Pilgrims’ history goes up for sale (From Bucks Free Press)

Pilgrims’ history goes up for sale

3:20pm Monday 14th March 2005

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The Quakers are selling off part of their heritage. The Mayflower Barn, known the world over for its associations with the Quaker William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, is on the market this week, along with Jordans farmhouse, secret meeting place for the Friends in the 17th century in the time of religious persecution.

The two buildings were built in the 1600s from ships' timbers that took the Pilgrim Fathers to America.

They were originally used as a hostel to give Quakers from London a break in the country but more recently they have become a hotel and conference centre run by the Old Jordans Trust, a registered charity set up by the Quakers.

The trustees confirmed on Wednesday they had instructed Knight Frank to put Old Jordans up for sale for £2.5 million. The property encompasses the Mayflower Barn, Jordans Farmhouse, a more modern refectory, also a gardener's cottage and housekeeper's cottage grouped together in grounds of five acres.

The hotel and conference centre, licensed for weddings, won't close until October so that future bookings can be honoured.

Janet Cummins, joint managing director of the trust, told the Free Press the decision had caused much heart-searching but it was eventually decided that the proceeds from the sale could be better used to promote their beliefs.

She explained: "The charity was set up to advance religion for the benefit of the public and in particular the Quaker faith. The trustees have been considering how best to achieve these objectives.

"After taking professional advice and carefully reviewing the options open to them they have to decided to sell the Old Jordans Estate and to devote the funds released to the trust's charitable purposes."

The farmhouse has 17 ensuite bedrooms along with a restaurant, bar and meeting rooms. The more recent refectory has two conference rooms and six ensuite bedrooms. There are a further four bedrooms in the gardener's cottage and a staff flat in the housekeeper's cottage.

Emma Cleugh, a partner at Knight Frank's department which specialises in advising charities, says they are expecting a great deal of interest from a wide variety of purchasers.

"It could be bought by a private buyer who would use the barn for parties. It may appeal to educational organisations I have a client who is looking for a property to set up an A-level college in Buckinghamshire.

"There's also an American university looking for a small campus for about 15 academics somewhere close to Oxford, either in Oxfordshire or Buckinghamshire."

"We would like to find a buyer who will appreciate the ethos of Jordans," says Janet Cummins, adding: "We wouldn't allow it to be used for amoral purposes."

The Friends Meeting House is not included in the sale, and the burial place of William Penn at Jordans is not within the curtilage of the land to be sold.

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