AI-generated marketing masks a derelict, bat-infested Bratton Hall site in Somerset

An online listing for Bratton Hall, marketed as an eight-bedroom luxury country estate in Somerset, has drawn attention for its use of AI-generated imagery and the reality of a project that has stalled for years. The market description frames the property as a two-building, high-end development set in lush countryside, with a price tag of £1.45 million for the plot and plans that would allow a finished home valued far higher if completed.

The listing, attributed to Tim Phillips, a self-styled digital-first broker, promotes two Edwardian-style structures on a gated, expansive site. Photographs show landscaped gardens, grass tennis courts, water features, a swimming pool and a Moroccan spa. But a closer look reveals a stark disconnect: the “plan” is not a completed home, and the site today comprises two derelict shells with boarded windows, visible debris and signage indicating no trespassing. An accompanying note indicates that development has progressed only in planning documents, not in construction, and that some features depicted in the images are not reflected in current plans. The Daily Mail flagged the images as AI-generated, saying a scan of the pictures suggested that they were created by artificial intelligence.

What buyers are being asked to consider is a site where plans date back to 2015 for two new buildings intended to form Bratton Hall, including a 7,500-square-foot main house and a 2,736-square-foot cottage. The listing also states that Bratton Hall could be constructed as shown in the renderings for £9,500,000, which would be in addition to the plot price. However, the actual site today is not built to those specifications. The property sits behind gates on a plot tied to a prior planning history that includes a patch of Japanese knotweed identified on the grounds and, more recently, bat activity in the unfinished shells.

The plot was bought in early 2023 by developer Robert Herrick, who is listed as a director of Bratton Hall Ltd, according to land registry records. Herrick had registered Bratton Hall Ltd in November 2022 and later engaged Mulhern Iremonger Design Studios to craft additional designs for what was billed as a premium estate. By late 2023, new planning documents were approved, but they did not include the grass tennis courts or the tree-lined access road that appear in the online listing, and the land has yet to be cleared or developed to the advertised scale.

Inquiries traced ownership and oversight through the sale chain. Herrick’s company was dissolved in February 2024, and Tim Phillips began representing the site under his eponymous brand, Tim Phillips Prime Property. Phillips—who has cultivated a following by promoting high-end properties via social media—says he markets listings with in-house rendering, a stance he argues reflects a new approach to showcasing potential rather than current reality. He has also posted videos showing a car entering the grounds and driving toward the imagined mansion, a clip he says does not rely on AI for its imagery.

Phillips has asserted that his team uses renderings generated from plans rather than AI-generated content for public listings. A THG spokesperson said the company’s approach is to present a clear view of what could be built, noting that buyers should understand what is permissible under current planning when evaluating a plot like Bratton Hall. The THG statement emphasized that the images are intended to illustrate design potential rather than to mislead buyers about a finished product.

The Bratton Hall listing is part of a broader trend in which some brokers use high-production digital media to market property concepts before projects are completed. Critics argue that when renderings depict features not included in planning or that exceed what is legally possible to build, buyers can be misled about the feasibility or timing of construction. Proponents say clearly signposted renderings can help buyers visualize possibilities and attract investment at early stages. In this case, the listing has added an agent’s note stating that the images provided are renderings showing an artist’s impression of the design and are intended for illustrative purposes.

The broader market context includes a separate but related listing for a property known as The Walled Garden near Hitchin, also marketed by Phillips and valued around £1.95 million. Like Bratton Hall, it has planning permission on paper but shows little evidence of actual construction. Land registry records indicate the Bratton Hall plot has seen movements and reconfigurations of ownership and planning permissions, underscoring a growing discussion about the role of renderings, signposting and the boundaries of marketing in high-end real estate.

Local officials who reviewed the 2015 planning applications for Bratton Hall noted that the original plans included two new buildings to form a substantial estate and that subsequent approvals in 2023 included safeguards for bats—an environmental condition that would shape what could ultimately be built. In practice, however, the site remains largely in its shell form, with the hoped-for grass tennis courts and tree-lined road not reflected in the latest approved plans. Neighbors describe a long period of halted construction and a site that has attracted attention for its incongruity between online marketing and the real-world condition of the land.

The property’s current status raises questions about how buyers should weigh a marketing presentation that blends architectural renderings with a prospective development moat. Phillips insists his approach reflects industry evolution toward visual storytelling, while opponents argue for stricter standards that ensure prospective buyers understand what can be legally built and on what timeline. The Daily Mail’s reporting on the Bratton Hall listing has added fuel to that debate, pointing out the tension between aspirational marketing and physical reality on a site with a lengthy development history.

In the end, Bratton Hall remains a concept on paper rather than a completed residence. The price tag attached to the plot and its plans reflects the market’s appetite for prestige developments, but the reality on the ground—bats in abandoned shells, knotweed in the garden and a lengthy regulatory path—remains the determinative context for any potential buyer. As the market continues to experiment with AI-assisted imagery and renderings, Bratton Hall serves as a high-profile case study in how much of a role such media should play in valuing and marketing real estate in 2025.