Farming & Countryside
A delicate balance is maintained on the Mulgrave Estate between ensuring that our countryside management meets the needs of modern agricultural production and retaining Mulgrave’s unique historical character and landscape. This is achieved by utilising a partnership approach with the tenant farmers on the Estate.
There are more than fifty holdings on the Mulgrave Estate which produce beef, sheep, arable and dairy products. This produce is available locally in butcher’s shops and delicatessens and nationally as several farms on the Estate supply high quality beef through marketing groups such as Dovecote Park.
Farming remains the most significant activity in terms of land area, with the majority of land let on traditional tenancies. In many cases, the same family has farmed the land for generations.
Approximately 1,500 acres are farmed in hand by the Normanby family, combining efficient food production with the conservation of habitat and wildlife. There is a strong tradition of good hedgerow and tree management across the Estate, with regular new planting, restoration and hedge-laying taking place. Working with the North York Moors National Park, nearly 4,000 meters of new hedgerow at Kettleness has been planted in 2017, which has enhanced the valued landscape and wildlife corridor on the coastal part of the Estate.
Through careful management, the Estate can boast a healthy population of many species that are considered rare or endangered – including skylarks, wild grey partridges and barn owls.
The Estate is currently working with Natural England and the Forestry Commission to take a significant part of the Estate into High Tier Countryside Stewardship from 2018. This will include the Humphry Repton landscape around Mulgrave Castle, a Registered Park & Garden and area of high visual importance. Timing is especially appropriate as 2018 marks the Bi-Centenary of Repton’s death.
Meet our Tenant Farmers
The Estate has in excess of 50 farmed holdings, who farm a mixture of dairy, beef, sheep and arable cropping. Here we meet two of our tenants: