Country Life early property pages 17th May 23

EVERY WEEK

The glory of the summer garden

Chelsea: real gardens for real people

Flowering high: how to grow delphiniums

Plant legacies, pygmy goats and pot-bellied gnomes

Property market

Penny Churchill

Many rooms with a view

Three homes have received new life thanks to some sensitive and extensive renovations

THE recent launch onto the market of the exquisite, Grade II*-listed Studley Royal House near Ripon, North Yorkshire, at a guide price of £8 million through Savills Country Department (020–7409 8881), offers a rare chance to enjoy the privacy and pleasure of a grand country estate with none of the bother, thanks to its location at the heart of the magnificent, 800-acre Studley Royal Deer Park, now owned by the National Trust.

North Yorkshire’s only World Heritage Site, the park is not only home to a large herd of fallow, red and sika deer, it also boasts famous 18th-century water gardens fed by the River Skell, which meanders past the atmospheric ruins of Fountains Abbey—a setting described by Christopher Hussey in his English Gardens

Above and below: Magnificent Studley Royal House is surrounded by an 800-acre World Heritage Site near Ripon, North Yorkshire. £8m

and Landscapes 1700-1750 (1967) as ‘one of the most spectacular scenic compositions in England’.

Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132 and, by the mid 13th century, was one of the richest religious houses in the kingdom. Following the Dissolution, the abbey was sacked, before the buildings and more than 500 acres of land were sold to Richard Gresham, an MP and former Lord Mayor of London. He later sold them to Stephen Proctor, who further despoiled the abbey, using the stone to build the Elizabethan Fountains Hall.

In 1699, John Aislabie, an ambitious politician who was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1718, but expelled from Parliament in 1720 following the South Sea Bubble debacle, inherited the Studley Royal estate, where, for the rest of his life, he indulged his passion for landscape gardening. It was a passion shared by his son, William, who inherited the estate in 1742 and began extending the pleasure grounds into the eastern part of the Skell valley.

In 1760, having acquired the neighbouring Fountains estate from the Messenger family, he incorporated the dramatic abbey ruins into an extension of his father’s gardens. On William’s death, the estate passed through the female line to the Vyner family, who sold it to West Riding County Council in 1966. In 1983, North Yorkshire County Council sold it to the National Trust, after which the entire park was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.

The Aislabies’ house in the northern part of the park, which was home to Queen Ethelburga’s School during the Second World War, burned down in 1946 and was never rebuilt. Instead, the splendid Georgian stable block, built for John Aislabie’s racehorses between 1728 and 1732, was converted into an elegant Palladian country house set in 2½ acres of private formal gardens on high ground overlooking the deer park towards Ripon Cathedral in the distance.

Built of stone under a slate roof with distinctive pavilion towers in each of the four corners, the pristine, 11,708sq ft house surrounds a central square courtyard overlooked by all the main rooms and dominated by the working clock tower. For selling agent Crispin Holborow, ‘Studley Royal House combines the convenience of modern living with the ambience of a classic period house, and the added bonus of the right to use the Trust’s adjoining and neighbouring property’.

The house offers elegant accommodation on two floors, with six public rooms, including a magnificent drawing room, a ballroom, a study and library, a sumptuous master

suite with two dressing rooms, a bathroom and a shower room, plus five further bedroom suites and a two-bedroom guest wing. The private gardens to the west of the house are approached through a coach arch from the courtyard and are protected from deer by a gravelled walk that runs around the perimeter between hornbeam and yew hedges. Stone steps lead down to a large Italian garden with meticulously maintained flowerbeds, privet hedges, clipped yew and extensive topiary.

Across the county border in Derbyshire’s Peak District, the historic village of Baslow, four miles from Bakewell, stands on the banks of the River Derwent, a mile or so north of Chatsworth. Over End is a residential area on the hillside to the north of the village, near where Baslow Edge was quarried for the gritstone used to build Grade II-listed Baslow Hall in Calver Road, Over End, on land acquired from the Duke of Rutland for the Stockdale family, who were long-time village benefactors.

