Gentleman Jack gives homes a link to the past
Haugh End Park, edge of Sowerby Bridge Prices from £385,000 www.charnockbates.co.uk
A piece of the past with a rare Gentleman Jack legacy can be owned at Haugh End within one of the most historically important small estates nationwide.
Used as location for some of the filming for the BBC drama, the estate is known to have been visited often by famed diarist
Anne Lister on which it was based.
Long owned by the Priestley and Rawson families, it was bought three years ago by Stewart and Beverly Charnock-Bates under a residential scheme. Working with Steve and Leanne Hirst of Jayne Lea Construction, the ambition is to create a ‘‘gated oasis’’ housing a slice of the past.
Now, with so much interest the first phase has sold by word of mouth before even coming to the market, the second phase sees the restoration of Grade ll listed servants’ quarters.
These Georgian buildings are to be transformed into threebedroom 21st century homes, with prices starting from £385,000.
Historic fabric and features are retained, such as servants’ bells, skirting boards, original Yorkshire stone flags and remarkable old stone sinks in some of the lounges.
“You just have to use a little imagination, to make a feature of them,” says Beverley. “Everything is staying, even the coat hooks.
“We want to save it, so the property tells a story of the past. That’s important. People can read its history when they walk in.”
Historic England and the Council for British Archeology have been involved through the planning process, with the buildings attributed to architect John Carr of York, known for Harewood and Fairfax House.
The buildings’ filming legacy has also brought huge interest. One of the houses was used as location for the first season of Gentleman Jack, and other parts of the servants quarters for Netflix’s The English Game.
The project is about more than a ‘‘means to an end’’, Stewart says. It is about a process and a passion and preserving a heritage.
“What is paramount is all the buildings, the stables and workshops and servants’ quarters, were totally unspoilt – they were untouched,” he said. “When we saw them on the first day, we could imagine a weaver walking out, or grooms in the stables. It was as if they’d suddenly downed tools.
“That has been the attraction in many ways, to the film crews. They have been untouched by human life in the 21st century. The skill is retaining the history, enhancing it for the 21st century.”
Contact: Charnock Bates, tel: 01422 380100, www.charnockbates.co.uk