Sweden Lodge, Sweden Bridge Lane, Ambleside, The Lake District, LA23 9EX

Welcome to Sweden Lodge, Sweden Bridge Lane, Ambleside, LA22 9EX

Built in the 1960s Sweden Lodge won a Civic Trust Award, a reward established to recognise the very best in architecture and for properties making a positive contribution to local communities. Sixty years later Sweden Lodge has had a glamorous make over and once again offers an elegant and sophisticated standard of living, every bit as fashionable as when first built. 

Situated in the heart of Ambleside, the elevated setting affords not only some excellent south facing views over the town’s roof tops towards Loughrigg, Latterbarrow and Lake Windermere but embraces a quiet and peaceful setting that offers a rare degree of seclusion and tranquillity not often found in such a central position. 

Extremely spacious, with accommodation all on one level there is a large reception hall off which is a cloakroom, a stunning open plan living space with room for cooking, dining and seating and in support of the kitchen, a separate utility room. There are five double bedrooms, three of which are ensuite and a family bathroom. 

The grounds extend to c. 0.89 acres and include a choice of seating areas and a small stone built outbuilding which would make the ideal home office, workshop or hobbies space. The outside areas are all wonderfully established and planted with a wide and extensive selection of trees and shrubs to provide privacy and a feeling of retreat, your own private haven.  

To widen your options, there is planning permission to build a brand new house in the back garden and at the same time, split the existing dwelling into a pair making a total of three dwellings on the site. 

Great options and super potential making this an exciting and rare opportunity to build in the heart of the Lake District.  

Location

Ambleside needs little in the way of introduction, in the heart of the Lake District and easy to reach, it sits just to the north of Lake Windermere and is a centre for touring, walking, mountaineering and mountain biking. Ever popular, its quaint and characterful streets are full of mainly independent shops and offer a wide and varied choice of places to eat and drink including Michelin starred restaurants. The lake shore at Waterhead is within walking distance where you can feed the ducks whilst watching the world go by or catch one of the traditional steamers to Bowness on Windermere or Lakeside at the southernmost tip of the lake. For your day-to-day needs, there are branches of Tesco, Co-op and Budgens within the village with regional favourite Booths found in Windermere. 

Despite all that Ambleside has to offer, those looking to venture out and explore the wider Lake District will find themselves ideally situated from this central position. Whether it’s exhilaration or relaxation you seek, there is much to visit, see and do. 

Step inside

As part of the original design there is extensive use of floor to ceiling windows which drench the interior in natural light and also capture the views, whether of the garden or the fells and Lake, they serve the purpose of blurring the boundaries and bringing the outside in. 

Wide steps lead up to a covered entrance which opens into a reception hall off which is a cloakroom. South facing, the bright and extensive open plan living area has the style and sophistication of the period, a room made for families, for gatherings and entertaining; the views are panoramic and glazed doors open to the front terrace. The kitchen fittings are contemporary but feel perfectly at home in this 1960s’ build, the cooking area is separated from the rest of this vast space by an island unit which incorporates a breakfast bar. The fireplace in the Lakeland stone chimney breast is no longer in working order but remains as a striking original feature and could be overhauled. 

Open plan living areas need a back room and here the utility room provides additional storage, a Belfast sink, houses the boiler and hot water store and has room to store coats and boots. As an alternative to the smart reception hall, it makes a good wet weather entrance as there’s a handy door out to the rear courtyard, a great spot to hang washing as it is out of sight of the main seating areas in the garden. 

Currently laid out to provide five bedrooms and sleep ten for holiday letting purposes, the configuration could be changed to provide further reception rooms if preferred. 

The principal bedroom is a spacious and elegant affair, so much so that there is room for a separate seating area. Floor to ceiling windows and a sliding glazed door bring views of the terrace, garden, lake and fells into the room. A wall of fitted wardrobes provide storage and there is an ensuite shower room. 

Passing a row of fitted wardrobes and you’re into the second double bedroom which enjoys the same south facing views as the main bedroom. Here too an ensuite shower room. The third double bedroom has an ensuite shower room and lovely view of the pond at the front of the property and a door to the side garden, if not required as a bedroom it would make a super home office. 

The fourth double bedroom would make a cosy snug or TV room as it has a fireplace set into a Lakeland stone chimney breast as well great views being situated on the main south facing elevation. The fifth double bedroom has a delightful aspect of the garden and both it and the fourth room have use of the family bathroom. An additional room provides space for a games room or den. 

