The Steeple Times

Tag: garden

  • Painting & Poetry

    Painting & Poetry

    North Yorkshire mill house complete with its own valley for sale; Wordsworth waxed lyrical about its setting and Turner painted it

     

    Described as “a delightful and delicious valley” by the Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850) in 1799 in a letter to his friend and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 – 1834), Mill Gill outside Askrigg in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire has more recently been described as a “real hidden gem”.

     

    Sketched also in 1816 by the Romanticist landscape painter J. M. W. Turner (1775 – 1851), the valley is the setting for Mill Gill House, a 6-bedroom stone-built residence that dates to 1721. For sale currently for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million), the 2,604 square foot house stands in 18 acres of grassland, woodland and ponds. It comes with a “historic relic” 3-storey sawmill complex complete with original machinery, a 2-storey coach house, a high eaved field barn and a 2-storey dovecote.

     

    Of their time at what they call a “mini-estate”, current owner Professor David Blake told The Yorkshire Post:

     

    “I fell for it and so did my wife [Rita], who is a mad keen gardener. It’s such a beautiful place… I’d like to see the mill kept as a workshop and used by an artisan, maybe by a potter or a joiner. That would our ideal buyer”.

     

    “We will miss it and we really don’t want to go. We are just about to take our daily walk. We go and feed the hens and then we feed the ducks on the pond and then we carry on to the tip of the waterfall. It’s the walk Wordsworth did and in summer when everything is blooming, it is even more beautiful. So much so it makes you want to cry”.

     

    Grade II listed Mill Gill House is being marketed by estate agents Robin Jessop.

     

    Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million) Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)Painting & Poetry – Mill Gill House, Askrigg, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3HR – For sale through Robin Jessop for £850,000 ($1.06 million, €987,000 or درهم3.91 million)

  • Nelson & Nintendo

    Nelson & Nintendo

    Georgian mansion, where Admiral Lord Nelson lived with his lover and her husband, for sale for £4.25 million; it was renovated by a former Nintendo executive

     

    One would expect a senior executive of a tech company to live in a slick, modern home in Silicon Valley, but since 2004, Matthew Hill, for many years a senior manager at Nintendo, has called a Grade II listed manor house named Fir Hill in Hampshire’s Meon Valley home.

     

    Built in 1765 and the scene of one of the most famous ménages à trois in history when home to Sir William Hamilton, his wife Emma and Admiral Horatio, 1st Viscount Nelson in 1801 to 1802, the 7,905 square foot “Georgian masterpiece” includes 3 reception rooms, 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. It stands in 5.2 acres of land and comes with a two-storey stable block with potential for secondary accommodation.

     

    Mr Hill purchased the property from Mrs Vida Schreiber, previously Lady Clive, after the death of her husband, Brigadier Schreiber. He met intellectual property lawyer Georgy Evans in 2007 and married her in St Mary and All Saints church in Droxford in 2012 and in the time since, aside from completing the renovation of Fir Hill, the couple have worked together creating a website that comprehensively details the entire history of the building.

     

    Of the renovation and why they are now selling, Matthew Hill told Hampshire Life:

     

    “The renovation work took us 10 years on and off. Our architect said, you either have a big bang and not live here for two years or work in phases. We decided to do the work in four phases which meant we could live here, moving around the house as each phase was completed. The experience of living in the house helped with the restoration… It’s a lovely house, with a lovely feeling, but too big for the two of us now”.

     

    Fir Hill is for sale for £4.25 million ($5.17 million, €4.87 million or درهم19.07 million) through Christie’s Real Estate.

     

