement for all deposits to be registered with an approved tenancy deposit scheme. At Symonds & Sampson, we register deposits with the TDS custodial service who hold the money for the term of the tenancy and can help to resolve any disputes at the end of the tenancy.

What if the Tenant damages the property?

There is an allowance for fair wear and tear during the tenancy. However, if there is damage the cost of fixing the damage is taken from the Tenant’s security deposit at the end of the tenancy.

Will my agent keep my money safe?

If you have chosen a regulated agent such as Symonds & Sampson who are members of the RICS, then your money will be protected by an approved Client Money Protection scheme.

Do I need an inventory?

An inventory and ‘schedule of condition’ documents the condition of the property at the start of the tenancy. It helps to protect your property and forms part of the contract between you and your Tenant. It should be used when checking the property at the end of the tenancy and is an essential part of any claim you make for deductions from the deposit at the end of the tenancy.

When can I increase the rent?

The rent can be increased once every 12 months. We recommend the increase should be in line with average rents in the local area and relevant to the property size.

What if the Tenant doesn’t pay?

It is sensible to insure yourself against non-payment of rent. Symonds & Sampson can offer rent protection insurance to those Landlords who opt for our rent collection, fully managed, and premier managed services.

Lucy Nolan MARLA Lettings Partner lnolan@symondsandsampson.co.uk

A fully managed service provides peace of mind as your agent can take care of everything for you

A Selection of Lettings

Dorchester

A spacious detached house with large established gardens situated in the popular Manor Park area of Dorchester.

Hardington Mandeville

A well presented four bedroom detached house, recently modernized in a rural location.

Mapperton

Beautifully renovated Grade II listed Georgian Rectory set in large gardens situated in a small hamlet.

Poundbury

Two bedroom, two bathroom coach house with off road parking, located close to Queen Mother Square.

Stour Provost

A spacious contemporary four bedroom conversion within a rural setting.

Bridport

An impressive spacious renovated property with sea views, large gardens and double garage.

We put Landlords and Tenants together

A modern four bedroom detached family home set in the heart of a Somerset Village.

A Grade II listed five bedroom home finished to an extremely high standard, set in a sought after village.

An attractive modern four bedroom detached house in a small private close.

A charming three bedroom detached character cottage located in a prime situation with a generous garden.

A three bedroom cottage in a rural location with wonderful views over Sutton Bingham reservoir.

A very well presented four bedroom semi-detached cottage enjoying views over the village.

Barrington

Powerstock

Owermoigne

Beaminster

Sutton Bingham

Pimperne

Back to Business

People, by nature, are sociable creatures and need to interact with each other. As humans, we crave contact and connection with other people, and this is not always possible for those working from home – Zoom and Team calls just don’t cut it.

Full-time employees spend much of their time at the office. That’s why positive working relationships are so important. A good office environment can help to lower stress levels, while also improving productivity and feelings of job satisfaction.

The ‘return to the office’ culture means we are seeing a 22 per cent increase in demand for space – the highest for five years.

Top quality accommodation, Class A, now accounts for roughly 46 per cent of the market total. This reflects a continued growth movement across the United Kingdom regions, and shows signs of stability.

The UK total available space at the end of 2022 was 14.5 million square feet, but Class A space availability fell by 14 per cent to 4.3 million square feet, and this will influence the prime rents with prices of £40 per square foot commonplace in larger cities.

The problem for tenants has been determining the size of workspace required while they recover and restructure after the pandemic. This has been further complicated by the rise in popularity of hybrid employment, with staff coming in to the office two or three days a week and working from home on the other days.

Trends in the Dorset commercial office space 2022

Dorset, South Somerset and East Devon have modest-sized submarkets that total roughly 1.94 million square feet of office space. There are presently no supply-side pressures on vacancy or rent as there is nothing under construction.

Over the last 12 months, therefore, we have been finding solutions for our clients with stale office spaces which have involved advising on Class MA conversion from commercial to residential and other potential uses.

The slow nature of the Dorset office market means we envisage offering more advice with regard to alternative uses throughout 2023.

At Symonds & Sampson, our commercial team is staffed by qualified experienced surveyors who are experts in their craft. We are approachable, resourceful, think creatively and would be pleased to help provide your perfect property solution.

Surveyor

As Britain returns to pre-Covid patterns of office-based working, Olly Dyke talks us through the current trends in commercial office space

We are seeing a 22% increase in demand for space – the highest for five years

Commercial Sales or Lets

Biggest Commercial Sale

Smallest Commercial Sale

East Down Farm (Now Dorset Business Park)

Sale Price £5,000,000 + VAT

A former egg farm sold to a commercial investor for conversion to commercial storage and distribution use. Lettings now available from our commercial team.

Former Bank Premises (Wool)

Sale Price £45,000

A small office/lock up shop unit in Wool. Sold for a whopping £230 per ft2!

Most unlikely Commercial Sale Most Haunted Letting

Gold Hill, Shaftesbury

Sale Price £165,000

An incomplete residential refurbishment project on the world famous Gold Hill. Sold for 10% above guide

Sweetest Deal

104 St Mary Street, Weymouth

Let in July 2022 – Let to a sweet shop “So Sweet” that specialises in American sweets and confectionery. Our “sweetest deal” in 2022!

Judge

Jeffreys,

6 High West Street, Dorchester

Let in February 2022 – Former lodgings of Judge Jeffreys during the Bloody Assizes in the late 1600’s. He reportedly haunts the area.

Most Attractive Letting

74 – 76 Cheap Street, Sherborne

Let in July 2022 – Trespass took occupation of one of the most attractive shops in Sherborne. Originally constructed in the 1840’s of local stone.

Favourite Buildings

Property is in our blood but when we asked for our favourite buildings we had a wide variety. How many do you recognise?

Step Back in Time

Dorset has more than its fair share of old farmhouses. But how old are they? Are there any distinct types? Who built them? These and other questions have exercised Bob Machin’s mind for half a century, and he has gathered his findings into a book, Traditional Dorset Farmhouses, published by the Somerset & Dorset Family History Society.

The first part analyses surveys of 765 Dorset houses dating from the 15th to the early 18th centuries. The oldest houses have evidence of open halls.

These had the original ‘central’ heating system of a hearth in the centre of the principal room. This was open to the roof and the smoke rose to make its way out through the thatch.

The 16th and 17th centuries were the Little Ice Age when the mean average temperature fell by 2C. Open halls became too cold and draughty, and everyone inserted a ceiling and a chimneystack to create a smaller, cosy living room. This was expensive and many householders economised by building timber-framed stacks. Surprisingly, half a dozen examples are known to survive.

