Thanks to the efforts of dedicated owners, a historic Yorkshire house has emerged from the shadows to grace the countryside once more. Edward Hartshorne of local agents Blenkin & Co is handling the landmark sale of Riseborough Hall, near Pickering, North Yorkshire, which stands high above the Vale of Pickering.
It has spectacular views to the south and east over the Yorkshire Wolds, the Howardian Hills and the North York Moors. Mr Hartshorne quotes a guide price of £3 million for the imposing stone-built house, which counts 1,000 years of history. During this time, it has been sold only six times, including to the present custodian, and was delisted in the 1950s following a fire in the Jacobean wing that left the entire building in ruins.
Thankfully, it hasn't stayed that way — of which more later.
Riseborough Hall started life as a hunting lodge in 1204 when its owner, Sir John Bulmer, was granted a coveted hunting licence by King John in recognition of his loyalty to the Crown. The Bulmers owned the lodge and the surrounding parkland for 11 generations until 1536, when the involvement of the then Sir John Bulmer and his wife, Margaret, in the Pilgrimage of Grace — a rebellion of northern Catholics against Henry VIII’s Reformation, the dissolution of the lesser monasteries and other grievances — led to the pair’s arrest and incarceration in the Tower of London. Sir John was hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn and his wife was burnt at the stake.
The Riseborough estate was seized by the Crown and held briefly by Princess Elizabeth (soon to be Queen of England); she granted it to Sir Arthur Robinson, a London merchant, who, in 1603, built the fortified, four-storey Jacobean east wing that gave the house its Hall status.
His son, Luke, was one of Oliver Cromwell’s MPs, described as ‘a snarling northern tyke’ in Cromwellian ballads, who died in obscurity following the return of the monarchy. After his death, the Rowntree family rented the estate from the Robinsons for two generations.
Riseborough was later sold to a local ‘gentleman’, George Wynn Tweedie, who added the stone mullion bays and inserted larger windows to the Jacobean building. He also linked the two wings with a handsome Victorian stone-built house. By October 1952, however, the entire hall lay in ruins after a mysterious fire that gutted the building, leaving Mr and Mrs Tweedie to claim the insurance and move to a cottage nearby.
In the 1960s, it was left to a much-loved local doctor, Thomas Frank, to save Riseborough Hall from demolition and redevelopment by purchasing the ruins and partially restoring the Victorian wing, thereby reinstating it as a family home. Now, following a remarkable restoration undertaken by the present owner during his 20-year tenure, the hunting lodge of the High Middle Ages has been meticulously reassembled alongside the grand Victorian main house, using only master craftsmen and the finest materials.
The Jacobean wing alone, secured by a steel frame, is in need of complete renovation.
Finished thus far to an impeccable standard, Riseborough Hall, set in more than seven acres of well-wooded gardens and grounds, offers impressive accommodation on three floors, including entrance and reception halls, a library, drawing room, living room, dining hall, kitchen, breakfast room, wine store, utility, five bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Its time-honoured architectural heritage is evoked by a stained-glass window displaying the Bulmer coat of arms; a tiled backdrop to the Aga displays a drawing by the Rowntree family; a magnificent marble fireplace has been salvaged from a castle in Wales; and the dining room features a fully functioning kitchen range, entirely handmade and faithfully replicated from the original.
The house stands in the centre of its grounds and comes with a three-bay garage, splendid staff quarters and a detached four-bedroom cottage. Set amid lawned gardens, it is surrounded by largely level grounds, ideal for the creation of a helipad or tennis court, the agents suggest.
Also of note are an ancient stone well and a formal, well-stocked fishpond at the front of the house. Set behind high stone walls and accessed via a narrow country lane, Riseborough Hall enjoys great privacy and, although it may feel remote, the village of Marton is only 1½ miles away, with Pickering four miles and Malton nine miles distant.
Riseborough Hall is for sale at £3m via Blenkin & Co.
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