A party-loving aristocrat has revealed he is set to rewild his 750-year-old family seat and ‘allow nature to flourish’ – despite local farmers urging him to use it for crops instead.
Anselm Guise, the son of the baronet of Highnam, was labelled the hedonistic heir after dismissing his father’s plan of following him in a banking career.
Instead, the 49-year-old father-of-two became a DJ and founded the electronic dance music event Glade Festival – before taking ownership of his family’s seat, Elmore Court in Gloucestershire, in 2007.
Speaking to The Times, Mr Guise, the son of Sir James Guise, the 8th and present baronet of Highnam, admitted he would be breaking with tradition again by letting nature take over his grounds.
But a number of local farmers oppose the plans and believe Mr Guise should use the high-quality arable land to grow crops.
Anselm Guise and his wife, Sarah, at their stately home, Elmore Court, in Gloucestershire in April 2017
Speaking to The Times , Mr Guise, the son of Sir James Guise, the 8th and present baronet of Highnam, admitted he would be breaking with tradition again by letting nature take over his grounds (pictured)
The musician – who joins a handful of fellow aristocrats, such as Sir Charles Burrell in embracing the rewilding movement – confessed that around 70 of the 250 acres he’s using is prime arable land – meaning it’s perfect for crop growing.
However, he said it is it the only land available on his estate for his plans as the rest is on long-term farm tenancies.
His idea also includes introducing rare breeds of grazing animals, including Tamworth pigs, as well as red deer, and let them roam free before harvesting some for meat.
But a number of local farmers oppose the plans and believe Mr Guise should use the high-quality arable land to grow crops. Pictured, Elmore Court
To add to the estate’s income, the plans also involve six new lavish treehouses with decks overlooking the rewilding grounds, as well as the possibility for a floating sauna in a wild swimming pond.
Mr Guise said: ‘When you have been trained into believing and brought up that you’re going to inherit this place and be the custodian it’s quite hard to go, “You know what, I’m going to do something completely different to what all the other people before me have done.”
‘Some of the tenant farmers are going to think, “What the hell are you doing?” So it does take a bit of time [to make the change].’
Mr Guise stopped cultivating the land last year and hopes to bring back a much more wild environment.
However, he has faced criticism for his idea. Graham Littleton, 77, who owns neighbouring Bridgemacote farm, emailed Mr Guise about his worries.
Mr Littleton told the publication it was difficult to see land good for growing crops not being used to its full potential, fearing it could harm the UK’s food security.
Britain’s food self-sufficiency reportedly decreased from 78 per cent in 1984 to 64 per cent in 2019.
Mr Littleton claimed other local farmers felt the same way but were unlikely to be open about their concerns because they were Mr Guise’s tenants.
Mr Guise, who said his critics are ‘old-fashioned’, has already transformed large parts of his home before opening it in 2013 as a place for weddings and large family gatherings.
The DJ is not the first aristocrat to embrace rewinding after Sir Charles Burrell and his wife, Isabella Tree, completed Britain’s most well-known rewilding project in 2001 at the 3,500-acre Knepp Castle in West Sussex.