Denton Park Estate: Yorkshire estate once used to film The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and The Water Babies set to become biodiversity hotspot

Denton Park Hall, which sits upon the 2,500 acre estate near Ilkley, featured in such films as The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp in 1942, and The Water Babies in 1978.

The estate has been bought by Nick and Cal Bailey, members of the Bailey family who have run NG Bailey since it first began.

The brothers are now working with more than 20 local organisations including Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Yorkshire Peat Partnership, White Rose Forest, and the Yorkshire Rewilding Network to use the estate to promote biodiversity through the use of regenerative farming practices.

Nick Bailey said: “I am hugely optimistic about the opportunity that is presenting itself, we have set ourselves an ambitious plan for the land and have received support from local experts who have given up their time and knowledge to be on this journey with us.

“We wanted to maximise the contribution to biodiversity but also maintain or even increase the level of food output – whether arable or livestock.

“The aim is a plan where we transition from our current farming practices but do it in a financially stable way that also prioritises biodiversity and carbon capture whilst maintaining food output.”

The Yorkshire Peat Partnership has conducted a 1,000-acre survey of the Estate’s moorlands to assess the peat with a view to undoing hundreds of years of damage from burning and drainage.

Its aim is to reverse peat erosion and restore natural peatland functions.

The group hope this action will bring multiple benefits including flood alleviation, carbon capture, water quality and biodiversity.

Plans also include re-wetting the moors by building leaky dams, planting Sphagnum mosses and cotton-grasses whilst monitoring hydrology and flora.

NG Bailey is a fourth-generation family-run construction, engineering and services business.

Originally set up by Noel G Bailey in 1921, the business was handed down to his sons Noel S and Richard Bailey.

In 1976, the family bought the Denton Park Estate with a view to turning the Grade I Listed hall into the company’s headquarters as well as establishing a national training centre for its staff.

In 2016 the business relocated a number of key operations to its Leeds campus, and training was undertaken at regional offices across the UK, or via digital technology.

The firm will now shift its headquarters to its Leeds site.

Amongst the other groups Nick and Cal Bailey are working with are Rewilding Britain, the Wharfedale Naturalists Society and the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust.

Other partnering organisations cover topics and offer expertise in areas as diverse as wild trout, bees, clean river groups, and barn owls.

The Bailey brothers hope that in ten years time, there will be more varieties of vegetation, less distinction between grazing and woodland, and corridors of trees and bushes on the estate.

They also hope there will be slower moving streams which harbour sheltered habitats.

It is thought that this will encourage greater numbers and a wider range of animals, plants, birds, fish, amphibians, insects, microbes and fungi.

A new estate manager role is also set to be advertised at the Denton Park Estate, which will involve leading the delivery of the new vision, taking overall responsibility for the planning and implementation of the estate’s priorities.

The role will include responsibility for the financial sustainability of the estate, the recruitment and management of the team, the appointment and management of the supply chain and the engagement with local stakeholders.

Speaking of the role, Nick said: “The role requires strong commercial awareness and business acumen but we are looking for someone with passion and enthusiasm, who’s able to solve problems and think dynamically.”

“This is a truly unique opportunity that will be the dream job for the right person, who will both understand the scale of the global problem before us and recognise this chance to respond to it.”