5 bedroom house for sale

Superb Victorian townhouse with garage and gardens to three sides

Feversham House is a double-fronted townhouse constructed in 1883, situated at the end of a distinguished terrace of townhouses all concealed behind long private gardens with wrought-iron railings and hedgerows. Its corner position, with an imposing entrance on Fountayne Street, is hugely advantageous giving wraparound gardens on three sides of the property. Unusually for such a central position, the house comes with a garage and parking space. Since the property's construction some 142 years ago there have only been five owners and the current incumbents have made it their family home since 1990. Offered for sale with an array of original features intact, Feversham House offers a remarkable opportunity to acquire a well-preserved Victorian villa.

Entrance and staircase hall, 2 reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, cloakroom/wc, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (1 en suite), separate wc
3 outbuildings, double garage
Gardens to three sides

Aditional Information - With a facade of white bricks, arched first floor windows and terracotta string course, Feversham House displays elements of the popular Italianate style.

Externally and internally, much of the original architecture and fittings remain intact. These include: elaborate cornicing, arched fireplaces, a graceful curving staircase with a continuous polished wood handrail rising to the top floor, brass fittings and door furniture including portiere curtain rods, stair-rods and light switches (rewired), a cast iron bath, functioning servants' bells and a pulley clothes airer.

Rewired in 1991 and re-roofed in 2001 this much cherished family home has full gas central heating, a fitted kitchen and modern bathrooms but would now benefit from further sympathetic restoration and updating.

There are two elegantly proportioned reception rooms with high ceilings. The lovely 18 ft drawing room is dual aspect with a curved window seat and bay window that looks west across the front garden. Of particular note is the working Victorian cast iron fireplace, the elaborate plasterwork with ceiling rose and cornicing along with the picture rail and deep skirting. The dining room is currently used as an artist's studio. It has a bay window with a garden outlook on two sides, a handsome cornice and picture rail, a kitchen hatch and a (working) vintage gas fire in the 1920s fireplace.

An inner hallway with plaster corbels, dado and original coat hooks leads through a glazed door to a vestibule (the original tradesmen' entrance) and then to the kitchen. The kitchen breakfast room lies at the rear of the house and has fitted units, Victorian cupboards, quarry tile flooring and the original overhead clothes airer; there is ample room to accommodate a family-sized table. It connects to the useful utility room, downstairs wc and external door giving access to the rear garden and garage.

The entrance hallway is lit from the original leaded glazing around the front door and has retained its understairs panelled cupboards. The superb 1880s staircase rises two floors with generous half landings including a shower room with wc accessed from the second floor half landing. There are five double bedrooms in total, all enjoying far-reaching views across the garden and rooftops beyond. The guest bedroom suite has a shower room, and the main house bathroom contains the original cast iron bath which has been resurfaced. There is a separate wc with washbasin. At the front of the house the superb principal bedroom has elegant cornicing, the original fireplace and three large sash windows facing west and north. Bedroom 2 has windows facing north and east, the original cornice, fitted cupboard and fireplace and is currently used as a study.

The upper floor bedrooms are both good doubles with characterful sloping ceilings; the front room has a double glazed, sliding sash, Accoya dormer window allowing a glimpse of York Minster, and a vintage (working) gas fire. The rear bedroom has a mezzanine sleeping platform with two single beds above fitted drawers, wardrobe and bookshelves and a door giving access to full length eaves storage.

Also on the second floor is a separate storage/hobby room with a large work surface previously used for a model railway.

Outside - A wrought iron garden gate opens to the paved garden path and stone steps leading up to the panelled front door. At the front of the house is a long west facing garden, enclosed by glorious hedging that provides privacy and attracts birdlife. Abutting the house is a gravelled patio area, an ideal spot for enjoying afternoon and evening sunshine; there is also an outside tap within a stone grotto and a venerable summer house probably dating from the 1920s. Mature shrubs and trees abound including a cherry and pear, cedar, greengage and gooseberry bushes with a birch and hazel grove planted at the far corner. In common with the other houses on the terrace, the far end of the garden forms part of Bootham Stray and is rented from City of York Council (currently £65 pa with a discount offered for longer periods).

Following the reclaimed stone flagged path to a cast iron gate and railings leads to the private and enclosed rear garden. Block paving which references the white bricks and terracotta of the house is bounded by mature planting including a magnificent winter flowering cherry, a productive apple tree, bay tree and magnolia. There is a small formal pond. Beside the circular lawn, the sunny sitting area is surrounded by flowering plants and is a delightful spot for an alfresco breakfast in spring or summer. Boston Ivy and Virginia Creeper lend spectacular autumn colour to the north elevation.

Outbuildings - At the rear of the house is a row of three attached brick outbuildings, one with a power supply and light. At the far boundary of the property is a double garage accessed from Fountayne St with twin up-and-over doors and with side access to the rear garden. It has power and light and is also connected to the house alarm system. In front is a single, modestly proportioned off-road parking space.

Environs - York city centre ? mile, Leeds 24 miles, Harrogate 25 miles

Feversham House is located directly opposite York Teaching Hospital with a discreet entrance on Fountayne Street. There is no through traffic on Fountayne St with bollards to restrict vehicle access. This central residential district lies just half a mile north of York's historic city centre and within easy walking distance of Bootham and St Peter's schools and three state primary schools. Within a few minutes' walk are several convenience stores, cafes and a post office. Clarence Gardens with its bowling green and children's playpark is only five minutes walk away. York Railway Station with frequent fast mainline services to London Kings Cross is just 1? miles by car or bus or a mile on foot or bike, a pleasant traffic-free journey through Bootham Park and over the river by Scarborough footbridge. Wigginton Road leads directly north to join the York ring road/A1237, giving access to the A59 west and A64 south. There are regular local buses from adjacent Wigginton and Haxby Roads and Fountayne Street is close to York's cycle 'ring road' which connects the city's many cycle routes.

General - Tenure: Freehold
EPC Rating: E
Services & Systems: All mains services. Gas central heating. House and garage alarmed.
Fixtures & Fittings: Only those mentioned in these sales particulars are included in the sale. All others, such as fitted carpets, curtains, light fittings, garden ornaments etc., are specifically excluded but may be made available by separate negotiation.
Viewing: Strictly by appointment
Local Authority: City of York Council Money Laundering Regulations: Prior to a sale being agreed, prospective purchasers are required to produce identification documents in order to comply with Money Laundering regulations. Your co-operation with this is appreciated and will assist with the smooth progression of the sale.
Directions: Feversham House lies at the far western end of Fountayne Street, on the corner of Wigginton Road, directly opposite York Hospital.

Photographs, particulars and showreel: March 2024
NB: Google map images may neither be current nor a true representation.