FELIX Dennis, one of the richest men in Britain, has bought the Spernal Estate for more than £12 million.

The multi-millionaire publisher, whose company The Dennis Group has such titles as Auto Express and Maxim, is ranked 65th in Britain's Rich List and currently lives on a 2,000 acre estate in Dorsington.

His new estate covers about 2,500 acres and includes Spernal House and grounds, the Old Rectory, Clouse Wood, Middle Spernal and Lower Spernal farmhouses, Morgrove Barn (a residential barn conversion), 10 other residential properties, four undeveloped barns, farm and woodland, sporting rights over 1,063 acres of adjoining land and an established partridge and pheasant shoot.

The estate came on the market in the autumn with the Coughton Estate following the deaths of Steven and Nicholas Boler.

Originally offered as one lot, for a combined price of £15 million, there was interest but a sale fell through in December.

It was then re-offered as two lots, which allowed agents Carter Jonas to exceed their original asking price.

David Eckersley, head of Carter Jonas' country Agency Division, said: "Despite the disappointment in December when the offer for the whole was withdrawn, we have achieved a considerably higher figure by selling the estate in two separate lots.

"It was extremely encouraging that there was continued interest in Spernal right up to the exchange of contracts, which underlines the number of purchasers who are actively searching for large rural estates at the present time."

The adjoining 2,281-acre Coughton Estate includes Coughton Lodge Farm, Coughton Fields Farm, Sambourne Hall Farm, Coughton Cross Farm, Parkfield House Farm, Coughton Park Wood and a number of residential and other properties.