Ian Morton decided to spend over £2m – including £750,000 from his pension – to help rescue a crumbling Yorkshire stately home that is now a £10.5m tourism business.
The 64-year-old has held his retirement savings in a small self-administered scheme (SSAS) pension – which allows the money to be invested in property – for several years and used this to fund a purchase and restoration of Marske Country Estate, North Yorkshire.
Ian, from Otley, West Yorkshire, has worked in the property industry for decades and has held his money in an SSAS – a type of pension set up by a limited company where a group of trustees control the investments collectively – because it gives the freedom to invest in commercial property.
Shorts
In 2020, the SSAS bought the estate’s derelict stables and sawmill for £750,000. Two years later, he purchased Marske Hall itself for £1.3m using separate savings built up during his career.
