Cann Lane, Aston By Budworth

A striking Victorian estate cottage of genuine architectural distinction, sitting in open Cheshire countryside on the edge of the Arley Hall Estate. The Howie is built of rich red brick with a steeply pitched red-tiled roof, elaborate decorative gable details and tall clustered chimney stacks that give it an immediately recognisable silhouette. The property requires modernisation, but the structure is impressive, as is the delightful setting — surrounded by open farmland on all sides, with beautifully maintained gardens that extend to approximately a half of an acre. 

 
The property

The house is arranged over two storeys with two reception rooms at ground floor level, both dual-aspect with windows to the front and side. The fitted kitchen sits to the rear with a pleasant outlook over the gardens. An inner hall — accessible from both the kitchen and sitting room — leads to a ground-floor bathroom and the staircase to the first floor.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms: two large doubles, each with fitted wardrobes and dual-aspect windows that look out across the surrounding countryside, plus a third bedroom. The multi-pane windows — set within stone and brick surrounds — are a defining feature throughout, filling the rooms with light and framing the rural views to good effect.

 
Garage & outbuilding

Immediately adjacent to the main house, and built to match in red brick under a clay-tiled roof, is a substantial two-storey detached garage and workshop. The upper floor has its own window and hayloft-style door — a handsome building in its own right. It offers real scope for conversion to ancillary accommodation, a home office or studio, or — subject to planning consent — for linking directly to the main house.

 
Garden & grounds

The plot extends to approximately a half of an acre. Mature hedging and established trees define the boundaries on all sides, creating a well-enclosed private garden of flat maintained lawn. The aerial view makes clear just how open the surrounding landscape is — fields stretching away in every direction, with the cottage sitting quietly at the centre of it all.

 
Location
The property sits on the edge of the Arley Hall Estate in the mid-Cheshire countryside — a quiet, settled rural area of farmland, parkland and hedgerow lanes. Knutsford is within easy reach, offering good schools, restaurants, independent shops and a direct rail service into Manchester. The A556 provides straightforward access to the M6 and M56 motorway network.

The surrounding footpaths and bridleways give immediate access to open countryside walking, with the Arley Hall gardens and estate open seasonally to the public.