Early stairs were awkward, circular constructions, but this was acceptable because the upper floor was only used for storage – “trifles” or “trash” were the most common descriptions of their contents.

From the late 17th century, the occupants started to sleep upstairs and it was realised that a straight flight of stairs would be a desirable improvement. It proved difficult to insert these in traditional plans. The best solution was found in a new type of plan with a central staircase hall – and the days of traditional planning were over.

The insertion of ceilings, stairs and chimneystacks could have led to a wide variety of new plan types. But the builders soon decided upon just six basic styles. It is almost as if there were building regulations about the ‘right’ way to lay out a house.

Two chapters in Machin’s book deal with the contentious subject of ‘longhouses’ in which the cattle were housed in a byre that was an integral part of the house. Eight examples survived until the 20th century, but most byre ends were demolished or rebuilt.

After dealing with the archaeological evidence, Machin includes three essays on historical documents.

In ‘Housing the Better Sort’, Machin argues that traditional houses built to last for centuries were the status symbols of a new class of farmers who often described themselves as “the better sort”. In ‘Templates of Tenure’, he considers the uneven distribution of traditional houses. And in ‘Shared and Divided Houses’, he unpicks the assumption that each house contained a single family – unearthing documentary evidence that many houses were temporarily shared or divided between kinfolk. While this left little archaeological evidence, it is the only way to explain some of the houses in Netherbury.

This book is full of surprises. Today, estate agents often highlight a property’s traditional farmhouse kitchen. But the kitchen is not found as a domestic room until the late 17th century. Before then it meant a place to bake bread and brew ale – and since the vapours were believed to be injurious to health, it was usually located in the farm buildings.

Bob Machin is a Bristol University resident tutor in Dorset. He has recently published a book entitled “Traditional Dorset Farmhouses”. marciamachin@gmail.com

It is almost as if there were building regulations about the ‘right’ way to lay out a house

The homes of ordinary people inspired this fascinating book on traditional Dorset farmhouses, as Bob Machin discovers

Wooden Chimney Stack

Stranger than fiction

Mary Shelley is well known as the author of Frankenstein, but have you heard about her connection to Bournemouth? Adam Taylor reports

Before Mary Shelley died in 1851, one of her last requests was to be buried in Bournemouth. It was a strange request as she had never lived in the town. She also asked that her deceased parents, already interred in St Pancras churchyard in London, be reburied with her. What’s more, Mary’s husband’s heart now also resides in the vault!

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, the woman who would go on to write arguably the most famous work of Gothic fiction, met celebrated poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1814. Percy was married at the time, but the pair fell in love. They married in 1816, after the death of Percy’s first wife.

That summer, Percy and Mary spent a summer with Lord Byron and others in a villa near Geneva. To amuse themselves, they took turns telling ghost stories.

With Percy’s encouragement, Mary expanded her tale into her first novel – Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus She later described that summer in Switzerland as the moment “when I first stepped out from childhood into life”.

So why Bournemouth? Many years later, the Shelleys’ son, Percy Florence Shelley, decided a move to the seaside resort would improve the health of his wife and his ailing mother. He bought land in Boscombe and built a house – Boscombe Manor. Sadly, Mary did not live long enough to enjoy it.

Just two months before the planned move from her Chester Square home in London, Mary died. Her son, who was present at the death, brought Mary’s body to Bournemouth for burial in St Peter’s churchyard.

And what about the heart? In 1822, Mary’s poet husband died. He drowned when his boat was caught in a storm while sailing in Italy. His corpse was washed ashore, and quarantine laws of the time made it necessary for his body to be cremated on the beach.

As Percy’s body was being incinerated, one of the men present noticed the heart was not burning very well and snatched it up. It was eventually given to Mary.

In 1852, on the first anniversary of Mary Shelley’s death, her son Percy Florence opened her box-desk. Inside was a notebook Mary had shared with her husband, and a copy of his poem Adonais with one page folded around a silk parcel containing some of his ashes and the remains of his heart

When Percy Florence Shelley died in 1889, he was buried in the family tomb in Bournemouth, and the heart went with him.

Adam Taylor Residential Sales Manager

Property Auction Highlights from 2022

Most Legal Pack Downloads

598 documents downloaded: The Piggeries, East Morden: A period brick barn in about 0.64 acres with potential for conversion (subject to planning permission). Sold for 70% above guide.

444 documents downloaded: St. Andrews Church, Bridport: A Grade II Listed former church with an unusual covenant restricting its use to an organ repair shop only. Sold for 233% above guide.

Furthest Distance Travelled to Bid

1st A couple flew 5,000 miles to bid for Westhill in Lyme Regis. Guided at £1 million, the bidding was competitive, and they were successful at £1.45 million.

2nd A family travelled to Sherborne from Oxford to bid on 6 acres of land, near Witney, Oxford. Unfortunately, they were outbid, and the land made £259,000 (116% above guide and £43,000 per acre)

Furthest Telephone Bidder

The bidder was up a mountain in Kazakhstan with an unreliable phone signal!

Highest Price

Redcliffe Farm, Wareham –sold as 5 separate lots, the overall guide price was £1.97 million. Amounting to just over 100 acres, the property provided great potential and direct access to the River Frome. Total sale price 10% above guide.

Most Distant (West)

A range of derelict stone buildings in about 2.80 acres in Breage near Helston, Cornwall. Only 12 miles from our most westerly lot of 2021. Sold for £150,000 with 12 people competing.

Most Distant (East)

Land at Hyde End Road, Shinfield: A parcel of woodland measuring about 0.89 acres adjoining a garden centre. 90 prospective buyers registered for the legal documents and the sale price was 628% above guide.

Most Viewings

9 Chapel Lane, Wimborne: 100 viewings

– this was one of several properties sold on behalf of the National Trust in 2022. Just a stones throw away from the town centre this certainly caught the imagination and sold 67% above guide.

Best Renovation Project

44 Knighton Lane: One of a pair of Lady Wimborne cottages sold at our auction on 7 April for £305,000. The cottage has come straight back to the market with a guide of £535,000 having been beautifully refurbished.

Best Small Land Lot

Duncan Place, Bovington: A former caravan park measuring about 0.47 acres sold for £192,000 (284% above guide)

Best Commercial Lot

A freehold residential and commercial property in St. Ives, Cornwall located about 50m from the beach. The property had a guide of £375,000 and sold pre-auction.

Most Enquiries from London

A mid-terrace period property in Fairfield Park, Bath. The buyers were relocating from London conveniently picked up the keys from The London Office.

Best Wrecks

A Grade II Listed cottage in Stoke Abbott, Beaminster needing complete renovation. The cottage sold for just under £400,000 to a telephone bidder in Amsterdam. Sale price 14% above guide.