With its protruding gables, and mullioned and transomed windows, Baslow Hall could

be taken for a 17th-century Derbyshire manor house, although it was, in fact, built in 1907. In 1913, it was bought by the electrical and radio pioneer Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti and was reputedly one of the earliest houses in the UK to have electricity installed. Following de Ferranti’s death in 1930, the house was purchased by Mrs McCreagh-Thornhill as a wedding present for her grandson, Humphrey Davie. After the Second World War, it was owned by a succession of car dealers, before being acquired by a retired London stockbroker.

When, in 1988, the current owners, Max and Susan Fischer, bought Baslow Hall, they took on an almost derelict manor house with overgrown grounds, a situation aggravated soon afterwards by a devastating fire that destroyed much of the building. Twelve months later, following complete renovation, the property finally opened as Fischers at Baslow Hall, an exclusive small countryhouse hotel with a restaurant, six bedroom suites and a separate flat in the main house, a further six bedroom suites in the garden wing and additional accommodation in the Garden House. It could, however, easily revert to its original use as a distinguished family home.

Over the years, Mr and Mrs Fischer have painstakingly created Baslow Hall’s five acres of beautiful gardens and lawns, flanked by gravelled walkways, well-stocked borders and areas of bluebell woods and parkland. Alongside the wing of the Garden House, they have also created a sustainable and productive walled vegetable garden. Now,

Baslow Hall near Bakewell in Derbyshire is blessed with five acres of fine gardens. £4.5m

Studley Royal House combines the convenience of modern living with the ambience of a classic period house

Property market

after 35 happy and successful years, they have decided to retire, and Baslow Hall is on the market—at a guide price of £4.5m— through Edward Caudwell of Derbyshire agents Caudwell & Co (01629 810018) and Savills in Nottingham (0115–934 8020).

Nestled in the lower slopes of the Malvern Hills AONB and home to the Berington family by descent since the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Grade II*-listed Little Malvern Court comprises a 15th-century Priors Hall, once attached to the 12th-century Benedictine Priory with its impressive Romanesque church tower, but now incorporated into the main house, Victorian additions to which were designed and overseen by the eminent church architect Joseph Hansom. More recent restoration and renovation was taken on by the late Tom and Olquita Berington, who progressively improved and modernised this remarkable house throughout the latter part of the 20th century.

Launched onto the market in today’s C OUNTRY L IFE through the Ludlow office of Strutt & Parker (01584 539984), Little Malvern Court is being offered in one or two lots. Lot 1, comprising the historic house, two semi-detached, black-and-white cottages and some 22 acres of formal gardens, woodland

and grassland is for sale at a guide price of £3.75m; Lot 2, with a guide of £500,000, is an adjoining block of some 35 acres of productive arable land currently let under a contract farming agreement.

In addition to the atmospheric Great Hall and its adjoining altar room, the main house provides a reception hall, six reception rooms, a sitting room, kitchen/breakfast room, principal bedroom suite, five further bedrooms and four bathrooms. According to its Historic Houses entry, Little Malvern Court

represents ‘a perfect blend of history and horticulture’, the latter centred on 10 acres of former monastic grounds with breathtaking views over the Severn Valley, described in a C OUNTRY L IFE article as ‘one of the loveliest gardens in the Midlands’. Following a plan dated 1720, the chain of pools was restored in the 1980s, as was much of the garden. The more formal gardens, which immediately flank the house, include a delightful rose garden and an ancient topiary yew hedge that has been lovingly shaped and cared for.

Above and right: History and horticulture blend seamlessly at Little Malvern Court near Malvern in Worcestershire. £3.75m

Properties of the week

James Fisher

Devon, £2.25 million

Nestled high on the slopes of a wooded valley overlooking the Avon estuary, Were Down, near Bigbury, is, well, pretty close to paradise. Originally a worker’s cottage dating from the early 19th century, the property has been extended and renovated over the years to become an exceptional family home of five bedrooms in 15 acres. It would be remiss not to start with the view, which is uninterrupted for miles and is maximised by the use of floor-to-ceiling windows in the kitchen/ dining room, as well as from the balcony of the master suite on the first floor. The interiors have been finished to a very high standard throughout and feature extensive use of recycled hardwood from Kentucky, US, as well as refurbished railway sleepers. Despite having 15 acres of land, the ‘gardens’ are mostly woodland, with the property being more a part of Nature than trying to tame it. They do, however, contain a cabin, which provides a further bedroom, living room and bathroom (and, of course, lots of glass to appreciate the view). Paths have been cut through the woods and meadows down to the estuary below, which is a wetland at low-tide, and provides kayak/paddleboard access down to the River Avon and Bantham beyond at high tide. Not enough? The property also comes with planning permission for a two-storey extension on the east side of the house. Marchand Petit (01548 831163)

