Termed the “most principled man in Britain”, Robert Worsley turned down a £275 million offer for his farm in 2015.Part of the Locals Against Mayfield Building Sprawl (LAMBS) campaign, Stowe educated Worsley paid £1.7 million for Twineham Place Farm in West Sussex in 2001 and is considered a “very hands on farmer” of his 550 acres of pasture and arable land. Of his decision to reject the advances of property developers, this “national hero” commented: “People have said I must be mad. But those who know me will tell you I’ve always been immensely saddened when another farm disappears, when the character of our ancient villages changes. When I see the people of Sussex, country people, besieged by creeping urbanisation, it upsets me. Over the years I’ve bemoaned the results of ‘progress’ and the gradual erosion of a lovely part of our countryside. To contribute to that and receive a vast amount of money in exchange would make me the very worst kind of hypocrite, wouldn’t it?”
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4 comments
A proper gent!!!!!!
I hope his heirs feel the same way.
Wish there are more British people like him! he should be much praised.
FB says “Congratulations on your support of the heritage of this lovely part of the world, West Sussex.”