The ruins of the derelict Ladymead Cottage near Holywell, Dorchester. With no guarantee that planning permission to reinstate the property could be obtained, it sold for £125,000 with the adjoining 8.32 acres making £100,000.

Most Historic

The beautiful grade II listed Sheep House Farm and Granary at Lower Chillington Ilminster was on the market for the first time in generations and sold for £650,000.

Largest Development Site

Development land at Redbridge Lane, Crossways. This is the fourth parcel of land that we have recently sold by auction in the Redbridge Lane area of Crossways. Extending to 2.50 acres, the site was by far the largest and benefitted from full planning permission for 9 dwellings. The site sold post auction for a figure close to its guide of £1.1 million.

Best View

A parcel of pasture and woodland measuring about 16.36 acres with frontage to a stream with far-reaching views over Northleigh village and Devon countryside beyond. Sale price 40% above guide.

First Time to the Market

Biggest Auction

Our July auction was the firm’s largest - 43 entries, over 200 online bidders and a further 200 turned up to bid in the room raising over £8 million for our clients.

Lowest Price

A parcel of land in Lytchett Matravers, near Poole measuring about 0.08 acres sold for £14,000 (Guide £5,500).

Located within a very short walk of Mottisfont and Dunbridge mainline rail station, providing routes to Southampton (20 minutes) and London Waterloo (1 hour and 45 minutes), 1 Mill View saw a lot of interest from commuters. It was understood that it was the first time the property had been to the market in its history and required complete renovation throughout.

The Law is a Banana

Auctioneers must double-check the ownership of properties they sell, cautions Meredith Holmes

In 2012 the High Court considered how to assess the liability of auctioneers who sell properties without proper authority, in Greenglade Estates v Strettons.

In September 2009, Greenglade agreed to purchase (at a Strettons auction) a large, detached house in South London for £670,000. Strettons signed the contract as the vendor’s agent. The sale failed to proceed because the house was being sold fraudulently. Its true owner, Mr Chana, had never instructed Strettons to sell the property and knew nothing about the sale. Someone had used his identity in the hope of obtaining monies through a fraudulent transaction.

Greenglade, a consortium of property investors, was keen to purchase the property, as it believed it was worth about £1m.

It pursued proceedings against Mr Chana and Strettons.

Unfortunately for Strettons, once Mr Chana established he had never instructed them to act for him, they had no defence to the claim that they were in breach of their implied warranty of authority that they acted as agent for the true owner of the property. It did not matter that the fraudster had provided documentation to satisfy them he was Mr Chana.

The case centred on when the damages payable to Greenglade should be assessed. Damages awarded for breach of a warranty of authority are based on the amount the claimant would have gained had the warranty been true. Accordingly, Greenglade was entitled to the same damages as if Mr Chana had authorised but failed to complete the sale. Such damages would be the difference between the property’s valuation and the price achieved at auction. At the time of the auction, Greenglade thought that difference was £330,000.

However, Greenglade considered the value of the house had increased since then. It argued the damages should be assessed later, citing Suleman v Shahsavari in 1988, in which it was held that the appropriate date for assessment was not when any sale would have completed, but when it became evident it would never complete.

The Judge expressed doubt over the correctness of the decision in the Suleman case. He thought the obvious date for valuing the loss was the intended completion date, as damages are based on the presumption the sale was authorised and, if it had been, it would have completed in late 2009.

However, he proceeded to follow the Suleman decision and determine when it would have been evident the sale was really a fraud and could not possibly be enforced.

Strettons argued it was clear by January 2010 the sale would never complete as it was known by then that the identification the solicitors previously acting for the vendor had relied upon was counterfeit.

However, Strettons did not admit liability or accept there had been a fraud until the trial when Mr Chana attended and made clear his innocence and lack of any involvement.

In the circumstances, the Judge thought it had not been unreasonable for Greenglade to pursue Mr Chana to trial, even though it had known by 2011 that the passport held by Mr Chana was different from the one shown to the solicitors purportedly instructed to act on his behalf.

Therefore the value of the property was assessed at the date of the trial and Strettons were liable for the difference between that value and the price of £670,000 at which they agreed to sell the property.

So what happened to the solicitors acting for the fraudulent vendor? They produced the legal pack showing the property to be sold. They did their own money laundering and accepted everything, and yet they were not on trial.

As Private Eye Editor, Ian Hislop, said after losing a libel action: “If that’s justice, I’m a banana.”

With thanks to Forsters solicitors

The sale failed to proceed because the house was being sold fraudulently

Meredith Holmes MNAEA ANAVA Auction Manager mholmes@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01202 843190

Pbe aware your property has been lost until it is too late. There are several ways a criminal may fraudulently take over your property, including identity theft and impersonation. Here are a few things to watch out for:

Buyers

Criminals may use false ID to pretend to be a buyer and make an offer, then withdraw before exchanging. They can then use the information they’ve learnt during the process to commit Title fraud on the owner of the property.

Sellers

Criminals may attempt to sell or mortgage a property by impersonating an owner using false or stolen ID. Criminals often target:

• Sole owners, especially of unmortgaged properties.

• Absent owners, especially Landlords.

• Owners who are in a hospital or care home.

• Owners who have died.

• Owners living overseas.

• Owners who have built up equity in their property.

Lenders

Criminals may submit forged discharges (a formal recognition that a mortgage has been paid off).

Conveyancers

A criminal may pretend to be a conveyancer or to act for an authorised firm of conveyancers. You should check the details of a conveyancer acting for another party to make sure they’re correctly registered.

Title fraud and registration fraud

Title fraud is where a criminal steals a property owner’s identity and changes the property title from the owner’s name to theirs. They may use a Land Registry application to do this by registering a forged transfer or mortgage (registration fraud). They can then apply for loans using the true owner’s equity as collateral.

This was highlighted by BBC Radio 4’s File on Four when

Safe as Houses

the programme covered the story of a Landlord whose tenant forged documents to make it look as if they were the legal owner, before selling the house. The first the true owner knew about it was when he visited the property, wondering why no rent had been paid, and was met by the ‘new’ owners who had the proper documents showing they were the new legal owners.

There is little the true owner can do, but the Land Registry has often been at fault, paying out £5.3m in 2020, and it has now introduced a fraud management system.

A property owner would be wise to sign up for the Land Registry’s free property alert service (https://www.gov.uk/ guidance/property-alert). You can monitor up to 10 properties and will be able to see if the Land Registry is altering anything on the register. You will receive an email alert if there is a significant activity, such as a new mortgage taken out against the property.

The Land Registry website gives an example:

“Mr Mills rented out his property in England while he lived overseas. He realised that absent Landlords are more at risk of property fraud so he signed up to our Property Alert service.

