A picture-perfect country house tucked away in its own secret valley, with land, a pool and an exquisite verandah
Penny Churchill enjoys the delights of the Swathgill Estate in North Yorkshire.


It seems odd to describe a 211-acre estate as ‘tucked away’, but a secluded location in a hidden valley really justifies the description in the case of the Swathgill Estate.
The valley and estate in question lie at Coulton, between Hovingham and Brandsby within North Yorkshire’s scenic and much sought-after Howardian Hills National Landscape. This picturesque estate, 2½ miles from Hovingham, is for sale through Andrew Black of Savills in York at a guide price of £7 million.
It’s not the first time in recent years that such a place has come up for sale: the estate lies between Potter Hill Farm at Coulton and Valley Farm at Gilling East — both sold in recent years at guide prices of £10m and £8m, respectively.
Built of the local stone with rendered and painted walls under a pantile roof, Swathgill stands centrally within its land, with the well-proportioned principal rooms all facing south.
It offers more than 6,000sq ft of beautifully modernised and maintained family accommodation, including a large reception hall, three main reception rooms, an impressive kitchen/breakfast room and seven/eight bedrooms; a particular feature is the full-length covered verandah.
In addition, there’s a two-bedroom detached cottage, a leisure complex comprising a heated indoor-pool area converted from a range of traditional brick and stone buildings (the subject of a CLA award), gym and cinema room, plus a set of farm buildings ideally placed for those with livestock or equestrian interests.
According to the Victoria County History, Robert Worsley, son of Sir Robert Worsley of Hovingham Hall, sold the manor of Coulton to Nicholas Fairfax of Gilling in 1564, after which it descended with the manor of Gilling, eventually passing to Hugh Charles Fairfax-Cholmeley, who inherited the Brandsby estate in April 1889.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
By then, the traditional order of landed gentry was breaking down and, for agriculture, the years 1888 to 1914 were mainly years of depression, when income from land declined dramatically. Fairfax-Cholmeley broke the mould of the traditional squire by instigating a number of cooperative ventures and agricultural reforms in and around Brandsby, even after the break-up of his estate in 1912.
Still known as ‘the last squire of Brandsby’, in 1926, Fairfax-Cholmeley commissioned the Arts-and-Crafts architect Alfred Powell to build Swathgill House around the core of a Georgian farmhouse and to plan the gardens; a year later, he and his family moved in.
By 1935, his son, Richard, was managing the in-hand farms at Swathgill, Valley Farm and Snargate Farm. In 1939, still plagued by financial problems, Fairfax-Cholmeley decided to let Swathgill House and live at Snargate Farm House, but this plan was never implemented and Snargate Farm House was sold instead. Fairfax-Cholmeley died at Swathgill a year later, aged 76, after which the estate was sold.
The ring-fenced land, which borders the council highway to the north, comprises some 62 acres of arable, whereas the south-facing land, comprising some 108 acres of permanent grass and rough grazing, falls gradually from 460ft above sea level to 246ft on the beck side of the southern boundary.
The woodland, running to some 27 acres in all, is a mix of broadleaf, conifer and sessile oak underplanted with bluebells — a spectacular sight in the spring. There is also the potential to reinstate a small private shoot, thanks to sporting rights owned over an additional 23 acres.
The Swathgill Estate is for sale at £7m — see more pictures and details.
-
Five Cotswold dream homes on the market from £3m to £18m, as seen in Country Life
This week we have a Cotswolds-themed rundown of some of the finest homes to come to the market in this beautiful part of England.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: 'Nature’s ephemeral beauty reminds us of our own finite existence'
A withering rosebud, the brevity of blossom and the one-day wonder of the mayfly: Nature’s ephemeral beauty reminds us of our own finite existence, but melancholy transience also offers moments of magic.
By Laura Parker Published
-
Five Cotswold dream homes on the market from £3m to £18m, as seen in Country Life
This week we have a Cotswolds-themed rundown of some of the finest homes to come to the market in this beautiful part of England.
By Toby Keel Published
-
A modern masterpiece for sale in Cornwall that's just one mile from the beach
Hay House combines location, elegance and modern family living to create a special home for the 21st century.
By James Fisher Published
-
A rollercoaster, Bauhaus department store and Brutalist football stand top the latest Buildings at Risk List
The latest Buildings at Risk List from the Twentieth Century Society has been announced. Sunwin House department store and Blackpool’s Grand National Rollercoaster both feature.
By Jack Watkins Published
-
Lutyens's last masterpiece comes up for sale in Oxfordshire, with 27 bedrooms and a cricket pitch
Middleton Park in Middleton Stoney is a vast country home that must surely be among the nation's best
By James Fisher Published
-
A 10-bedroom manor house in the heart of the Cotswolds with all the trimmings
Waterton House sits on the edge of Ampney Crucis, and is as elegant as can be.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
A seven bedroom Buckinghamshire rectory that might be a little haunted
Grade II-listed the Old Rectory is a home of astounding charm and beauty, and comes with a friendly visitor.
By James Fisher Published
-
Over the Hills and Far Away: Robert Plant's Welsh hideaway is up for sale
Other notable residents of The Argoed in the Wye Valley include George Bernard Shaw and Beatrice Webb.
By James Fisher Published
-
Period charm and contemporary tastes collide in an eight-bedroom listed home in Durham
Morton House is a rare example of a home where you can have the best of both worlds.
By James Fisher Published