Estate agents aren’t generally known for under-playing the homes for sale on their books, but sometimes they come out with a really big statement which still demands that we sit up and pay special attention.
‘This is one of the finest country-house conversions we have seen in the north of England,’ says Jamie Adam of Savills. And despite the number of superb places we’ve come across in recent years, it’s hard not to see where he’s coming from with Stone Cross Mansion, a grand Victorian house in the Lake District that’s been transformed.
Stone Cross Mansion was originally built for the Kennedy family in 1874 and has been converted and refurbished into 19 two- and three-bedroom apartments ranging from £250,000 to £600,000.
Pictured on this page, as well as some of the highlights from the communal areas, is one of the latter: the 1794sq ft Wilfred Suite.
This flat has three bedrooms (one of which is en-suite) and an enormous living-dining-lounging area, adorned with marble columns, original plaster ceilings and a feature fireplace that is a reproduction created by craftsmen using photographs of the Victorian original.
The apartment opens up through windows double glazed but in the original style onto its own outdoor space.
The Wilfred Suite is accessed directly from the main hall, with its ‘Imperial Staircase’ featuring a triptych of paintings by Lucien Besche depicting Tennyson’s Sleeping Beauty, which were restored by a Harrogate-based specialist during the conversion work.
Developer Charles Church has painstakingly restored the property, adhering to its strict Gothic-cum-Scottish baronial style.
That much you’d gather from the pictures, but what you won’t see is the fact that they have installed state-of-the-art technology, such as SkyQ services and fibre-optic broadband, plus video-entry systems and intruder alarms.
Stone Cross Mansion is equally eye-catching on the outside, with landscaped gardens and tree-lined avenues complemented by views of Morecambe Bay and the Sir John Barrow Monument in the distance. The pretty market town of Ulverston is also nearby, with its cobbled streets, railway station and easy access to the main A590.
The apartments at Stone Cross Mansion are for sale via Savills — see more details and pictures.
A walk through the Forest of Bowland: 'I feel the immensity of the history of this place and am deeply moved by it'
A solitary dawn walk through the Forest of Bowland is a magical experience, says Fiona Reynolds.
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
-
Become a part of Bath's rich history in this Grade 1-listed Georgian townhouseWith 5,500sq ft set over six floors in the centre of Britain's most architecturally rich city, there is much to love here.
-
17 delightful homes for sale, as seen in Country LifeOur round-up of some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a wonderful Cotswolds home and a happily affordable cottage in the West Country.
-
'This is the most money you'll spend on anything ever': The things that really matter when buying your first home in LondonIt’s easy to dream of what the ideal first-home in London might be, but when the cost of living in the capital is this expensive, being near a Gail's isn't as important as you think it is.
-
Get lost in the whispers of a running stream at a one-bedroom Cornish cottageFormerly the studio and retreat of renowned artist Lamorna Birch, this small home near Lamorna Cove is a delight in every single way.
-
How the high street can change for the betterThe high street might not be dying, but it's definitely changing and in some places, it's changing for the better. So, what can the centre of town in the 21st century look like?
-
A 17th century country house estate for sale in Yorkshire that's not too big and not too smallTake a look inside one of the finest private houses in the north of England that's perfectly manageable as a family house.
-
Two-thirds of us buy a house and immediately set about refurbishing itWe spend more buying our houses than on anything else in our lives — yet the first thing we do on moving in is set about changing the place. Annabel Dixon takes a look at what we do and why.
-
Dawn Chorus: Audrey Hepburn’s Swiss villa hits the market for £17 million and research reveals that looking at art can, quite literally, help you live longerEverything you need to know today: The Swiss home that Audrey Hepburn lived in for 30 years prior to her death is for sale, those who regularly engage with art have a 31% lower risk of dying early and an iconic Palm Beach hotel teams up with interior designer Ashley Hicks.
