Guernsey Press

West coast farms added to protected building list

TWO west coast farms have been added to the protected building register.

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Les Vardes Farm at Route De Port Grat. The house has been put on the protected buildings list, as has nearby Le Vaugrat Farm in Route De Vaugrat. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 31871703/0)

Le Vaugrat on Route De Vaugrat and Les Vardes Farm on Route De Port Grat have both been listed in the latest update from the Development & Planning Authority.

Both properties are currently up for sale.

A Planning Service spokesman confirmed it had received pre-application enquiries for the redevelopment of both Les Vardes Farm and Le Vaugrat Farm.

‘Both buildings were already on our evaluation list, which is a list of buildings with the potential to be protected,’ he said.

‘Having contacted the owner to arrange a site visit and assessed the buildings against CN6 – Criteria for the Selection of Buildings for the Protected Buildings List, we concluded that both buildings have sufficient interest to be protected (Grade B) and were therefore added to the Protected Buildings list.

‘By protecting both buildings at this early stage, potential purchasers will know they are buying a protected building.’

The main building at Les Vardes Farm dates from before 1792, with some surviving evidence of an earlier medieval building in the basement.

A second floor was added in the late 18th or early 19th century.

‘[It is] A large and decorative Georgian building in a rural area, which would have been rare at the time,’ the protection notice states.

The site developed over time into a farmstead dating to the early 19th century and the house was refurbished with some 19th century features.

The site was used in conjunction with the quarry behind and had a blacksmith’s workshop. The site was also used during the Second World War, with a gun position installed on the barn roof.

The protection notice said this was quite rare and unusual.

The house was used as a hotel in the 20th century.

The exterior of the house and outbuildings were listed, as well as the circular trough, the monolithic gate posts, the roadside and garden walls. The south wing, the west wings and the lean-to glasshouse/shed and the glasshouse are excluded.

Round the corner from this site is Le Vaugrat Farm.

The whole of the house and outbuildings, together with the pig sties, paved yard and walls, have all been listed, although the northernmost outbuilding is excluded.

‘A good example of a farm complex comprising a Georgian-style house with formal facade and numerous traditional-style farm buildings dating to circa 1800 and set around a paved yard,’ the protection notice states.

‘A large proportion of original fabric survives externally and internally, with alterations generally early and adding to the special interest.’

Until recently the complex was used as a working farmstead, which the planners noted that structures such as rare pig sties, animal stalls and interior machinery was still on site.

They added that the buildings were little-changed since possibly the early 19th century.

Les Vardes Farm is on the open market and is currently for sale for £1.95m. That includes the houses and more than seven and a half acres of land.

The property requires full renovation.

Le Vaugrat Farm is local market and is for sale for £900,000. It also requires full renovation and includes 1.4 acres of land.

  • The listings can be viewed at http://planningexplorer.gov.gg/portal/ .

  • A notification about the listing of Batterie Strassburg at Jerbourg has also been published.

  • More than 60 Second World War structures were given grade A listed building status, including field gun positions, machine gun posts, ammunition, personnel and observations bunkers.