Shuttleworth Estate
The Shuttleworth Estate
As well as looking after the Shuttleworth Collection, Swiss Garden and the Victorian mansion house, the Shuttleworth Trust also maintain, develop and care for the Shuttleworth (Old Warden) Estate.
Sustainability
Sustainability is a key and central element of the Shuttleworth Estate. We focus on balancing economic viability with environmental responsibility and social well-being. We operate both regenerative agricultural and conservation grazing practices across the Estate. We have also installed a 150KWP photovoltaic – extensive solar power generation system – across several of the roofs of the Collection hangars.
Parkland
The Shuttleworth Estate includes 500 acres of parkland and an active airfield. Across the parkland, we have over 250 tress of varying age classes and both historic and more modern bodies of water, including manmade lakes and reservoirs. The parkland is home to a range of outdoor events and weddings throughout the year, and provides land for Shuttleworth College to make use of, as well as being used as a space for emergency services training.
Farming & woodland
Six modern farming businesses, including the Shuttleworth College farm, reside on of Estate land. The land is used for a mixture of arable and stock farming practices and, as custodians of the land, we adopt regenerative agricultural practices. Our woodland stretches across 1,000 acres, with a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees.
A brief history
Old Warden was originally called ‘Wardone’ meaning a watch hill, likely the Warden warren to the south of the village, or possibly the hill where the church was then built.
At the time of the Doomsday Book, the manor was owned by William Spec, before Warden Abbey was founded in 1339. After the dissolution of the monoastaries in 1537, the land was divided up and passed through many hands until it was sold to Robert Palmer in 1627 for one hundred pounds.
Samuel Onlgey bought Old Warden Park from Sir William Palmer, son of Robert, in 1690. The Ongleys exchanged some land with the Southill Estate and enlarged their property so that by 1824 it comprised around the same acreage as that bought by Joseph Shuttleworth in 1872.
After Richard Shuttleworth’s death in 1940, the Estate was turned into the Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth Remembrance Trust.
Development projects
As any land owner will do, we look at and evaluate all potential land uses across the Estate. We carefully consider how best to meet further housing needs within our local communities, ensuring that any proposed developments demonstrate garden village principles, taking full advantage of existing green and water spaces to build a healthy, sustainable community including a range of homes for all, social infrastructure and attractive community spaces while enhancing biodiversity. The Trust is committed to its role as long-term custodian of the Old Warden Estate and the associated heritage assets while continuing to invest in its core Charitable Objectives.
Current projects
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