Woodland for sale

Byerley Wood is an attractive mixed woodland at the north-western end of Goldsborough Wood, conveniently located close to Knaresborough, within half an hour’s drive from Harrogate, and 40 minutes from central York and Leeds.

The wood has a very private feel, with no public footpaths running through it and situated as it is with only one adjoining woodland neighbour, surrounded by farmland on the other boundaries.

Trees within the wood are quite mature with two areas of large hybrid poplars, oak, Scots pine, sycamore and a few mixed conifers. The understorey is made up of coppiced hazel, elder, hawthorn, wild rose and blackberry. The odd holly, cherry, rowan and wych elm can also be found.

From the end of the track, where there is space to park a car, a foot route leads off directly, heading west. Once you are within the wood it’s easy to feel immersed in the forest, surrounded by the mature trees. Beneath the canopy of a wych elm, a rustic bench is located, a short way from the end of the track.

The path winds on, through a carpet of dog's mercury and patches of bluebells, keeping fairly close to the field edge with glimpsed view across the pasture. The path crosses three ditches on sleeper bridges, until, in the most southerly section, a high seat is reached, once used for deer management.

Please contact Liz Watson, the agent, if you would like to arrange a viewing.

The purchasers of the woodland will be asked to enter into a covenant to ensure the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of adjoining woodlands and meadows.

Trees

Oak, hybrid poplar, Scots pine, mixed conifers, sycamore, hawthorn, hazel and wych elm.

Wildlife

Byerley Wood is rich in wildlife, buzzards and red kites can often be seen, swooping and soaring around the woodland edges and from time to time, you may hear a tawny owl.

Many smaller birds are resident in the wood including blackbirds, wrens, blue tits, robins, jays and many more.

Roe deer frequent the area and are often seen, if not apparent, then they are evident from their trails, slot marks are clearly visible in the soft mud around ditch crossing points.

Features

Mature trees

Privacy

Great for wildlife

Larger wood

A rustic bench

Level ground

Rural outlook

Access, tracks and footpaths

From the end of Church Street in Goldsborough, you follow a stone track between two hedgerows, through three gates, the third of which is the entrance gate to Goldsborough Wood.

A good stone track, suitable for cars and 4x4s leads all the way through the wood to the entrance of Byerley Wood, marked with a ride stop entrance and name sign. There is space to park a vehicle here.

Beyond the end of the track, a strimmed path takes a route, crossing several ditches via sleeper bridges, reaching the most south-westerly compartment of the wood. The ground is pretty level and easy going though sturdy footwear is recommended.

Rights and covenants

There are no public rights of way within the wood.

The sporting rights are included in the sale.

Our standard covenant will apply.

Activities

Byerley Wood would suit a buyer who would like to carry out conservation projects, further diversifying the tree species and age structure of the wood, perhaps erecting bird an bat boxes or building a hide for observation. It is also ideal for occasional family camping and bush crafts.

Local area and history

Goldsborough is a quiet and attractive village, close to Knaresborough and Harrogate which between them boast an array of attractions including the Turkish Baths, Valley Gardens, RHS Harlow Carr, Mother Shipton’s Cave and many more.

Evidence of early settlement in the village comes from a Viking hoard which was discovered in 1859 during construction outside the north wall of Goldsborough Church. Coins and artefacts dating from 700 to 1050 were found in a leaden chest including fragments of Viking brooches and arm-rings, together with 39 coins. It forms one of the largest collections ever discovered in the UK and is now held at the British Museum in London.

In the Domesday Survey of 1086 Goldsborough is referred to as "Godenesburg" and some fine Norman architecture can be found in St Mary's Church in the village.

Richard de Goldsburgh took the name of the village and his family held the manor for over four hundred years. In the 16th century there was a family feud and the thatched manor house situated at the far end of the village was burnt down. In 1599 Sir Richard Hutton, a London lawyer, originally from Cumbria, bought out all the claimants to the land and built Goldsborough Hall on its current site. Daniel Lascelles, whose family eventually became the Earls of Harewood, bought Goldsborough Hall and the estate in the late 1750s and the entrance gates to the village date back to this time. The Lascelles family used the Hall as the heirs in waiting’s family home or as a Dower House. The village became famous in the 1920s when HRH Princess Mary, King Charles’s great aunt, came to live at Goldsborough Hall following her marriage to Viscount Lascelles.

In the 1950s, following the death of Princess Mary's husband, the 6th Earl of Harewood, the village was put up for sale. In 1952, villages were able to purchase their own homes for the first time in 1,000 years.

Captain Byerley and the Byerley Turk, from whom the wood takes its name: Goldsborough Hall passed through the female side of the family into the Byerley family when the granddaughter of Richard Hutton, Mary Wharton, married her first cousin Robert Byerley. Colonel Robert Byerley acquired a very rare Turkish horse through this union. The stallion became Byerley's war horse and later, in 1690, saved his life at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland. The Byerley Turk retired to a life of stud at Goldsborough Hall where he covered many mares. This horse is vital to thoroughbred horse history as it is the first of three stallions that make up all thoroughbreds in the world today. This famous horse died in 1706 and is said to have been buried in the grounds beneath a tree. The old pseudo-acacia near the hall and the old stable block could well have marked the spot.

Directions

Please contact Liz Watson on[use Contact Agent Button] to arrange a visit. Always use postcode HG5 8AP and these written directions to reach the wood (and not the map pin). Waterproof footwear is recommended.

For unaccompanied viewings, there is a round-trip walk of around 3km from the parking area, on good stone tracks.

Goldsborough is situated to the south of the A59 Knaresborough to York Road, about two miles to the west of the A1(M) J47.

From the village of Goldsborough, proceed along Church Street, past Goldsborough Hall and the Church. The road surface ends, continue on along a stone track until the first gate is reached.

This gate has a combination padlock. Please lock this gate behind you.

Continue on for around 400m to reach a second gate at the entrance to a pasture. This needs to be lifted slightly and has a loop of string to secure it closed.

The track crosses pastureland and the first wood gate is reached. This has a combination code and there is space to park just beyond this point, to the side of the main vehicle route into the wood, keeping the access clear. New owners will receive a key to this gate.

Please do not drive off the edge of the stone surface (the ground is very soft) and proceed on foot from this point.

It is approximately 400m walk to the crossroads, (ignore the grassy track to the left after 200m) at this point turn left up the stone track.

After another 400m, the track crosses a deep dike, continue on for a further 450m when the track takes a sharp turn to the left near a pond.

Continue to the end of the stone track, approximately 200m further on from this bend. The entrance to Byerley Wood is clearly marked with the name and a for-sale sign.