New Rural Surveyor Joins The Team

In 2015 the Duchy of Lancaster realigned its Rural Surveys and brought the management of its Southern Survey in-house under its new Head of Rural, Christopher Sparrow. Three years on, the Survey has expanded by 50 per cent following a series of strategic acquisitions and reviews. This has prompted the need to recruit a new Rural Surveyor to fulfil the role of Property Manager for the South as well as leading on some exciting Duchy-wide rural initiatives.

Jonathan Sellick MRICS FAAV joins the Duchy from estate management company Burhill Developments and was previously with Strutt & Parker as part of its Land Management team. Prior to that, Jonathan spent four and half years with Smiths Gore in Winchester managing estates for a number of institutional clients. A graduate of Birmingham University, Jonathan completed his MSc in Rural Estate Management at The Royal Agricultural College in 2008.

Commenting on his appointment, Duchy Head of Rural Christopher Sparrow said: “Jonathan joins us at an exciting time, with further potential growth identified in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire and a varied portfolio of tenants and estates to manage. The Duchy has recently brought the management of two other Surveys in-house – Lancashire and Yorkshire – and is developing a model which will ensure consistency of approach across all of our estates.”

There are five Rural Surveys within the Duchy: Cheshire, Lancashire, Southern, Staffordshire and Yorkshire. The Southern Survey incorporates land and property assets in South Wales, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire. It also includes the original gift of lands which began the ancient Duchy of Lancaster inheritance, the de Montfort estate of Higham Ferrers given to Edmund Crouchback by his father Henry III in 1265.