“Some time later he received an alert email informing him that someone had made an application to register a mortgage on his property worth over £300,000. As Mr Mills wasn’t expecting this, he contacted our property fraud line. As a result of Mr Mills alerting us to the fact that the mortgage request was suspicious, we investigated and prevented the application from being registered once we realised it was fraudulent. As Mr Mills’ contact details were out of date, we advised him to update them so that if we needed to contact him in the future, he would be sure to receive our emails or letters.

“As a result of signing up to Property Alert, Mr Mills was able to spot suspicious activity on his property and his prompt action in alerting us meant we were able to stop the fraudulent transaction from being registered.”

Stuart Philipps MNAEA Residential Partner sphilipps@symondsandsampson.co.uk

There are several ways a criminal may fraudulently take over your property

Reduce your risk property fraud with these useful tips from Stuart Philipps

Coming to a Village Hall Near You!

Kerry Bartlett on the touring arts charity bringing professional events to the heart of rural communities

If you live in rural Dorset, you don’t have to travel far for first-class entertainment. Artsreach brings dance, theatre, world music, folk and Americana, comedy, visual arts, family entertainment and more to your doorstep.

The Arts Council-funded rural arts charity organises tours to rural communities across Dorset –from Cranborne to Wootton Fitzpaine, Langton Matravers to Sandford Orcas – with seasonal programmes featuring regional, national and international performers, old favourites and rising stars.

The spring 2023 programme has a typically eclectic lineup: classical music from Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra players; Klezmer music from She’Koyokh; storytelling from Phil Okwedy; traditional Dorset music and folksongs performed by the Ridgeway Singers and Band; live cooking and comedy from George Egg; and classical Indian dance from Balbir Singh company.

Artsreach has a small team based at Little Keep, Dorchester, working with a network of community partners and volunteer promoters across 40-plus villages and market towns to present more than 140 live events every year.

One unique feature of the scheme is that the volunteers choose the events they will be promoting. The shows on offer come from an annual menu of more than 40 productions, compiled from over 300 applications. The menu is presented to the volunteers, who submit their bids.

“The [promoters] have a vested interest in making sure the show is a success, because their community will benefit directly,” says Kerry, who has the complex task of organising the jigsaw that is the seasonal programming.

“The income generated from ticket sales not only supports the work of Artsreach, but also raises funds which support the

sustainability of vital community venues such as village halls,” Kerry explains. “The promoters organise the evenings, which may include a bar and refreshments or a fundraising draw. They all enjoy meeting the performers, and regularly accommodate the musicians, dancers or actors in their own homes.”

Pat Pryor, who chairs the Artsreach board, sees the organisation from three perspectives – as a regular theatre and concert-goer, as a promoter (for Blandford) and as a trustee. When she moved to Dorset nearly 30 years ago, she was delighted and surprised to discover Artsreach with its “appetising programme”.

She had feared there would be few opportunities to enjoy live performance, “but instead I’ve come across more innovative and cutting-edge companies than I’d likely have seen in more conventional venues”.

The charity plays an essential role in sustaining the wellbeing of individuals and communities, she says: “Artsreach brings the arts to our doorstep. It brings people together and gives them pleasure and pride and a sense of value and wellbeing. Artsreach is a Dorset gem to be treasured.”

Folk musician, actor and historian Tim Laycock has a long relationship with Artsreach: “My life as a folk musician and storyteller living and working in Dorset has been hugely enriched by Artsreach. The encouragement and opportunities they have provided during the last 30 years have taken me all over our wonderful county, and given me the enormous satisfaction of sharing Dorset folksongs, poems and stories with dozens of different village audiences.

“Artsreach are true champions of folk arts, and long may they continue to be so!”

To find out more about this vibrant rural charity, visit www. artsreach.co.uk

A Dorset gem to be treasured

Artsreach Landmark Trust Celebration Procession from Clavell Tower

Audience Buckland Newton

Photo: Rachel Dunford

Hammering out History

Anyone visiting The British Museum or Lyme Regis will become aware of Mary Anning. She is celebrated more now than in her lifetime when her discoveries were downplayed by the male-dominated Geological Society of London.

Born in 1799 and one of 10 children (only two survived), Anning had a limited education and the family’s meagre income was supplemented by the sale of ammonites (snake stones), belemnites (devil’s fingers), and vertebrae which many people felt had medicinal and mystical properties.

Fossil hunting was in vogue in the early 19th century, and the Blue Lias cliffs between Lyme Regis and Charmouth were one of the richest locations.

Anning made some important finds, including the first complete plesiosaurus (1823) and the first British example of pterosaurs (1828). As a woman, however, she was treated as an outsider to the scientific community. It must be remembered that women at that time were unable to vote, attend University, or hold public office, let alone be a member of the Geological Society of London and, even though she knew more about

fossils than the gentlemen, she was ‘air brushed’ from articles.

Anning did, however, have numerous collectors who appreciated her pioneering work and supported her financially. Collectors started arriving from New York to make purchases, and her reputation as a dealer even reached the King of Saxony, who purchased an ichthyosaur skeleton for his extensive natural history collection.

As is often the case, Anning was celebrated well after her death and has now become respected throughout the world. A book entitled The Heroine of Lyme Regis was published in 1925 and many saw her work as an inspiration.

The 1908 tongue twister – “she sells sea shells” – was said to be a tribute to her (not everyone agrees) and in 2010, 163 years after her death, the Royal Society included Anning in a list of the 10 British women who have most influenced the history of science. A suite of rooms at The National History Museum are named after her.

And what better way to be immortalised than in celluloid, especially when the actress portraying you is Kate Winslet? The film is entitled Ammonite, but I feel sure Mary Anning would take greater pride in the worldwide recognition from her peers.

Graham Barton MRICS Auctioneer and Surveyor gbarton@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01297 33122

She knew more about fossils than the gentlemen, but was ‘airbrushed’ from articles

Graham Barton profiles Mary Anning – Dorset fossil collector, dealer and palaeontologist

Mary Anning

Paws for Thought

The thing about humans is they just don’t listen. I should know – I have a couple of lovable but slightly strange ones as pets. Here I am, 18 months old (nearly a teenager in dog years), and yet they still talk to me (away from other people) in these stupid, squeaky voices.

We have a routine they call ‘walkies’ which means they whizz past fantastic smells and then nearly strangle me with the lead when I need to stop and see what message has been left for me. How would they like it if I throttled them every time they read a letter?

Then there’s my role as head of security. It’s my job to alert them to intruders on the home front. There’s a guy in blue shirt and shorts who drives a little red van. He breaches the boundary nearly every day. So I let forth warning barks that would put a much bigger dog to shame, but they just ignore the threat.

