Historic home in a beautiful rural hamlet
Manor House, East Appleton, £1.35m
IT’S easy to see why Robert Brooksbank and his family fell in love with this beautiful historic property, which sits in the idyllic rural hamlet of East Appleton, near Richmond.
He bought the manor house in 1999 and has proved to be a great custodian who has respected its Grade II listing while making the house suitable for 21st century wants and needs.
“It is a magical house and I could see what could be done to enhance it,” he says.
That has included adding a sun room with glorious south-facing views towards Hornby Castle, significant work on the interiors, including a new kitchen and a leather floor, and turning some of the paddock land into a garden that now has a pretty rose garden and a productive kitchen garden.
The architecture, which includes two towers, and the history of the building also captivated Mr Brooksbank. It dates to the 16th century and has two impressive claims to fame.
During the 17th century it was home to Richard Braithwaite, court poet to James I, who lived there until his death.
In the 1800s, it was home to a Mr Outhwaite who mated one of his Teeswater ewes with a Dishley Leicester ram. The subsequent lamb named Bluecap was born in 1839 and is the ram from which all Wensleydale sheep are descended.
Later restored and updated by the Croft family in 1890, the house still retains a significant number of original period features.
The sale is due to Mr Brooksbank taking on another project in the Dales but he says: “It’s been a very happy family home.”
He is leaving the next owner with the potential opportunity to develop the property’s outbuildings, subject to planning consent.
Manor House is set over two floors. There are three formal reception rooms, including a drawing room with an inglenook fireplace. There is also a study, kitchen, breakfast room and a snug.
The bespoke kitchen has a large central island, granite worktops and a large oil-fired Aga with an electric module.
On the first floor, there are two large bedrooms with en-suites in the east and west towers and views across the gardens and countryside. There are a further four double bedrooms served by two house bathrooms.
Outside, there are mature trees, gardens, an orchard, hard tennis court, large stone built barns and a range of stables. Further land is available by separate negotiation.
East Appleton is in a conservation area and has links to both the A1(M) and A66. Richmond is seven miles away, Northallerton is about 11 miles away and Aysgarth Preparatory School is just under six miles away.
Romanby Golf and Country
Club is about 13 miles south of the property as is Northallerton Equestrian Centre.
The Yorkshire Dales, North
York Moors National Park and the North Pennines, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are all in easy reach.
The property is on the market for £1.35m with Savills, York, www. savills.co.uk