Sally Ewart and her sisters have recently been spending some time clearing out the beautiful Elleron Lodge, in the North York Moors National Park near Pickering. And as she did so, she found a series of Post-it notes left by the grandchildren: ‘To the new owners – Elleron is the best house in the world.’
That’s quite a recommendation, but it’s easy to see where they’re coming from. Elleron is a house with a dreamlike quality, set within 228 acres of land that gave Mrs Ewart, her children and now her grandchildren endless childhood days that could have been straight out of the pages of Swallows and Amazons.
‘It’s the most restorative, wonderful place,’ said Mrs Ewart wistfully of a house that is on the market via Rounthwaite & Woodhead in Malton and Savills in York at a guide price of £3.5 million.
The house and estate are near the village of Newton-on-Rawcliffe, 5½ miles from Pickering, on the southern fringe of the Moors National Park, and was last sold to Mrs Ewart’s father, the late Charles Chafer.
In 1974 he spotted the former Victorian hunting lodge in its wonderful woodland setting and decided that that was where he wanted to live. He completed the purchase the following year.
Described by his daughter, Sally Ewart, as ‘a Yorkshireman through and through’, Mr Chafer had a successful agricultural business in Doncaster and would drive each day from Elleron to his Doncaster office – except on Tuesdays, when he returned to hunt the Derwent hounds.
Following his death in 1999, his widow lived on at the house until her own recent death, two weeks short of her 92nd birthday.
In the intervening years, the Lodge was a haven of tranquillity for Mr Chafer’s daughters, their children and grandchildren, who revelled in the freedom of the lake and woods of the estate.
Elleron Lodge is indeed a special place in a glorious setting, agrees Ben Pridden of Savills, who points out, however, that, ‘although the house is enchanting from the outside, it does need a lot of work.’
The news is better around the estate, however. ‘The cottages that come with the estate are in good order and the land has been beautifully landscaped and improved over the years,’ adds Pridden.
‘For someone prepared to take on a project, the agricultural buildings and stables are equally suited to farming or equestrian use and the sporting rights are also included in the sale’.
Elleron Lodge, which is unlisted, has almost 7,000sq ft of accommodation, including four reception rooms, eight bedrooms, four bath/shower rooms and a wing with a swimming pool and a ballroom.
The ring-fenced farmland, currently let on short-term grazing licences, comprises some 155 acres of generally level, sheltered grazing land in good-sized fields.
Elleron Lodge is for sale via Rounthwaite & Woodhead and Savills, priced at £3.5 million – see more pictures and details.
11 unbelievably beautiful houses, as seen in the pages of Country Life
This week's rundown features a host of beautiful Yorkshire homes, a French property that is one of the finest on
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
Otterington Hall, a magnificent home with superb topiary and beautiful stables
Yorkshire properties of this calibre are few and far between: this is a spectacular home with three further cottages, amazing
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'A bluff, honest man in the trappings of greatness': The extraordinary story of the Foundling Hospital, and the sailor who saved the abandoned children of LondonA remarkable charitable endeavour to save abandoned children on the streets of London has a touching legacy in the form of the The Foundling Museum in the very centre of London. John Goodall tells its story; photographs by Will Pryce.
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The elegant country home of a motor racing daredevil who drove round the world in a 1936 Bentley and crashed a Range Rover into his own front porchPeasemore House, with its collection of barns, workshops, stables and more, is an ideal home from which to plan an adventure — something that was a passion of its present owners. Penny Churchill explains more.
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The elegant country home of a motor racing daredevil who drove round the world in a 1936 Bentley and crashed a Range Rover into his own front porch
Peasemore House, with its collection of barns, workshops, stables and more, is an ideal home from which to plan an adventure — something that was a passion of its present owners. Penny Churchill explains more.
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The wisteria clad cottage where Noël Coward and Ivor Novello held court at the height of their fameThe 17th-century Follejon Cottage just outside Windsor was a perfect escape from the city for Noël Coward and his circle of friends. As it goes on the market, Penny Churchill takes a look.
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A Cotswolds property that's the strangest mix of old and new we've ever seen... and yet somehow, it all worksThe Gasworks is a house quite unlike anything you've seen before — or at least anything you've seen all in one place. Toby Keel takes a closer look.
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A country house near Windsor that could be straight from the pages of a Jilly Cooper novelPenny Churchill looks at the beautiful polo-lover's sanctuary that is Barkham Square Park.
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The factory that once fuelled the Victorians' insatiable appetite for pianos has become a set of gorgeous, characterful apartmentsChappell & Co were a huge name in 19th century music, even working with Beethoven. Today, one of their old factories in Camden has become a series of beautiful apartments.
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What £1 million buys you across Britain, from a Cornish cottage to a miniature castle in the HighlandsSprawling country houses, a mini-estate in Scotland and homes where the sea almost laps up at your feet are among the property options open to those with a seven-figure budget. Here's our pick of the best £1 million houses for sale across the land.
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The Hampshire home of a Victoria Cross-winning British WWI ace fighter pilot is for sale, with lake, chapel and some of the best fishing rights in EnglandPenny Churchill looks at Longparish House, a north Hampshire haven on the River Test.
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Five superb country homes, from under £1 million to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeOur look at some the best homes to come up for sale via Country Life in the past week includes a Wiltshire dream home and a vast Kent mansion that's an easy commute to the City.