    Nelson & Nintendo – Fir Hill, High Street, Garrison Hill, Droxford, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 3QL, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.25 million ($5.17 million, €4.87 million or درهم19.07 million) through Christie’s Real Estate – Home of Nintendo executive Matthew Hill and Georgy Evans Nelson & Nintendo – Fir Hill, High Street, Garrison Hill, Droxford, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 3QL, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.25 million ($5.17 million, €4.87 million or درهم19.07 million) through Christie’s Real Estate – Home of Nintendo executive Matthew Hill and Georgy Evans Nelson & Nintendo – Fir Hill, High Street, Garrison Hill, Droxford, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 3QL, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.25 million ($5.17 million, €4.87 million or درهم19.07 million) through Christie’s Real Estate – Home of Nintendo executive Matthew Hill and Georgy Evans Nelson & Nintendo – Fir Hill, High Street, Garrison Hill, Droxford, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 3QL, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.25 million ($5.17 million, €4.87 million or درهم19.07 million) through Christie’s Real Estate – Home of Nintendo executive Matthew Hill and Georgy Evans Nelson & Nintendo – Fir Hill, High Street, Garrison Hill, Droxford, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 3QL, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.25 million ($5.17 million, €4.87 million or درهم19.07 million) through Christie’s Real Estate – Home of Nintendo executive Matthew Hill and Georgy EvansNelson & Nintendo – Fir Hill, High Street, Garrison Hill, Droxford, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 3QL, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.25 million ($5.17 million, €4.87 million or درهم19.07 million) through Christie’s Real Estate – Home of Nintendo executive Matthew Hill and Georgy Evans Nelson & Nintendo – Fir Hill, High Street, Garrison Hill, Droxford, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 3QL, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.25 million ($5.17 million, €4.87 million or درهم19.07 million) through Christie’s Real Estate – Home of Nintendo executive Matthew Hill and Georgy EvansNelson & Nintendo – Fir Hill, High Street, Garrison Hill, Droxford, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 3QL, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.25 million ($5.17 million, €4.87 million or درهم19.07 million) through Christie’s Real Estate – Home of Nintendo executive Matthew Hill and Georgy Evans

  • A Happy House

    A Happy House

    Berkshire country house named “Gays” for sale

     

    Not connected with the LGBT community in any way, but in fact named after a man named John Gays, “Gays” at Holyport, near Maidenhead in Berkshire dates to around 1456 and is currently for sale for £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million).

     

    Gays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real Estate
    Gays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom

     

    Also referred to as “John Gays House” and offered to the market by Christie’s Real Estate, this 12,482 square foot “bijou old world residence” stands in 20.75 acres and is predominantly built of red brick elevations with attractive sash fenestration, under a tile roof. It is Grade II listed, dates to the Tudor period and also includes later Queen Anne, Georgian, Victorian and 20th century additions.

     

    Less than 30 miles from central London, Gays has been owned by a Swiss family for 20 years according to Country Life and includes 6 reception rooms, a conservatory, a master bedroom suite with 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and 2 dressing rooms, 6 further bedrooms and 5 further bathrooms. In addition, the property also comes with a 2-bedroom lodge cottage, a 2-bedroom staff cottage, an indoor swimming pool, wine store and 4-car garage.

     

    Aside from a large lawned garden with an irrigation system, a lake adjoins the house and there is also an orchard with apple and pear trees. A stable block, a manège and paddocks stand beyond whilst a 1-kilometre long sand and rubber chip horse exercise track circles it. The Duke of York, it transpires, borrowed these facilities in the late 1990s for his own horses.

     

    Gays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real Estate Gays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real EstateGays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real EstateGays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real EstateGays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real EstateGays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real EstateGays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real EstateGays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real EstateGays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real Estate Gays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real EstateGays or John Gays House, Langworthy Lane, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2HN, England, United Kingdom – £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million) – For sale through Christie’s Real Estate

  • A Village Ideal

    A Village Ideal

    Unlisted 18th century Georgian residence near Badminton for sale; ideal for those looking to quit the rat race

     

    City dwellers and commuters regularly dream of quitting the rat race for a life in the country and when they watch programmes like Escape to the Country and Downton Abbey, they see an idealised vision of rural life. Such people could do worse than take a look at Dauncey House at Tormarton, near Badminton in South Gloucestershire, a property that is currently for sale through Hamptons International.

     

    Reduced in price from £1.3 million ($1.6 million, €1.5 million or درهم5.8 million) to £1.2 million ($1.5 million, €1.4 million or درهم5.4 million), this attractive Cotswold stone village house was also marketed for £1.3 million in 2009 according to Country Life magazine. It is situated within a village where you’ll count the ‘King of Hoovers’ Sir James Dyson and the Duke of Beaufort as neighbours and it is believed that “humans have been active in the area for more than 6,000 years”.

     

    Surprisingly unlisted and providing 3,368 square foot of accommodation, Dauncey House includes 3 reception rooms, 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. It stands in 2.5 acres of gardens and orchards and though perhaps a little blandly decorated currently, provides what the selling agents call “flexibility for the growing family”.

