Gaugers House, Bentley Lane, Bispham, L40 3ST

Gaugers House is a distinguished period home dating back to 1704, retaining many historic features yet sympathetically refurbished by the current owners with flourishes of contemporary design. Set in 1.8 acres of gardens, paddock and woodland alongside the Harrock Estate, the elevated position offers stunning, far-reaching views over the West Lancashire Plain to the coastline, the Welsh Mountains and the Cumbrian hills.  This former gentleman’s residence offers a superb family home, a separate home office/games room and self-contained annex, four stables, tack room and kennel block.
Gaugers House is blessed with an array of authentic features which can be seen throughout and include stone mullion windows, exposed wall and ceiling beams, handmade bricks and stone flagged floors. Extended and remodelled over many generations, this elegantly presented family home, set in 1.8 acres of gardens and grounds, offers excellent accommodation of five reception rooms and five bedrooms, well-appointed kitchen with Aga and a separate pantry, further prep kitchen and a laundry.  There are also two separate annexes; one is integral to the main house and has a media room, bedroom and en suite, the second is the detached and very spacious summerhouse with cloakroom which is a superb venue for parties.  The rooms of the main house are all fitted with a collection of Residence 9 heritage aluminium and uPVC sash windows, warmed by radiators and lit by either recessed downlighting, pendant or wall lights. An ancient, studded-oak latch door, set beneath the date stone, opens into the porch with stone flagged and oak flooring and has a settle to the side.  Latch doors give way, left and right, to the sitting room and dining room and the herringbone-style oak flooring continues into both rooms plus and inner hallway and study. The spacious dining room has a window to the front, exposed ceiling rafters and a high-level stone and black oak fire surround with inset Mammoth log burning stove.  From here, there is a broad opening into the garden room with oak wall panelling, windows to either side and French windows to the side garden.   Also from the dining room, doors open into the inner hall and the dining kitchen. The inner hall has oak panelled walls, is fitted with cabinets having glazed display shelves above and a staircase rises and turns to the first-floor landing.  A part-glazed latch door opens to the kitchen and a further similar door to the snug having dual aspect windows, a door to the rear courtyard and a decorative cast iron fireplace.   The dual aspect sitting room has stunning, far-reaching views through the broad mullion window to the front and a further window to the side.  Exposed rafters reach across this generously spacious room which is also warmed by a Mammoth multi-fuel stove set in a stone Minster fire surround.  The dining kitchen is fitted with a good range of sage Culshaw-Bell hand-painted cabinets and a central island breakfast bar.  The black granite counters with upstands have an etched drainer alongside the inset porcelain Butlers twin sink unit with French style mixer tap over.  Integrated appliances include a dishwasher, there is space for a larder style fridge-freezer and a brick-built niche houses the Aga range cooker. The stone flagged floor continues beyond the broad opening into the morning room which has bi-folding doors to the garden, pendant lights above the table space and a wall-mounted television point.  Beyond the main kitchen is the pantry which has two windows to the rear and is fitted with an excellent range of hand-made oak larder cabinets and drawer banks with an integrated fridge and having grey melange granite worktops.  The ceramic tiled flooring continues down to the boot room with door to the side garden, a niche, which houses the recently installed efficient oil-fired central heating boiler, and also into the cloakroom fitted with a two-piece white suite of vanity set wash hand basin and close coupled w.c. plus a ladder-style heated towel rail.  From the pantry, a door opens to the rear porch having exposed brick walls and stone flagged floor.  There is a door to the courtyard and a further door to the prep kitchen.  The prep kitchen has two windows to the courtyard, exposed brick walls, and a door to the rear garden via external stone steps. Having slate tiled flooring, the area is fitted with a line of stainless-steel cabinets and drawers having coordinating slate worktops and an inset sink unit.  There is a Rangemaster cooker with a Stoves stainless steel extractor fan above and the room features a lengthy arched wine cellar.  The adjacent laundry also has a window to the courtyard and space and plumbing for a range of white goods beneath an oak counter.       