I’m a working dog, so when we’re out and about I get a lot of: “Lani, come/Lani, sit/Lani, drop.” If I do the same routine indoors, they start screaming. How was I to know that frog would take off across the kitchen to hide under the fridge? These mixed messages are so confusing.

And the humiliation. Why the fascination with my bowel movements? Where is the dignity?

With all this going on, I have started taking them to lessons.

We did this when I was younger, but they failed – even tried to bribe me with all sorts of rubbish to do pointless things like ‘fetch’. I said to them, “Get the ball yourself. I’m too busy comparing notes with the poodle next to me.” But did they listen? No!

I’m hoping they do better this time. And if they won’t listen to my words of wisdom, perhaps they’ll read them instead.

Written on behalf of dogs everywhere.

Jan Merriott BSc (Est Man), MRICS Commercial Manager jmerriott@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01305 261008

Love, Lani x

It’s a dog’s life trying to train your humans, says our four-legged correspondent, Lani Merriott

Get the ball yourself. I’m too busy comparing notes with the poodle next to me

And finally…

We say “finally”, but many regular readers turn to this section first – and who can blame them? We all love trying to spot familiar faces in the photos from the 2022 rural shows. We’re also privileged to bring you a thought-provoking feature from our colleague – who discovered he was autistic at the same time his child was diagnosed. There’s also news of the inaugural Symonds & Sampson golf tournament, a roundup of our charity fundraising efforts, and a light-hearted quiz.

2–3

Farmers of the Future

Pond Life

Iam obsessed with garden ponds. Indeed, I would go so far as to say a garden without a pond is like a home without a kitchen!

When my partner, Trudi, and I moved a few years ago, our property requirements were fairly simple. The only must-have was a large garden – so I could create my dream pond, and Trudi could have her veggie boxes and chickens.

Before our housewarming party, I marked out the shape of our pond. It was going to be huge, and most of our guests felt it was overly ambitious! Once we’d completed the design, a good friend of Trudi’s, who is a retired builder, offered to dig the pond with us. I also roped in Matt from Ivel Aquatics and good friend Scott who is a top gardener.

Our first problem? The property is semi-detached with no side access. Thankfully, we have the best neighbours in the world in Toni and Martin, who allowed us to remove some fence panels and bring the mini digger through their garden.

We quickly started digging the pond as time was of the essence. That’s when we encountered the second problem –where to put the excess soil? We decided to spread it over the existing garden, but bearing in mind the pond is about 40ft long and 6ft at its deepest, this was a huge amount of soil; we actually raised the level of the garden by nearly 2ft!

The pond required three different sections of liner sealed together, and Matt certainly did a fantastic job. Matt also recommended coir rolls – 6ft tubular horsehair rolls inserted with seeds, plants and bulbs which can be placed around the edge of the pond. Over time, these will provide various rushes, reeds and other pond plants.

We also added a stream to keep the water circulating, as this was always going to be natural pond with no filtration system.

We’re very proud of our pond which is now stocked with carp, perch, tench, roach, rudd and three good size barbel.

Now our pond is complete, friends often bring their young children to visit so they can feed the fish and see the abundance of other aquatic life the pond hosts, including newts, frogs, toads, damselflies and dragonflies.

The pond also attracts a fantastic level of bird life. We have counted more than 30 species! Sometimes ducks will visit us from nearby Nine Springs, and we’ve been visited three times by a beautiful kingfisher.

Jeremy Smith MNAEA Residential Partner, Head of Residential Agency jsmith@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01935 423526

A garden without a pond is like a home without a kitchen!

There is no other garden feature that can provide as much joy as a pond, says Jeremy Smith

Autism and Me

You don’t look autistic.” Autism doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all look about it, yet when you tell people you are going through a diagnosis or are diagnosed, you are often met with this phrase. Every person with autism presents themselves in a different way – it’s not called a spectrum for nothing! For me, autism is:

• Fixated interests: hobbies which, from the outside, appear as intense obsessions are, for me, an escape from a world which feels chaotic.

• Difficulty in social situations: I find it hard to know what’s appropriate to say and therefore tend to not say anything at all. The way I communicate can often be misunderstood, so I have to watch and mimic how other people interact to get by.

• Anxiety: I overthink everything – every single situation. I think about every scenario, good and bad, before I can proceed. This is draining and often leads me to forget to say what I was going to say, or to think I’ve already said it aloud when I haven’t.

• Insistence on routines and sameness: I like being able to predict what is happening and what is going to happen. I have my own little ways and find changes hard to process. My routines make me feel in control.

• Unexpected reactions to senses: I can hear layers of sound which most people can’t. For example, I can hear electricity running through wires and sockets. My senses feel intensified to the point I can’t concentrate on what’s going on. As a child I was always seen as different. I found it hard to

make and maintain friendships, and would much rather play on my own than with others. I did things a certain way and became confused when nobody else did. My traits were passed off as ‘childhood quirks’ and I muddled through almost three decades of not understanding why I stood out from the crowd.

But having recently gone through the diagnostic process with our eldest son, it became apparent there was a strikingly similar resemblance between how he carried himself and how I did as a child. Almost every one of his traits related back to my behaviour during childhood, and it brought to light the fact I might have a reason why my brain works the way it does.

It’s something I’ve always had suspicions about and something, since receiving the confirmation our son was on the spectrum, I knew I needed to pursue.

You might wonder what’s the point of getting a diagnosis as an adult. Before starting this process, I would have said the same. But now I’m better able to understand the way I think and act. I have clarity on why I have faced (and continue to face) challenges throughout my life.

And when our eldest is finally old enough to understand he is autistic, we can explain to him that it’s fine because Daddy and Mummy are too.

Joe Hutchings MAAT Accounts Technician jhutchings@symondsandsampson.co.uk 01305 236565

It brought to light a reason why my brain works the way it does

Joe Hutchings discovered he was autistic after his eldest son was diagnosed on the spectrum

Must See - Must Listen

From 1963 to 1993 what albums and films are, in our opinion, a must?

1963 Kitchen Disco

1963 Kitchen Disco

1963 No Type Casting for Bogarde

Calton

Calton

Stockley

Stockley

We have a bit of a ritual on Saturday nights. At 6pm the cork is popped, the beers opened, and it is time to listen to The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on 6 Music. It is uplifting and the perfect accompaniment whilst we prepare supper, but I was unaware how old some of the songs are – especially those now labelled Northern Soul – and some are 60 years old – well before I was born! Have a listen to The Drifters –On Broadway or Ray Charles – Hallelujah I Love Her So all recorded in 1963. Try The Kingsmen Louie Louie, The Ronettes Be My Baby (often said to be the greatest pop record ever made), The Chiffons He’s so Fine not forgetting the amazing Marvyn Gaye’s Can I Get A Witness.

