One of Durham’s most intriguing country houses, Grade II*-listed Lartington Hall stands in seven acres of formal gardens and woodland on the edge of Lartington village, three miles north-west of Barnard Castle, with views over 100 acres of historic listed parkland and the gently rolling landscape of Lower Teesdale.
Saved from demolition in the late 1970s and lavishly restored by the current owners, who bought it in 2011, the 17,000sq ft hall has been run until recently as an exclusive wedding venue, but is now for sale through Savills at offers over £3.8 million.
The earliest part of the hall—the three-storey, four-bay central block and projecting three-storey porch—was built, probably in the late 1600s, for Francis Appleby, who bought the manor of Lartington from the Duke of Devonshire in 1639. On Appleby’s death in 1663, the estate passed to his daughter, Margaret, who married the staunchly Catholic Thomas Maire of Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire.
It may have been their son, also Thomas, who built the Georgian extension to the house in about 1750, moving the main entrance to the new wing and adding a chapel.
By 1811, Lartington Hall had passed by marriage to Henry Thomas Maire Silvertop, who married the heiress Eliza Witham and changed his name to Witham; as Henry Witham, he was High Sheriff of Durham in 1844. A noted geologist, he commissioned the architect Ignatius Bonomi to build a museum (now the ballroom) on the north corner of the hall to house his enormous collection of fossils, books and paintings.
In 1847, his fourth son and successor at Lartington, Monsignor Thomas Witham, engaged Joseph Hansom, of hansom-cab fame, to design the porte-cochere on the south side of the building, which was linked to the museum by an impressive corridor. Thomas lived at the hall until his death in 1897, aged 91, when the estate passed to his grand-nephew, Francis Silvertop.
Death duties forced its sale soon afterwards and, in 1918, Lartington was sold again, this time to Norman Field, heir to a Chicago department store chain. Occupied by the Red Cross during the Second World War, the hall was later returned to the Field family and Field’s widow, Olive, lived there until her death in 1973.
In its present incarnation, Lartington Hall is perfectly suited both for modern family living and entertaining on a grand scale, says selling agent Andrew Black. Hansom’s porte cochere provides an imposing entrance, behind which the grand corridor leads to the six main ground-floor rooms, including the ballroom, currently used as the formal dining room.
The 48ft-long drawing room has a centrally placed fireplace with marble surround and a gleaming polished wood floor. The Georgian hall has its original 18th-century floor and double doors leading to the terrace. The south corridor leads to the 17th-century part of the house, the chapel, snug and snooker room.
The former service wing provides additional accommodation in three separate units: the two-storey, two-bedroom Hansom House; Witham Court, a one-bedroom, first-floor apartment; and the San Diego building, which has garaging on the ground floor with a one-bedroom apartment on the first floor.
Available separately is the six-bedroom Stable Lodge, which offers additional living space and the potential to generate a substantial income.
Lartington Hall is currently on the market via Savills for offers over £3.8 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
West London's spent the last two decades as the laughing stock of the style set — here's how it got its groove backThe style set is returning to the very West London neighbourhoods it once made a habit of spurning, finds Will Hosie.
-
The new property hotspots where you can have it all: Beautiful houses, great schools and idyllic lifestyleAcross the country people are selling up and heading to the towns where there's no compromise on dream homes, outstanding schooling and the good life, according to analysis from two of Britain's top estate agents. Anna White explains.
-
The new property hotspots where you can have it all: Beautiful houses, great schools and idyllic lifestyle
Across the country people are selling up and heading to the towns where there's no compromise on dream homes, outstanding schooling and the good life, according to analysis from two of Britain's top estate agents. Anna White explains.
-
Where Venice once ruled: The roving Venetians left handsome imprints across the Greek world, from its religion to its rambling villasMatthew Dennison explores the lingering traces of Venice's vanished empire — and the best places to buy where it once stood.
-
A delightful 16th century home with some of Kent's most beautiful gardens has come on to the marketThe Grange puts the 'garden' into the Garden of England.
-
A pristine Scottish island for sale at the price of a garage in FulhamA dot on the map of the west coast of Scotland has come on to the market, where you'll be surrounded by sea, living off grid and be neighbours with the local seal colony.
-
18 beautiful homes, from charming cottages to a Highland mansion with unbeatable views, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in the past week includes Georgian manor houses, charming commutable homes and the grandest home in Newcastle.
-
The gorgeous Somerset home of the designer behind one of Glastonbury's chicest spotsThe Manor in Hinton Blewitt is a glorious Georgian home that ticks every box.
-
A 600-year-old National Trust property that you can call homeThis blooming property in Kent showcases the original garden of England. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
A wisteria-clad delight with lawns running down to the Thames is the prettiest riverside home for sale in London todayDeodar Road, near Putney High Street, offers unrivalled views of the Thames and is characterful in excess.
