Barnston Estate comprises 1800 acres in and around the villages of Farndon, Churton and Hapsford in rural Cheshire.
Key activities of the Estate include:
- residential and commercial property letting
- dairy farming
- forestry
- historic property restoration
- landscape protection and recovery
- housing development
- renewable energy generation
- managing a natural burial ground
Currently we provide housing and indirect employment for around 300 people.
The Estate is managed by Edward Barnston, who is supported by his wife Kate. Their purpose is to manage the Estate in harmony with the 'Triple Bottom Line' philosophy of balancing People, Planet and Profit - creating value for the local community while being environmentally sustainable and financially viable.
As a steward of the countryside Barnston Estate is continually innovating and evolving to ensure that we deliver sustainable benefits today and into the future.
Our ambition is to nurture and improve the Estate and pass it on to the next generation in a stronger and better condition.
Edward Barnston NSch, MIAgrM, FRASE
Barnston Estate Owner & Manager
Vision & Values
History of
Barnston Estate
Barnston Estate traces its history back to around the time of the Norman Conquest.
Estate lands were initially registered by Hugh de Berneston in modern-day Wirral.
From 1280, the Barnston lands at Farndon and Churton grew through marriage to incorporate the Gregge Estate at Hapsford and the Trafford Estate at Bridge Trafford.
In 1650, staunch Royalist William Barnston was imprisoned by Cromwell and had to pay £580 to regain the Estate.
Successive Barnston stewards have managed the Estate over the years, with many serving their country – in support of Wellington in the Crimean Campaign and the Indian Mutiny.
Today the Estate has a diverse portfolio of dairy farms, forestry, renewable energy, residential housing and a growing range of commercial properties. It also has an award-winning natural burial ground in Farndon, which opened in 2021.