Cambridgeshire, £775,000

Fronting onto the vast village green of Hilton in Cambridgeshire, Rose Cottage is a charming, four-bedroom home listed Grade II and offering one-third of an acre of gardens that are primed to be transformed into something special. The home is a pleasant period piece of about 2,400sq ft and offers plenty of original features, such as exposed beams and dormer windows. The gardens are mostly laid to lawn, scattered with young trees and newly planted borders, meaning that any green-thumbed owner can readily stamp their identity into this charming slice of East Anglia. The garden also features a traditional converted barn as a summerhouse/ studio, with a bedroom on the first floor. Cheffins (01223 214214)

The best rooms in the house

Spring has sprung, the sun has come and now is the time to make the most of it

Properties of the week

Gloucestershire, £5 million

Tucked away on the edge of the hamlet of Fyfield, Baxter’s Farm occupies a secluded setting of 12 acres of pristine Cotswold countryside. The main property is a wonderful example of early-19thcentury design, with plenty of period features throughout, such as limestone flooring, exposed beams and roof timbers and fireplaces, and offers five bedrooms over its three floors. Across the courtyard, the plot also features an immaculately converted barn, which was converted by the owners in the 1990s, designed by The Pocknell Studio and featured in the book Cotswold Stone Homes: History, Conservation, Care by Michael Hill and Sally Birch. As well as being a prime spot for entertaining, with a 62ft-long, double-height ‘party room’ on the ground floor, it also comes with two further bedrooms and bathrooms and a kitchen. Outside, the gardens and grounds were designed and laid out by the owners and are divided into various areas, such as the pergola garden, white garden, herbaceous garden (the owner is a former president of the Herb Society) and sunken garden. Further afield, the property boasts a small lake with willow trees on small islands and the gardens lead down to the River Leach, with 400 yards of double-bank fishing. If that wasn’t enough, there is also an orchard, paddock, vegetable garden and hard tennis court. As popular with wildlife as it is humans, the property is regularly visited by 60 species of bird, including kingfishers, owls and woodpeckers. Strutt & Parker (01285 627680)

Co

Durham,

£1.2 million

Believed to have originally been built in about 1764, Bleach Green Farmhouse near New Brancepeth is a delightful traditional stone farmhouse that offers the ideal blend of character, original features, modern luxury and vintage chic. The heart of the threebedroom home is a handmade, farmhouse-style kitchen, with modern fitted units and a ‘substantial’ central island, that leads into the striking bespoke conservatory, from which it’s possible to enjoy the gardens and grounds all year round. And what gardens and grounds they are; extending to 17 acres, they feature an orchard with more than 30 fruit trees, plenty of ‘rooms’, mature trees, shrubs and manicured hedging and topiary. The River Deerness, which is fishable, meanders past the property to the north and ancient woodland fizzes with wildlife. The property also offers access to miles of public bridleways, cycle paths and country walkways. Finest Properties (01434 622234)

Hampshire, £2.1 million

Originally built in the 17th century, Compton End in the village of Compton caught the eye of the architect George Herbert Kitchin, who extended the house in the late 19th century and created the magnificent Arts-andCrafts garden, living there until his death in 1951. Now, both house and gardens are Grade II* listed and it’s not hard to see why. The house itself is a delight, with four bedrooms under its sloped thatched roof and lashings of period features throughout. The gardens are astounding, marked by a combination of formality and informality. Clipped yew hedges and topiary contrast nicely with abundant naturalistic planting, as vistas lead through rectangular areas and to a pond, croquet lawn, fields and woods. Wildflower meadows and fruit trees add to the naturalistic side of things and the whole ensemble is perfectly finished by the pink-rendered-brick summerhouse. Knight Frank (01962 677242)