Prestbury Road, Over Alderley, SK10

An incredibly impressive, totally restored and quite beautiful, historic Grade II listed Georgian Hall, situated in the heart of wonderful National Trust Parkland, within its own private landscaped grounds of a little over six acres. Probably one of the most important privately owned country estates in South Manchester.

Located on the outskirts of Alderley Edge and Prestbury, just several minutes drive from both, Hare Hill Hall could not be better positioned, convenient in every way, yet tucked away at the end of a long tree lined driveway amongst stunning mature formal gardens and grounds of around six acres, and sat elevated above the incredibly picturesque former estate parkland, donated to the National Trust in 1977, providing protection for generations to come. Surrounding views, particularly the elevated rear aspect over the gardens and haha are genuinely breathtaking, spanning the undulating parkland in the foreground and onwards towards the City in the far distance. A better view in this part of the County surely cannot exist!

The house was acquired by the current owners in 2013, who embarked on a transformation of the house and grounds, sparing no expense to re create the original grandeur of the house with fittings and a style in keeping with its period and a contemporary infrastructure fit for the future. Almost nothing has been left untouched, and the house feels perfect in every way. Traditional fittings of the highest quality have been used, many original pieces sourced elsewhere and installed as part of the restoration and they blend beautifully with contemporary elements such as the ground floor superb swimming pool, cinema room, and bodega, both of which lie in the newly completed lower floor area. A huge amount of work was undertaken by leading architectural joinery form Artichoke for instance, famed for their restoration work at Windsor Castle after the fire it suffered in 1992.

The rooms are of exceptional proportions, the formal part of the house is set around a very impressive entrance hall with an open fireplace and superb original staircase, there is a huge drawing room and dining room, and a lovely panelled sitting room. The less formal section beyond the hall includes a kitchen, family room, breakfast room and lovely large garden room, complemented by a rear lobby, boot room and a prep kitchen.

The indoor leisure facilities are stunning, on the ground floor and open onto a front terrace. The swimming pool is large, with a retractable cover, and there is an adjacent gym area and shower room/wc.

Recently, the lower floor and basement areas have been transformed into further entertaining spaces, fitted out with bespoke cabinetry by local craftsmen Hetherington Newman, and include a lower hallway with wc, wonderful large media room/cinema with exceptional audio visual technology, a unique and simply stunning bodega/bar area and a games room. Various adjoining ancillary rooms, including a second boot room, boiler room and a very useful large dry store are accessed from a rear staircase and lead to the underground garaging (six cars) and a garden workshop.

The master bedroom is above the drawing room, with the same wonderful proportions and a fireplace, and enjoys probably the best view in the house, with a side lobby, fitted dressing room and an en suite bathroom. There are four further bedrooms each with a lovely aspect, with superb bathrooms, and a first floor laundry room.

Historically, the Hall was built around 1800 for William Hibbert of Birtles Hall. It was extended and remodelled in the middle of the 19th century for the Brocklehurst family and is constructed in red brick Welsh slate roofs. The architectural style is very much Georgian with two storeys including a remodelled and integrated basement floor and there are three bays along the whole of the east front, and extending to the south is a continuous verandah carried on iron Chinoiserie supports, decorated with a frieze and has a tented glass roof. 

The National Trust gardens which lie away from the house and formal private gardens and grounds contain over 70 varieties of rhododendron, plus azaleas, hollies, and hostas, with at its centre a walled garden. A path leads from the garden to the ridge of Alderley Edge. The house was sold by the Trust in 1978 to help finance the running of the gardens. The parkland beyond is superb, and there are footpaths past the original lake and onwards to Alderley Edge.

The house sits behind a set of gates and a cattle grid, typically low key, and boasts a long and picturesque tree lined driveway, which winds up to the house and forecourt. A second driveway runs to the lower garden where there is a menage, and a single storey stable yard, which also now has planning consent for conversion to an ancillary dwelling.

The gardens surround the house, they are truly beautiful with a large number of mature specimen trees, with flowing lawns, and a stunning rear terrace overlooks the parkland at the rear.