All refitted, the bathroom, shower rooms and cloakroom are all stylishly appointed in a contemporary manner with a colour scheme which follows on from the décor choices in the bedrooms. 

Surrounding Sweden Lodge 

Arriving and turning in off the lane there is a generous parking and turning area for family and friends. The extensive landscaped grounds total around c.0.89 acres and envelope the property. Wrap around paving surrounds and to the south extends to form a seating terrace which has numerous access points from within. Paths weave through the established planting which includes a wide variety of trees and shrubs for year-round structure, colour and seasonal interest courtesy of the original owner who was the founder of Hayes Garden Centre in Ambleside. There are lawns, natural rocky outcrops and a hexagonal wooden summer house. A lovely feature is the small stone built outbuilding situated to the upper most corner of the rear garden, it has a private paved terrace in front enjoying good views of Wansfell Pike. It would make an ideal home office, workshop or dedicated hobbies space. 

The gardens have the benefit of a second drive off Hill Top Road, beneficial if you need access for supplies or any machinery into the upper garden. If developed, this would form the private entrance for the new house. 

Planning permission 

Sweden Lodge also offers an exciting and interesting development opportunity. 

Consent exists to sub-divide Sweden Lodge into two thereby creating a pair of three bedroom units, these would have a Local Occupancy restriction attached meaning that the properties are occupied by a “Person with a Local Connection as his or her Only or Principal Home”. Approved drawings show the two newly created dwellings each providing a hall with cloakroom, open plan living kitchen, three double bedrooms, an ensuite shower room and family bathroom. Each will have outside space and room to park two cars. 

The consent also includes permission to build a new house in the garden situated to the rear and sited above Sweden Lodge. The new dwelling would use the existing second drive off Hill Top Road thereby providing a private approach. The proposed accommodation would provide: 

Ground floor – four ensuite double bedrooms and a garage with boot room under a sedum roof. 

First floor – hall, a dining kitchen open plan to the main seating area, separate snug, utility room, cloakroom. Wrap around seating terrace (the views will be fabulous!)

Externally the new house will be able to benefit from the already established gardens and will include the existing stone-built outbuilding. 

Services

Mains electricity, gas, water and drainage. Gas fired central heating from a Vaillant boiler in the utility room. 

Broadband

Ultrafast speeds potentially available from Openreach or Fibrus of 1000 Mbps download and for uploading 1000 Mbps. 

Mobile

Indoor: EE, Three, O2 and Vodaphone are reported as providing ‘limited’ services for both Voice and Data, with the exception of O2 providing a ‘likely’ Voice service. 

Outdoor: EE, Three, O2 and Vodaphone are all reported as providing ‘likely’ services for both Voice and Data. 

Broadband and mobile information provided by Ofcom.

Local Authority charges 

Westmorland and Furness Council – business rates are payable. Rateable Value of £5500 (with effect from 2023) subject to the annual multiplier adjustment. 

Tenure

Freehold 

Included in the sale 

All contents, fitted carpets, curtains, curtain poles, blinds, light fittings and domestic appliances. 

Planning permission 

7/2023/5171 granted 8/9/23 for the “Subdivision of existing dwelling to create 2 x 3 bedroomed local occupancy dwellings, and erection of new 4 bedroomed dwelling”

Approved elevation drawings, layout plans, full details of the local occupancy restriction as well as all associated documentation may be viewed at the Lake District National Park Authority’s website search using the reference number above.  

Please note

Sweden Lodge is presently let for holidays through Wheelwrights

It is being sold as a going concern and therefore the guide price includes all contents to enable a seamless business transition. The sale also includes the advantage of all advance bookings. The property currently generates a gross annual income of £90,000. 

Please note

To minimize disruption to resident holiday makers viewings will be conducted on changeover days. Trading accounts are available to interested parties after viewing. 

Directions 

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Use Sat Nav LA22 9EX with reference to the directions below:

Approaching from Windermere direction, follow Compston Road and head out of the village on the A591 following signs for Grasmere. Take the second exit off the mini roundabout up Smithy Brow, going carefully round the sharp left-hand bend and turn left onto Sweden Bridge Lane. Proceed up the lane for approximately 150m where Sweden Lodge may be found on the right just after the turning for Sweden Park. Approaching from Grasmere? at the mini roundabout take the first exit and continue as before.