Just remember – Saturday 6pm – pour yourself a cold one and tune in. You won’t be disappointed!

Paul Weller – Wild Wood

Jon Summers

1993 the feeling of freedom, having purchased my first car and passed my test I was on the road. It was summertime, windows down, fresh air flowing through the car, and the sounds of my own choice of music blaring out of the stereo cassette deck.

Having endured many a long journey in the back of my parents’ car listening to a blend of sounds of the 60’s and romantic ballads it was great to be in control of where I was heading and what I was able to listen to.

Most of my generation were beginning to get into dance and hip hop; my genre was much more alternative, indie, new wave, and punk rock.

Back in 93, I bought Paul Weller’s second solo album titled the same as the main track ‘Wild Wood’. Wild Wood along with track ‘The Weaver’ remain two of my favourite songs.

In 2000 Q Magazine placed the album at number 77 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever, and it was included in the book 1001 Albums you must hear before you die.

Well worth a listen when you next take to the open road.

Angela Gillibrand

Dirk Bogarde was a matinee idol best known for playing Dr Simon Sparrow in various films (Doctor At Sea, Doctor At Large and Doctor In Distress) but he abandoned his heart throb image to, in his words, “push the boundaries of cinema” and appear in challenging roles.

In The Servant, written by Harold Pinter, he won a BAFTA Award for portraying a decadent valet who manipulates his employer and becomes the master of the house.

Bogarde plays his chilling part beautifully and showed that he was far more than a pretty face.

1973 Christmas Watch

Steve Allen

The Sting brought together Paul Newman and Robert Redford again after their last successful outing in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but will always be known as much for the melodic soundtrack by Marvin Hamlisch than the film itself.

Following the murder of a mutual friend, aspiring con man Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) teams up with old pro Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to take revenge on the ruthless crime boss responsible, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Hooker and Gondorff set about implementing an elaborate scheme, one so crafty that Lonnegan won’t even know he’s been swindled. As their big con unfolds, however, things don’t go according to plan, requiring some last-minute improvisation by the undaunted duo.

The Sting is directed and played with great verve; the 1936 underworld is recreated with delight; and the victims deserve what they get. You can sit back and enjoy their discomfiture.

A great watch at any time of the year.

James Bond at his Best Rachael James

It is 1983 and, as a teenager, I saved up my pocket money and went with my friends to the local cinema to watch the latest James Bond film.

Most people love a bit of Bond and Octopussy is, to my mind, one of the wittiest. Roger Moore played the usual lothario, but it was becoming slightly absurd as he was aged 56 and clearly not as fit as other Bonds before or since.

The story follows the customary high jinks fight to stop a megalomaniac and the traditional elegant and sassy ‘Bond Girl’ played by Maud Adams.

The aeroplane and train stunts were brilliant and the parts of the film shot in India were superb.

Like everyone at my age going to the cinema was more about who else was there as much as the film but it is still worth a watch at Christmas forty years later!

Turning to the Dark Side Mark Lewis

It was September 1973 and I stood teary-eyed in the dormitory after being dropped off by my parents at boarding school. The prefects called us new boys into their study and told us our education started now.

We were about to hear the greatest album of all time, they said, and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon was taken out of its sleeve, lovingly polished with a cloth and then placed gently, almost reverentially, on the turntable.

Perhaps it was because we were in awe of these older boys, with their cheesecloth shirts, longer hair, and air of superiority, but as soon as I heard the synthesised heartbeat of the first track, Speak to Me, and the spoken words and then maniacal screeching and pained singing which, with some relief, led into the mellow, gentle, Breathe, I was completely lost. When I heard it back through headphones, the sheer magnificence of the album was truly revealed.

Side one ended with The Great Gig in the Sky, and one of the prefects suggested the female singer was lost in uncontrollable ecstasy – which brought nodding agreement from the other 16-year-olds. I had no idea what they were talking about, but it all sounded very cool.

Side two is just as impressive. When the final track, Eclipse, was played at the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, I found it quite emotional.

Almost everyone in the boarding house had a copy of the album and, no doubt, many still do. But if a small boy was heard singing or humming any tracks, they were severely castigated with a shout of: “Don’t stop the magic!”

I still listen to the album in its entirety, but if I have it on misplaced ‘shuffle’ I hate it – the tracks must be played in their original order – and it’s our preferred listening when clearing up after a supper party.

To think the album was released 50 years ago is astonishing as it still sounds fresh to me today. I try not to think about that terrified, homesick boy and am grateful I was quick-witted enough not to admit to the prefects that my favourite music was really Gary Glitter. I am not sure I would have lasted!

Take a Bowie Andy Wakinshaw

In April 1983 I was 18 and living in Taunton. One Thursday morning, I went to WH Smith to buy the new David Bowie album, Let’s Dance. I remember being first in the store, and the songs became the soundtrack to my summer. I even bought the cassette version to play in my car – no Spotify in those days.

Nile Rodgers’ funky guitar intro on the title track makes the song irresistible, and with other hits including Modern Love, and China Girl, it became one of the definitive albums of the 1980s.

It was my first David Bowie album. I was drawn to it by the title track and video, and by his newly-invented image – Armani suit, deep tan and bleached blond hair. From that album I delved into Bowie’s back catalogue, starting at 1971 with Hunky Dory

I still listen most weeks to Let’s Dance, particularly the title track. My son, aged nine, also loves it and has it on his playlist along with The Rolling Stones and The Beatles! It just goes to show that talent, individuality, and great songs are timeless.

I just regret not getting a ticket for Bowie’s Serious Moonlight Tour.

The Most Romantic Film of 1993?

Giles Wreford Brown

Although the name might suggest it True Romance is not a romantic comedy! An early Quentin Tarantino film, written by but not directed by him, he originally sold the screenplay to fund his debut feature film Reservoir Dogs (1992). it contains largely what one might expect from him, although there is a love story at the heart of it, it is accompanied by the usual dose of Tarantino violence. Essentially Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette portray newlyweds on the run from the mafia after stealing a shipment of drugs.

Slater and Arquette are the stars but it is the supporting roles played by Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken and Samuel L Jackson as well as the late James Gandolfini that catch the eye, along with a soundtrack of songs that couldn’t be better suited to the film.

It was released in 1993, my first year of A-levels and we spent many a Friday afternoon study period watching the film when we should of course have been revising.

Our Dreams on Wheels

We asked everyone at Symonds & Sampson what their dream vehicle would be, with surprising and unsurprising results.

