A farm – including the remains of a 14th century castle – went under the hammer for a total of £2.37 million.
Gleaston Castle Farm, near Ulverston, had an overall guide price of £2 million – but eventually sold, in separate lots, for almost 20 per cent more.
It was put on the market by H&H Land & Estates, which held a public auction at Aldingham Parish Hall.
The sale included 212 acres of arable and grazing land, a range of traditional and modern farm buildings, a four-bedroom farmhouse, a tarn and the remains of the 14th century Gleaston Castle, whose ruined towers and walls abut the farm buildings.
The Grade I listed castle was once owned by the 1st Duke of Suffolk, the father of Lady Jane Grey.
All lots sold individually for more than their guide prices, with two notable lots being 17 acres of pastureland selling for £12,610 per acre which was 65 per cent more than its guide of £130,000, and Mere Tarn, with 7.5 acres of land, which sold for almost double its guide price for £75,000, representing £22,628 per acre.
Colin Tomlinson, managing director of H&H Land & Estates, said: “This was an outstanding sale. We knew there would be considerable interest in the main property, the house and portion of land, but there was also a phenomenal interest in the outlying plots. Land prices are exceptional at the moment and the demand for land continues to outstrip the supply.
“With the reduction in farm payments, increasing input costs and agflation, these are challenging times for farmers, however, this sale demonstrates that these issues are not deterring people in investing in land and property and that there is confidence for the future of the agricultural land market.”
