Christopher Ussher who helped develop a historic Yorkshire country estate into a commercial business and major television film set has recently joined us as a consultant in our rural property management team.
He has a wide range of experience developing and growing businesses and assisting and advising on several country estates, with a particular focus on diversification, planning and fundraising. He was previously chief executive at Harewood House Trust and resident land agent at Harewood Estate for 25 years.
During this time, he played an integral part in the development of the Emmerdale television film set on the estate, and went on to secure filming opportunities with Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost and At Home with the Braithwaites. He also supported in the conversion of redundant listed farm buildings into offices, bringing an additional income stream to the estate.
Chris said: “I hope to use my expertise to reassure those who are contemplating change and diversification, and also provide ideas and advice. My 25 years at Harewood House means I have experience in running a large visitor attraction, so I have an in-depth knowledge of the logistics and licensing required for everything from opening a country house and exhibiting collections to running a bird garden and holding large and small-scale events.
David Merton, our Head of Rural, said: “We have strong expertise in estate management, and Christopher has a wealth of industry knowledge which will complement this perfectly. We have no doubt his experience will be hugely valuable to our clients.”
For more information about rural property management click here