Steve Allen and Trudi James

Austin Healey

Jon Summers

Bentley

Adam Taylor

Mercedes G63

Jessica Weymouth

1967 Shelby Mustang GT500

Andy Wakinshaw

Ferrari 275 GTB

Ashleigh Stokes

Austin Healey 3000

Clare Burt

Aston Martin DB9

Matthew Edmunds

Aston Martin Vulcan

Chloe Barrett

BMW M2

David Price

Jaguar Mk1

Stuart Philipps

Delorean

Ryan Holmes

Jaguar E-Type

Neal Wilson

Ferrari F-40

Robyn Harper

Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Roadster

Jane Ruell

Tesla Model X

Bridget Legg

Rat Rod

Graham Barton

Milk Float

Naomi Hansford

Volvo FH16 750 DD

George Whittaker

Range Rover

Caroline Childs Chaffey

Porsche 718 Boxter

Jan Merriott

Porsche 718 Boxter Spyder

Steve Hennessey

Reliant Scimitar

Andrew Tuffin

Kit - Knight Rider

Jeremy Smith

Lotus

Vicky Clarke

Tesla Model Y

Richard Taylor

VW Beetle

Robyn Harper

Oakley Supremacy

Ross Willmington

Bentley Continental GT

Hilary Stockley

Toyota Land Cruiser

Levi Musselwhite

Lamborghini Urus

Calton Stockley

Lotus Esprit

Georgia Wakinshaw

Fiat Multipla

Rachael James

Mercedes SL

Becky Stimpson

VW Camper

Mandy Rankin

Lamborghini Countach

Anabel Merriman

Amphibian car of the future

Tee-rific!

Daniel Magee on how his passion for golf led him to create the annual Symonds & Sampson tournament

Iwould never describe myself as a golfer, although I’d very much like to be worthy of the title. Golf is a game I enjoy playing and watching. The television coverage of “the miracle of Medinah”, as the European press hailed the 2012 Ryder Cup, was a particular highlight.

It’s widely regarded as one of the best sporting comebacks of all time. I’d watched Europe’s golfers take a drubbing on the first day – a situation made worse by the fact I’d put a small wager on Europe to retain the Cup.

My spirits rose as the fightback took shape. And when Germany’s Martin Kaymer rolled in his putt for the win, I was beyond excited.

I’ve also been fortunate enough to watch tournaments in person, and was a spectator at the Open in St Andrews back in 2015 when US star Zach Johnson triumphed in a threeway playoff.

This year I decided to start a new tradition in the form of an annual Symonds & Sampson golf tournament. The idea came about when myself and my colleague, John, challenged Stuart and Adam from the Dorchester office to a game of golf.

Having played and beaten the Dorchester team, I thought it would be a good idea to play another office. From there I wondered

whether there were other offices who would be willing to play. To my surprise, 33 other members of staff showed a keen interest!

So, during my spare time, I set about creating teams and a knockout tournament. Teams beaten in the first round of the main Cup competition were then relegated to the Plate so would have a second chance to win something, while the victors continued their pursuit of the Cup.

Both the Cup and the Plate have been named to honour members of Symonds & Sampson who died in 2022. The Cup is the Paul Dallyn Memorial Cup, and the Plate is the Heather Burrough Memorial Plate. Heather and Paul are greatly missed at Symonds & Sampson, and I hope that having an annual competition named after them will allow everyone at Symonds & Sampson to keep their legacies alive.

Teams from all over the firm took part in matches using the Stableford scoring system, which allows players of all standards to play and be competitive.

The 2022 winners are:

PAUL DALLYN CUP

Daniel Magee and John Wilson

HEATHER BURROUGH PLATE FINAL Steve Hennessey and Simon Clothier

Daniel Magee MNAEA

Sales Manager

Golf is like a love affair. If you don’t take it seriously, it’s no fun; if you do take it seriously, it breaks your heart

Fundraising 2022

Symonds & Sampson’s chosen charities for 2022 were the Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire branches of Mind, and local charity Future Roots. As a firm, we elected to support these charities recognising that the vital work they carry out to improve mental health and deliver support within our community is more important than ever during these challenging times.

Mind provides help directly to those who need it most. With a strong network that offers specialised support based on the needs of the local communities, Mind believes everyone with a mental health problem should be able to access excellent care and services.

Future Roots offer training and support for farmers wanting to develop a Country Man’s Club for men with conditions such as Dementia and Parkinson’s. Along with alternative provisions to mainstream education in Dorset & Somerset. Future Roots care farm is based near Sherborne, building life skills for all.

Amongst the events organised within the firm during the year were:

• A glorious summer garden party organised by the Beaminster office, where guests were treated to a wonderful spread and short presentations from representatives from Future Roots and Dorset Mind.

• Our commercial department organised a fun if slightly wet golf day at Yeovil golf course. The weather did not dampen the competitive spirit of the 18 teams taking part.

• At the Dorset County Show we were pleased to host the popular Future Roots tractor rally.

• A charity clay pigeon shoot hosted by the Spitfire Shoot near Stockbridge attracted teams from local businesses competing for prizes awarded to the best shooter, best team and most improved.

• In the autumn, a Mexican & Magician evening at the Fox Inn, Ansty was a great success, guests enjoyed a delicious Mexicanthemed supper with entertainment by the mesmerising magician James Brown, who even demonstrated his extraordinary hypnosis skills!

• Our offices have earnt a reputation for laying on a wonderful spread at their charity events, baked by our brilliant staff. Cake sales in our Wimborne & Ilminster offices were well attended, whilst the mince pies and mulled wine served by our Sherborne office during the town’s shopping day has become a popular event on the calendar.

These events collectively raised a substantial contribution to the chosen charities, and we thank them for their support and encouragement during the year. Thank you also to our staff, clients and colleagues who joined forces to ensure that our fundraising has been both successful and thoroughly enjoyable.

Peter Grout-Smith MNAEA Residential Sales Manager

Charities 2023

The charities

Symonds & Sampson will support in 2023 are

YFW Blood Bikes

Paul Dallyn FRICS FAAV was a former partner of the firm and originally worked for Senior & Godwin. When he left the firm to join Alastair Cowen at Symonds & Sampson in Dorchester, he retained the respect and admiration of clients and also the staff and partners at Senior & Godwin and he became the ‘bridge’ between the two firms when we amalgamated in 1990. His reassurance that the merger would work was of vital importance and his good sense and fairness around the partnership table was immeasurable.

He was a wise, amusing and generous friend who epitomised companionship and professionalism.

YFW Blood Bikes provide a Time Critical, Emergency medical motorcycle courier service free of charge to the NHS and is run entirely by volunteers. We are a charity organisation run by Yeovil Freewheelers (EVS) delivering blood, platelets, tissue samples, medication, baby milk, X-rays, CT scans, medical documents and equipment to countless NHS organisations and patients in South Somerset and Dorset, saving the NHS in excess of £400,000 a year.