     

    Situated just 10 miles north of Bath and 1 mile north-east of Junction 18 of the M4 motorway, this handsome 18th century Georgian residence would make an ideal home for a commuter. Chippenham, just 12 miles away, provides a direct service to London Paddington.

     

    A Village Ideal – Dauncey House, High Street, Tormarton, Badminton, Gloucestershire, GL9 1HZ – Reduced from £1.3 million ($1.6 million, €1.5 million or درهم5.8 million) to £1.2 million ($1.5 million, €1.4 million or درهم5.4 million) through Hamptons InternationalA Village Ideal – Dauncey House, High Street, Tormarton, Badminton, Gloucestershire, GL9 1HZ – Reduced from £1.3 million ($1.6 million, €1.5 million or درهم5.8 million) to £1.2 million ($1.5 million, €1.4 million or درهم5.4 million) through Hamptons InternationalA Village Ideal – Dauncey House, High Street, Tormarton, Badminton, Gloucestershire, GL9 1HZ – Reduced from £1.3 million ($1.6 million, €1.5 million or درهم5.8 million) to £1.2 million ($1.5 million, €1.4 million or درهم5.4 million) through Hamptons InternationalA Village Ideal – Dauncey House, High Street, Tormarton, Badminton, Gloucestershire, GL9 1HZ – Reduced from £1.3 million ($1.6 million, €1.5 million or درهم5.8 million) to £1.2 million ($1.5 million, €1.4 million or درهم5.4 million) through Hamptons InternationalA Village Ideal – Dauncey House, High Street, Tormarton, Badminton, Gloucestershire, GL9 1HZ – Reduced from £1.3 million ($1.6 million, €1.5 million or درهم5.8 million) to £1.2 million ($1.5 million, €1.4 million or درهم5.4 million) through Hamptons InternationalA Village Ideal – Dauncey House, High Street, Tormarton, Badminton, Gloucestershire, GL9 1HZ – Reduced from £1.3 million ($1.6 million, €1.5 million or درهم5.8 million) to £1.2 million ($1.5 million, €1.4 million or درهم5.4 million) through Hamptons International

  • Living on a Prayer

    Living on a Prayer

    Converted Methodist chapel in Wiltshire for sale

     

    Currently used as a “highly successful” holiday let, The Old Chapel at Lacock, near Chippenham in Wiltshire is for sale for £600,0000 ($755,000 or €703,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million).

     

    A former Methodist chapel, the 2,725 square foot property includes accommodation over three floors and currently features 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. It is dominated by a vast double height, open plan living space with kitchen. Above, in the former choir gallery, is a sitting room with Gothic style arched mullioned windows, and beyond one finds a roof deck with two rooms with planning permission for development to provide two further rooms and a bathroom.

     

    To the front is a small lawned garden and parking is available on the nearby High Street.

     

    Selling agents Hamptons offer The Old Chapel either as a shell or with the existing furniture and fittings.

    Living on a Prayer – The Old Chapel, Chapel Hill, Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2LA – For sale through Hamptons for £600,000Living on a Prayer – The Old Chapel, Chapel Hill, Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2LA – For sale through Hamptons for £600,000Living on a Prayer – The Old Chapel, Chapel Hill, Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2LA – For sale through Hamptons for £600,000Living on a Prayer – The Old Chapel, Chapel Hill, Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2LA – For sale through Hamptons for £600,000Living on a Prayer – The Old Chapel, Chapel Hill, Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2LA – For sale through Hamptons for £600,000Living on a Prayer – The Old Chapel, Chapel Hill, Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2LA – For sale through Hamptons for £600,000Living on a Prayer – The Old Chapel, Chapel Hill, Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 2LA – For sale through Hamptons for £600,000

  • Five of the Best – Follies for sale

    Five of the Best – Follies for sale

    A selection of five of the best follies for sale in Britain and elsewhere

     

    A folly is unlikely to make an ideal home for a family, but for someone a little more quirky – a writer or artist perhaps – they can easily make an ideal home.