The first floor, split level landing is lit by three skylight windows and a pendant light to the vaulted ceiling.  The area features exposed wall beams and a King Truss spans the area whilst latch doors open to each of the rooms.   With five bedrooms in total, there are four generously sized double bedrooms – one having a dressing room off and one with a walk-in wardrobe – and one large single bedroom currently used as a dressing room.  Each of the bedrooms have their own character and charm and some being dual aspect.   The very spacious family bathroom has two rear windows, Victorian-style floor tiling and strategically placed splash tiling to the walls.  The white suite comprises a central free-standing roll-top bathtub, a broad pine vanity cabinet inset with twin wash basins, a low flush w.c and a corner quadrant shower cabinet.  To the corner of the room, a built-in airing cupboard houses the lagged hot water cylinder tank.   The Annex ApartmentExterior stone steps rise to a rear, stone flagged patio with barbecue area and, from here, French windows open directly into the media room of the integral annex with two skylight windows and pendant light to the vaulted ceiling.  The oak flooring continues through into the adjacent double bedroom having a door to an exterior spiral staircase to the courtyard and a further door to the en suite with shower cubicle, pedestal wash basin and w.c.   The Summer HouseThe stone-built summer house, set beyond the driveway, has French windows opening to the open-plan interior with vaulted ceiling, oak flooring and central pendant light.  Designed as a home office yet perfect for parties, there are two windows to the front fitted with plantation-style blinds and also a cloakroom with w.c. and wash basin.  Outside, steps lead down to a private garden space – formerly a tennis court – and enjoy the same open views enjoyed by the main residence.  The GardensGaugers House is set beyond a low-level stone retaining wall with inset wrought iron pedestrian gate, the main residence has a central path cutting through a lawn frontage to the studded front door.  A path leads around to the side lawn gardens having a graduated-step path from the sun room with exquisite, well-stocked border planting to either side.  Stone flagged paths meander through the split-level gardens which are linked by stone steps rising to carefully considered seating areas and sun terraces taking full advantage of the spectacular aspects.  To the rear of the property, a further extensive patio with wrought iron balcony gives way to the annex apartment, a second alfresco dining area and raised lawn garden from where a path runs through the raised-bed vegetable garden.  For both evening entertainment and security, the property and gardens have a range of exterior lighting.  The GroundsApproached via a private road which climbs to reach a stone pillared gateway through to a cobbled drive with side parking area, with EV charging point, and rear courtyard which gives way to the annex boiler room, with LPG gas fired boiler, and the rear porch. The cobbled road continues to the property frontage, past the entrance to the woodland dell planted with spring bulbs, and around and alongside the stock fenced flat grazing paddock.  Beyond this, three timber-built stables, a tack room and a run of metal kennels sit on a concrete yard with power, water and turning space and parking for wagons or horseboxes.  The well-maintained gardens and grounds are a delight to wander through and the views, particularly the sunsets, are astoundingly beautiful.      The main house measures some 3960 square feet whilst the attached annex provides 480 square feet and the detached home office gives 440 square feet of work space and w.c.  Offering a total of 4880 square feet.  Viewing is strictly by appointment through Maria B Evans Estate AgentsWe are reliably informed that the Tenure of the property is Freehold.The Local Authority is West Lancashire Borough CouncilThe EPC rating is EThe Council Tax Band is GThe property is served by a shared septic tankNB      The property has a public footpath which runs along the cobbled roadway and alongside the woodland dell.Please note: Room measurements given in these property details are approximate and are supplied as a guide only.
All land measurements are supplied by the Vendor and should be verified by the buyer's solicitor. We
would advise that all services, appliances and heating facilities be confirmed in working order by an
appropriately registered service company or surveyor on behalf of the buyer as Maria B. Evans Estate
Agency cannot be held responsible for any faults found. No responsibility can be accepted for any
expenses incurred by prospective purchasers.