Former pro-cyclist who inherited country estate swaps two wheels for a Polaris called Jeff
When James Lowsley-Williams and his now wife Emma inherited a 2,000-acre estate and an Elizabethan manor house south of the Cotswolds – little did they know a Polaris 570 would become “part of the family”.
The Polaris is such a part of day to day life for the couple – setting about a project to preserve the history of the nearly 500-year-old estate and make it sustainable for a modern future – they have named the vehicle Jeff.
James inherited Chavenage House at Tetbury from his grandfather, David Lowsley-Williams, following his death in 2023. He and Emma are working to transform the estate and build a modern business with projects ranging from re-wilding parts of the estate and building a pond to launching a café and a glamping business.
They are documenting their journey on their own YouTube channel, “Life at the Manor”, which has more than 123,000 followers who see Jeff the Polaris regularly making an appearance.
“We use him every day. We called him Jeff because of the number plate. We are always fighting over who is driving Jeff at the moment. He is a character, he is part of the family.”
It was actually watching “Vinnie Jones In The Country” on YouTube which prompted the new found farmers to opt for a Polaris to help with every day tasks across their land and estate.
James said: “We watched Vinnie Jones with one, I came across it on You Tube and thought how cool would it be to get around the estate. We had an old quad before but having the cab made such a big difference. We also had a Land Rover Defender but we realised we use Jeff a hell of a lot more than any other vehicle we have ever used.
“From logging, pheasant feeding and heading up to the farm, to getting around the estate and dropping logs off at the cabins. It has been so versatile and we can just do everything.”
The family seat is also used for filming. You may recognise it from Poldark or Tess of the D’Urbervilles, while a new adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel, ‘The Rivals’, is currently being filmed at Chavenage for Disney +.
In addition, the family is looking at other ways to make sure the historic house and estate is around for others to enjoy for many years to come – and Polaris vehicles will be playing their part.
James added: “We are hoping to get a Polaris quad and eventually get the Ranger twin cab to do an estate safari and take people around and show people more about it.”
“I am not a farmer, I used to be a pro cyclist for 15 years and taking on a farm is quite daunting in itself. It is scary and exciting.”