Here at Country Life we try to throw a spotlight on the most beautiful, interesting, quirky and charming houses for sale in Britain. Homes with wonderful settings and impressive architecture are always a joy to explore, yet it's fair to say that the rooms which lie within aren't always as noteworthy as the rest of the house.
Today, however, we have a home which would happily earn a place both in the property section and the interiors section of the website: Manor House, a few miles from Harrogate, which is for sale at £2.95m via Strutt & Parker.
The agents describe it as 'one of the most stunning houses in Nidderdale', and we're very much inclined to take their word for it — partly because they've almost certainly seen more of the rest of Nidderdale's homes than we have (which in all honesty wouldn't be too hard), and partly because... well, just look at the place.
See what we mean? Stunning is a word that was once upon a time banned by the Country Life style guide, but whether it still is or not (and we've not checked), it seems fitting here.
This charming, Grade II-listed Manor House in Crow Hill Lane, High Birstwith, which stands in 1½ acres of beautifully landscaped gardens on the edge of the village, six miles from the centre of Harrogate and 15½ miles from Leeds-Bradford airport.
The delightful small manor house was originally built in about 1837 by the Hare-Gill family, who were prominent local landowners during the 19th century, one of whom, John Hare-Gill, implemented innovative farming techniques that significantly improved the crop yields and livestock management within what is now known as the Nidderdale National Landscape.
(Did we mention that it has some sort of barrel-vaulted cellar room? No? Well, here it is.)
In the late 1900s, Manor House was home to the late Robert Aagaard, whose love of antique furniture led him to train as a furnituremaker, first of all in the Cotswolds and later in Harrogate, where he had his own showrooms. He also operated a factory at Knaresborough, making period fireplaces and decorations for conservation projects.
(Time for another photo.)
A specialist consultant to the National Trust, Aagaard renovated the four-bedroom main house, restored chimneypieces and cornices and added the two-bedroom guest cottage that sits across the gravelled courtyard to the north.
(Let's sneak one more in.)
Both houses have since been meticulously refurbished by the present owners and together provide more than 6,500sq ft of well-proportioned living space, surrounded by high garden walls and beech hedges that ensure privacy without detracting from the panoramic views over Nidderdale.
Manor House and its cottage are for sale at £2.95m — see more details and pictures.
Additional reporting: Penny Churchill
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
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
This elegant Greek villa offers would-be buyers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in the shadow of the AcropolisAthenian Legacy consists of two houses in walking —and almost touching — distance of one of the world’s most famous and precious landmarks.
-
Six charming homes up for sale, including one dubbed 'one of the most picturesque in Dorset', as seen in Country LifeOur look at the finest houses to come up for sale through Country Life in the past week is full of delights, from a new-Georgian mansion to a perfectly-sized Hertfordshire estate.
-
A Buckinghamshire mansion built for the speech therapist who set Churchill on his path to greatnessPenny Churchill takes a look at Rignalls, a classic Arts-and-Crafts home that looks like it's stepped out of the pages of an EM Forster novel.
-
A gorgeous home that offers a slice of country life in the heart of HampsteadThis idyllic Hampstead mansion has seen its price rise nine times faster than inflation — and it's not hard to see why.
-
Some of Scotland's most beautiful churches are being sold off for as little as £40,000 — but a word of warning before you take the plungeLucy Denton examines how best to help former church buildings thrive as times move on and property changes hands.