     

    Our selection of five of the best currently on offer follows:

     

    Church Brow Cottage, Kirkby Lonsdale, Lancashire – £280,000 ($367,000 or €328,000) through Davis & Bowring

    Five of the Best – Follies for sale A selection of five of the best follies for sale including ones in Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Lancashire and Connecticut, USAOriginally built by an eccentric vicar in the 1830s and spread over three floors, this Grade II* listed folly was restored by the now defunct Vivat Trust and opened as a holiday let by HRH The Prince of Wales in March 1993. It features in JMW Turner’s painting of what is known as ‘Ruskin’s View’ (sold for £217,250 in 2012) and includes one bedroom, a sitting room with a balcony, a kitchen and a bathroom. An informally landscaped leads down to the banks of the River Lune and access – on foot only – is via the adjoining graveyard.

     

    Treia, Macerata, Marche, Italy – £337,000 ($441,000 or €395,000) through Cella-Shirley Immobilliare

    Five of the Best – Follies for sale A selection of five of the best follies for sale including ones in Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Lancashire and Connecticut, USABuilt in medieval style in the 18th century, this “landmark building” outside the ancient walls of the town of Treia stands on a hill with about 2.5 acres of land including secular olive trees. A former farmhouse, the property needs complete renovation, currently consists of 8 rooms and a number of outbuildings and has been reduced in price from £440,000.

     

    The Summer House, Alderley, Gloucestershire – £990,000 ($1.3 million or €1.2 million) through Knight Frank

    Five of the Best – Follies for sale A selection of five of the best follies for sale including ones in Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Lancashire and Connecticut, USAGrade II listed and built circa 1770, The Summer House is a completely refurbished “perfect romantic weekend getaway” that is being sold fully furnished. Originally used as a small banqueting house by the great-great-grandson of Lord Chief Justice Matthew Hale, the 1,108 square foot Georgian property stands in 2.1 acres of gardens and woodland and features a sitting room, breakfast kitchen, two double bedrooms and a bathroom.

     

    The Tower, Sway, Hampshire – £2 million ($2.6 million or €2.3 million) through John D. Wood

    Five of the Best – Follies for sale A selection of five of the best follies for sale including ones in Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Lancashire and Connecticut, USABelieved to be the world’s tallest unreinforced concrete structure at 218-foot tall, Sway Tower – also known as Peterson’s Folly – was constructed between 1879 and 1886. The structure cost Andrew Peterson (1813 – 1906) some £30,000 (the equivalent of £3.4 million today) and came about after a medium told the Anglo-Indian barrister, socialist and spiritualist named that Sir Christopher Wren expected him to prove concrete could be used to create such an edifice. It now provides 4,707 square foot of accommodation over a total of 14 floors and includes 4 bedrooms, 3 en-suite bathrooms and a crucifix shaped ground floor with a drawing room, dining hall, sitting room, kitchen and conservatory. The top three floors of the Grade II* listed building are let to mobile telephone providers at an annual rate of some £34,000 and within the 0.7 acre plot, there’s also an indoor swimming pool, extensive garaging and a tennis court.

     

    Woodstock Castle, Connecticut, USA – £24.4 million ($32 million or €28.6 million) through Christie’s

    Five of the Best – Follies for sale A selection of five of the best follies for sale including ones in Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Lancashire and Connecticut, USADescribed as “just weird”, Woodstock Castle was built “for exotic women, exotic animals, both or neither” according to a 2008 feature by the Worcester Massachusetts Telegram. John Pizzi of Randall Realtors Christie’s International Real Estate takes a different view and describes the 18,177 square foot, 126-foot tall building as “majestic” and “a dream come true”. Used by its “colourful and impulsive” owner, importer-exporter Christopher W. Mark as a home for his family and his collection of emus, zebras and camels, this oddity comes with 9 bedrooms, an auditorium with a stage and 75 acres of land.

     

     

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  • One family from new

    One family from new

    Grade I listed house in Northern Ireland offered for sale for the first time since it was built in 1620 (more…)

  • Tickets please

    Tickets please

    Converted former station in Yorkshire with holiday units created from train carriages for sale for £795,000 (more…)

  • Picture of the Week: Flooding Clooney

    Picture of the Week: Flooding Clooney

    As the Berkshire bolthole of George Clooney is hit by the latest round of flooding, we imagine he’ll be turning to his favourite Nespresso phrase: “What else?”

    (more…)

  • A hidden place

    A hidden place

    Unusual South Kensington artist’s studio in hidden mews for sale (more…)