A spectacular home with a touch of Downton Abbey about it, standing beside one of the last remaining Saxon churches in Britain
Kirk Hammerton Hall is 250 years old, yet is 900 years newer than the church which stands close by to it in this beautiful Yorkshire village.
The name ‘Kirk Hammerton’ might sound like a 1970s DJ; but it’s actually a place whose roots go back well over 1,000 years. This pretty village, about 10 miles from York, takes its name from its astonishing church — a church that had already been standing here for well over a century before William the Conqueror ever stepped foot in Britain.
This Saxon church dates from the ninth century, and though it’s been added to — a tower in around 950 AD, and an extension in 1892 — much of what is here has survived almost 1200 years. The original church is now the south aisle and the entrance, and — according to a Country Life report back in 1988 — is still largely as it appeared in the Middle Ages, barring a couple of new windows. It's one of a vanishingly-small number of churches of this age in Britain which are still standing today.
Just along the lane from this ancient place of worship is a house which is a relative baby, yet is itself 250 years old: the beautiful Kirk Hammerton Hall.
Grade II-listed and set in expansive grounds, the house dates from the mid 18th century with late-19th-century additions, and it’s being launched onto the market with Savills in York for a guide price of £4.95 million.
The current owners have spent some time gently bringing the house up to date with a new roof, replacing or refurbishing windows and having the wiring and plumbing upgraded throughout. And the work done has been utterly splendid, giving a definite Downton Abbey look to some of the spaces.
It's not just a beatiful building; it's also a huge home that measures more than 12,500sq ft, with seven bedrooms, four bathrooms and five reception rooms.
The grounds are just as extensive: the hall is surrounded on two sides by formal gardens, which have been arranged over different levels and bounded by mature hedging and tall brick walls.
Kirk Hammerton Hall as it was when previously on sale via Country Life, in 1988 through Savills (on the left) and in 2003 through Strutt & Parker (right). It was 'price on application' first time round, and listed at £1.5 million when being sold in 2003.
There is a more formal box parterre and Japanese-inspired garden close to the house, and beyond that lies a swimming lake complete with a sandy beach and a boating jetty. In all, the grounds amount to about 9½ acres.
Selling agent Ed Stoyle believes that it is one of the finest houses in the region. ‘This house will suit a family who appreciates the style of the architecture, the proportions of the rooms and the setting in the Golden Triangle and who don’t want to take on a house in need of serious work,’ he says.
‘It’s a fantastic place to entertain family and friends and there’s a good-sized annexe with its own kitchen that would suit guests, a nanny or a relative.’
Kirk Hammerton Hall is for sale via Savills — see more details.
