Two of Scotland’s largest estates – Bowhill Estate and Eskdale and Liddesdale Estate – are to merge to form one estate spanning more than 100,000ac.
The combined estate will be known as Borders Estate and will continue to be run by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch’s company, Buccleuch.
A spokesman for Buccleuch said that Bowhill and Eskdale and Liddesdale Estates had been working “increasingly closely” adding that a single unified operation more accurately reflected estate activity. The merger will be made formal from September 1.
Borders Estate will be managed by Edward Morris, previously estate manager at Bowhill. Morris has also been overseeing operations at Eskdale & Liddesdale since early this year.
A spokesman said: “There will be no change to our ongoing relationships with our residential and farming tenants; with both our legal agreements and key personnel remaining unchanged under the new Borders Estate umbrella.
“The overall footprint of the combined estate will be significantly reduced as Buccleuch progresses its policy of selling land and farms. Savills, the property advisors, have been engaged by Buccleuch to look at bringing more agricultural land to the market, either as a portfolio or individual units.”
40 tenants
Buccleuch has sold 24 farms totalling 32,000ac across its Scottish Estates over the past 20 years. Discussions are currently ongoing with approximately 40 tenants.
John Glen, chief executive of Buccleuch, said: “The shape and scale of Buccleuch’s landholdings continues to change and in recent years we have been selling land and properties as we reduce our footprint.
We have been in discussions with a number of tenant farmers who have expressed an interest in buying their farms and these discussions are continuing.
“Buccleuch will continue to have a strong attachment to the Bowhill and Eskdale and Liddesdale areas and our policy of selling land will enable us to invest in new projects.”
The estates
Eskdale and Liddesdale Estate comprises approximately 70,000ac stretching from the English border to Hawick along the Eskdale, Liddesdale and Ewes valleys.
Langholm Lodge served as the Buccleuch family headquarters for 150 years before demolition as a result of military occupation during World War II.
The Estate is currently home to the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project, which is looking at new ways of managing commercial grouse moors and birds of prey.
Bowhill’s 57,000ac include the rolling hills and fertile valleys around the Ettrick and Yarrow Rivers, tributaries of the river Tweed. The estate also features the ancient Ettrick forest, an historic hunting ground of the kings of Scotland.