Heather Burrough passed away after a hard-fought battle with illness. Heather joined the Tiverton office in April 2021, holding the fort as the busy office and team found their feet within the firm.

Outside of work, she was extremely well known within the Devon rural community, particularly through her love of country sports and involvement with Honiton Show.

Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution

RABI – is an award-winning national charity providing local support to the farming community across England and Wales. Established in 1860, we have been offering guidance, financial support and practical care to farming people of all ages for generations.

In 2022 we lost two members of the Symonds & Sampson ‘family’ and we will be raising money for charity in their memory.

Song Lyrics Quiz

We asked everyone at Symonds & Sampson to submit their favourite song lyrics. Some have a special memory; others have been chosen because they are uplifting and a few feel that the words are particularly poignant.

Reading the lyrics without the music can be fiendishly difficult and, although some are more obvious than others, full marks if you get fifty per cent right!

The answers are over the page. Good luck!

wThere’s a place I go when I’m alone

Do anything I want, be anyone I wanna be

But it is us I see and I cannot believe I’m falling

r The planet’s talking about a revolution

The natural laws ain’t got no constitution

They’ve got a right to live their own life

But we keep paving over paradise

y I’m gonna make a change

For once in my life

It’s gonna feel real good

Gonna make a difference

Gonna make it right

q So long, I’ve been looking too hard

I’ve been waiting too long

Sometimes I don’t know what I will find I only know it’s a matter of time

e Son, I’ve made a life out of readin’ people’s faces knowin’ what the cards were by the way they held their eyes.

tJust a small-town girl

Livin’ in a lonely world

She took the midnight train going anywhere

u I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred nights

i Where it began

I can’t begin to knowin’

But then I know it’s growing strong

a Girls will be boys and boys will be girls

It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world, except for Lola

d All that I am,  All that I ever was

o He says, ‘Son, can you play me a memory? I’m not really sure how it goes. But it’s sad and it’s sweet and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man’s clothes.’” —

s And you want to travel with her And you want to travel blind And you know that you can trust her For she’s touched your perfect body with her mind

Is here in your perfect eyes, they’re all I can see I don’t know where

Confused about how as well

Just know that these things will never change for us at all

g Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango!

Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening me

f Maybe I just wanna fly

Wanna live, I don’t wanna die Maybe I just wanna breathe Maybe I just don’t believe

1% I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier. Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be.

1^ I look into the window of my mind

Reflections of the fears I know I’ve left behind I step out of the ordinary, I can feel my soul ascending I am on my way, can’t stop me now and you can do the same

1* ‘I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain’

2) Mini-skirts were in style when she danced down the aisle, Back in ‘63 (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

1& Remember to let her into your heart, Then you can start to make it better

1( I could be the driver of an articulated lorry I could be a poet I wouldn’t need to worry I could be a teacher in a classroom full of scholars I could be the sergeant in a squadron full of wallahs

But it’s hard to get by when your arse is the size of a small country.

2! They were waiting for me when I thought that I just can’t go on. And they brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song. Oh I hope you run into them, you who’ve been travelling so long.

2# Oh, the whistle goes, the cockerel crows and now we’re in the game, It’s up to you, you lillywhites to play the Tottenham way.’

2% Dragonfly out in the sun

You know what I mean, don’t you know?

Butterflies are all havin’ fun, you know what I mean

2@ And all the roads we have to walk are winding / And all the lights that lead us there are blinding

2$ Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true Or is it something worse”

2^ If my heart could do my thinking, and my head begin to feel, I would look upon the world anew, and know what’s truly real.

Sleep in peace when the day is done and this old world is a new world

And a bold world for me

2* I, I will be king

And you, you will be queen

Though nothing will drive them away

We can beat them, just for one day

3) Another bride, Another groom, Another sunny honeymoon, Another season, Another reason For…………………………….

2& Born in Red Hook, Brooklyn, in the year of who knows when Opened up his eyes to the tune of an accordion Always on the outside of whatever side there was When they asked him why it had to be that way, well, he answered, just because

2( If life seems jolly rotten

There’s something you’ve forgotten

And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing

3! Now do you believe in rock and roll?

Can music save your mortal soul?

And can you teach me how to dance real slow’!

3@ I’m nothing special, in fact I’m a bit of a bore If I tell a joke, you’ve probably heard it before But I have a talent, a wonderful thing ‘Cause everyone listens when I start to sing

3# So she said what’s the problem baby, what’s the problem I don’t know well maybe I’m in love. Think about it every time, I think about it, can’t stop thinking about it”

3$ Regrets, I’ve had a few But then again too few to mention

3% Holly came from Miami, F.L.A.

Hitch-hiked her way across the U.S.A.

Plucked her eyebrows on the way Shaved her legs and then he was a she

2( Eric Idle – Always look on the bright side of life

3) Ella Fitzgerald –Makin Whoopee

3! Don Mclean –American Pie

3@ Abba – Thank you for the music

3# Counting Crows –Accidentally in Love –

3$ Frank Sinatra –My Way

3% Lou Reed –Walk on the wild

2@ Oasis –Wonderwall

2# MCNAMARA’S BAND

2$ Bruce Springsteen – The River

2% Nina Simone / Muse – ‘Feeling Good’

2^ Van Morrison – I forgot that love existed

2& Bob Dylan –Joey

2* David Bowie –Heroes

1% Whitney Houston – Greatest Love Of All:

1^ Heather Small –Proud

1& The Beatles –Hey Jude

1* Warren ZevonWerewolves of London

1( Ian Dury and The Blockheads – What A Waste

2) Divine Comedy, National Express.

2! Leonard Cohen –Sisters of Mercy

i Neil Diamond –Sweet Caroline,

o Billy Joel, “Piano Man”

q Foreigner –Waiting for a girl like you

w Newton Faulkner –Dream Catch Me by

e Kenny Rogers –The Gambler

a The Kinks –Lola

r Jason Mraz –Only Human –

s Leonard Cohen –Suzanne,

t Journey –Don’t Stop Believin –

d Snow Patrol –Chasing Cars

y Michael Jackson –Man in the mirror

f Oasis –Live forever

u Louis Armstrong –What a Wonderful World

g Queen –Bohemian Rhapsody

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Artwork: Shaun Hodge

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The contents of this publication are intended as guidance and general interest. It does not constitute legal advice and can be no substitute for considered advice on specific problems. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information printed in this publication, Symonds & Sampson LLP cannot accept liability for errors and omissions. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Symonds & Sampson LLP.