THE WOOD PLACE IS FOR SALE

Lanarkshire Hardwoods / The Wood Place is for sale along with the entire 10 acre wooded property in rural South Lanarkshire,  10 miles south of Livingston and just 30 minutes from the Edinburgh bypass, 2.5 miles from the A70. The property is being marketed by rural property specialists Davidson & Robertson

view lots of pictures and the particulars here:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/151950473#/?channel=RES_BUY

and parties interested in viewing the property should go through them.

I am downsizing after 33 years running a combined furniture making business with supporting in-house sawmill and hardwood seasoning facilities at Girdwoodend, a 10 acre former dairy farm premises dating back to at least the 16th century.   I will be moving to alternative premises to concentrate on the established furniture making school side of the business ( Dovetails Tuition). Patrick Baxter Furniture will continue undertaking some select cabinetmaking projects and private client antique restoration. I intend to continue a little hardwood production,  for personal use and for sale to the students. I will cease to use the trading names of my sole-trader business, Lanarkshire Hardwoods and The Wood Place.  We may consider selling the business name and website etc too if anyone is interested,  whether  in conjunction with Girdwoodend or not.

 

All the land and buildings including our attractive stone-built 4 bedroom fully renovated and insulated traditional stone-built character home will be going in one lot. This includes the old granary building, partially converted into a studio / well being / extra socialising space; also the main workshop building currently used as a machine workshop and a hand tools workshop with 10 workbench spaces, including recently upgraded kitchen and toilet facilities to service the teaching business.  There are 2 large insulated wood store buildings currently used for the wood shop,  and the 7750 sq ft sawmill and air drying shed built in 2010 which currently houses 3 sawmills and a heat and vent kiln.  There is 3 phase electricity to the sawmill and main workshop building,  and 2 biomass boilers in a dedicated boiler house plus additional woodburners in the house and workshops. In addition to the sawmill building, the workshops and storage buildings amount to another 7700 sq ft making a total of approx 15450 sq ft,  plus extensive surfaced yards, roads and parking areas. We benefit from 100% business rates relief. The house is listed separately as domestic.

A separate schedule is available detailing all the equipment which is not included in the property sale but which would be available at extra cost and the property purchaser will be given first option to take all or most of these on to continue some of the business activities;  however if these are not wanted they will be available for separate or individual sale afterwards.  In brief, our 6 foot cut capacity diesel Forestor Sawmaster, the electric static Forestor TS,  both horizontal band mills, the 6 tonne lift Manitou telehandler, 4 tonne side loader and 2.5 tonne gas forklift; the Woodmizer 3ph heat and vent kiln in a 20 foot insulated shipping container;  in the machine workshop a collection of middle-aged heavy duty 3 phase machinery,  all dc braked where required including a 25” wide by 10 foot long very accurate surface planer with feed, the old wadkin 24” planer thicknesser, a 3” bladed wadkin 11KW PBR resaw with feed;  a Griggio bandsaw for fine cutting and resawing veneers, Stromab radial arm saw and a Casadei combination table saw and spindle.  2 large dust extractors too.   The schedule is also available from selling agents D&R, with guide prices. Video footage and pictures of the equipment will also soon be available.

I am keeping the smaller single phase machinery along with all the hand tools and small equipment. I also have a very nice condition 10” Lucasmill swing blade saw with planing and sanding heads,  never used for sawing or outside but will probably be keeping that.   The wood stock has been deliberately run down over the last 6 years since we formulated our plan and most of what is left unsold I will be able to retain for student or own use.  The last air dried load has just gone through the kiln completing some 175 shipping container loads done over the last 30 years, at a rate of about one every 2 months on average.  I have enough seasoned wood in stock to continue selling timber to trade and public at the current rate for another year or more and intend to keep trading until we have a buyer at least, possibly longer than that if a suitable hand-over arrangement is made.

My wife Rachael and I have created a very fine place to live and work, with about half the property covered in amenity woodland I planted in the 90’s, woodland paths all around, wetland areas, wildlife pond and all the associated wildlife one would expect.  The garden area attached to the house is extensive, attractive and great for both families, parties and socialising,  with a large patio and a nearby character cabin / ‘sitooterie’ in the woods with a fine aspect to the sunsets.  There are a few farming neighbours and a railway line nearby but we are fairly well isolated and removed from road traffic and noise,  whilst being within easy access of the central belt. There is extensive scope for further alterations and extensions to the  house and buildings or change of use,  room for more buildings, house plots, glamping pods etc.

The combined business that came to be known as The Wood Place by our customers has been run part time and without any staff for the last 8 years or so, but very much has legs to be taken on or adapted by someone younger or with more energy than myself.

Patrick Baxter,  Girdwoodend September 2024