7 bedroom detached house

High Hall is a fine Grade II* Listed Elizabethan Manor house of special architectural and historic interest, dating back in parts to 1535 and one of the most characterful homes in the Yorkshire Dales. Formerly the home of Sir William Craven, the Dick Whittington of the Dales, the property has a fascinating history intimately entwined with the fortunes of the Stuart monarchy and the royalist cause. The property and the story have been romanticised in prose in the travelogue, The Striding Dales, Nowhere in all the Dale, perhaps, will you understand so completely as here at High Hall the meaning of England and her strength.

The property offers just over 6,000 sq. ft. of accommodation with a wealth of original character and original features, while outside there are handsome stone elevations and stunning gardens and grounds.

The current owners have undergone an extensive programme of sympathetically updating the property during their 25-year tenure, including the renovation and restoration of formerly derelict parts, the sympathetic addition of modern kitchen and bathroom facilities, the addition of a further three en-suite bathrooms, the addition of a double garage and gym/studio, and extensive external landscaping.

The period details within the house include exposed timber beams and original oak panelling and Screens Passage, decorative plasterwork ceilings and friezes, flagstone flooring, stone mullion leaded windows and impressive original fireplaces. The original studded oak entrance door leads to a formal dining room with a huge inglenook fireplace with log-burner, original beehive oven and salt-box, oak panelled wall, stone mullion windows to two sides, providing plenty of space in which to relax and entertain. The original oak Screens Passage leads to a well-proportioned family sitting room with original open fireplace with stone surround, original plasterwork Tree-of-Life frieze above, and oak panelled window seat. The Great Hall offers original features including a 17ft beamed ceiling, inglenook fireplace, original diamond-flagged floor, and the completely original Minstrels Gallery, accessed from the floor above, and currently configured as a library.

There is a large modern kitchen-diner with bespoke Smallbone wooden units, labradorite granite worktops, a split butler sink, central peninsular island, electric Aga with Aga companion/ceramic hob, and Sub-Zero and Miéle appliances. Off the adjacent cloakroom/toilet there is access to the cellar, where the utility/laundry room provides further space for domestic storage and appliances and a wine cellar. An adjacent plantroom houses the boiler and heating system.

There are two well-presented double bedrooms on the first floor, including the brightly lit principal bedroom, with ornate decorative plasterwork ceiling and original plasterwork crest. Via a lobby, this shares access with the second double bedroom to a bathroom, featuring a splendid roll-top bathtub and a separate shower unit. The lobby also provides ample wardrobe and cupboard space. A door to the main stair-landing means the entire section can optionally be separated off to permit this whole area to be configured as a private guest suite, should the second bedroom be used as a dressing room. The original oak central stairs lead up to a second floor, providing a further three bedrooms, two of which are en suite, and a large family bathroom. The second floor also offers a very large reception room, 26ft x 21ft, known as the Earl of Craven’s Withdrawing Room with high ceilings, original decorative plasterwork frieze to three sides, large south and east facing mullioned windows overlooking the extensive gardens and Simon’s Seat. This room has variously been used as a family recreation room/cinema and an extensive home office capable of comfortably accommodating six to eight desks and could also be configured as a spectacular eight bedroom.

Two further large double bedrooms, both featuring en suites, are located to the third floor. One is accessed via the main staircase, with a separate seating area, large storage cupboard, built-in wardrobe, and mezzanine sleep loft, with adjacent en suite shower room. The other is accessed by stairs adjacent to the main second floor bathroom, accessing the 22’ 6’’ft x 17’ 6’’ ft bedroom with separate seating area and en suite.

A further large 30ft x 26ft storage attic with ample headroom is located at the top of the house.

This imposing period house is set in beautiful, far-reaching private gardens and grounds, with extensive views over open fields and meadows towards the River Wharfe, and across Wharfedale to Simons Seat and the Bolton Abbey Estate to the south and east, and Burnsall Fell to the west. Large decorative wrought-iron gates open onto a cobblestone courtyard with ample parking space for vehicles and access to a small single garage, an arched double garage and a further store room with mezzanine storage above. A gated stone arch leads through to the extensive south-facing terraced private gardens, with a formal topiary parterre, stone folly, barbeque/outdoor dining area, koi pond, a large level lawn, and a small ha-ha leading down to a border of mature trees and shrubbery, interspersed with a woodland walk planted to wildflowers. Garden outbuildings consist of a spacious oak-framed gym/studio/dance space, a garden store, and a further storage shed housing garden machinery and pond filtration plant. This garden offers well maintained lawns, flower borders, mature trees and a wide selection of fruit and blossom trees.

There is a separate terraced kitchen garden to the west of the property, accessed via wrought-iron gates and a stable door leading directly from the kitchen/diner, featuring raised beds planted to lavender, a stone-flagged seating area, a topiary herb garden, a hot-tub and further storage sheds.

A further gravelled topiary garden runs to the north of the property adjacent to the road, with a further raised flower bed just outside of the main gates.

The property is set in the small village of Appletreewick, surrounded by the stunning countryside of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Sitting in the valley of the meandering River Wharfe, the village is an ideal base for various scenic round-trip walks and cycling routes. The village has two renowned pubs, and is well-served for primary schools at Burnsall, Threshfield, Grassington and Bolton Abbey.

The surrounding villages provide a choice of restaurants, cafés, tea rooms and local shops. Eight miles to the south, the market town of Skipton offers a further choice of shops, restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, and leisure facilities. Pateley Bridge, nine miles to the North also offers a full range of amenities. The area is well served for secondary schools, including the renowned Ermysteds and Skipton Girls’ Grammar schools, and the outstanding-rated Upper Wharfedale School in Threshfield. All the secondary schools are served by school-bus services stopping directly at the door.

The location is well-served by road, with the A59 providing fast access towards Harrogate and the A1(M) to the east, and to the M65 to the West towards Manchester. To the South, Leeds and Bradford are readily accessible by the A65/A660 and A629/A650 respectively. Leeds and Bradford are all accessible within an hour, York around 1hr 15, and Manchester within 1 hr 30. Mainline rail services are readily accessible via Skipton and Ilkley at approximately 20 minutes distance, and Harrogate at 35 minutes, providing rail services to Leeds and York, where fast connections can be made to London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.