Baldersby-St-James, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7

The sale of The Old Parsonage offers a rare opportunity to acquire a stunning early Victorian family home with an abundance of original period features. The property is a remarkable country house originally designed by William Butterfield in 1854 for Viscount Down of Baldersby Park. It occupies a peaceful setting with a separate detached Grade ll listed coach house ideal for providing ancillary accommodation or a home office suite, if required, and subject to planning approval. In addition, there is a separate pool house with heated pool (currently empty), a range of outbuildings and double garage block.

Baldersby St James is an attractive village with several notable buildings designed by William Butterfield in the mid-1850s, along with The Old Parsonage, there is the Grade I listed church and a Grade II* listed Church of England primary school. In the nearby village of Baldersby is a range of facilities including a mobile post office, farm shop and cricket ground with children’s play area. The acclaimed Crab & Lobster restaurant lies only 3 miles away. Baldersby St James is conveniently situated between Thirsk and Ripon and close to Boroughbridge, Bedale and Northallerton. The village is ideal for commuters being ½ a mile from the A61, just over 1 mile from the A1(M), and 11 miles to the A19 connecting to York. Mainline rail connections are available in Thirsk, Northallerton and York.

The Old Parsonage and its coach house are both distinguished buildings with stone elevations and steeply pitched tiled roofs. The principal house displays trefoil headed mullion windows in stone surrounds and pointed Gothic arches.

The reception rooms are all elegant and well proportioned, orientated to the south and west with deep windows appropriate to a house of this period and stature. The back stairs once lead to the servants’ quarters and this area has potential to be developed into an annexe if required. The kitchen/breakfast room has a newly installed Everhot Eco Electric range cooker as well as a Lacanche electric range cooker and is adjacent to a large laundry room with the original water pump still intact. There are unusually high ceiling heights on the first floor, enjoyed by most of the bedrooms. Bedroom 6 with its en suite shower room and bay window was formerly a private chapel. The principal bedroom is notable with its window seat, bay window, south and west orientation and adjoining dressing room.

Outside a discreet gravelled drive, flagged by the churchyard and a strip of woodland, culminates in a parking and turning area in front of the main entrance to the house. Beyond, the grounds are fully secured behind high wrought iron gates, mature hedging and a brick built high perimeter fence that surrounds the entire property. To the north and west, lies farmland. The mature gardens frame the house and are abundantly planted with a variety of plants. A black pine stands prominently on the western lawn along with an array of well established trees (some with TPOs) including a Copper Beech. Gravel paths sweep by an attractive pond with water feature, and alongside is a stand of raised stone beds. A long pergola planted with climbing honeysuckle, clematis, jasmine, rose and golden kiwi connects the house to the north western corner of the garden along a paved walkway.