Front Street, Sowerby, YO7

Front Street, Sowerby is the kind of address that needs little introduction to anyone who knows this corner of North Yorkshire. One of the most handsome streets in the district, it runs through the heart of the village lined with mature trees and historic properties, the tower of St Oswald's Church rising above it all. It is a street where houses are held for generations, and where the setting does a considerable amount of work before you even reach the front door.

Number 23 is a substantial three-storey period home extending to 2,445 square feet, sitting directly beside the churchyard and occupying a plot of quite extraordinary depth. The house has been thoroughly renovated by its current owners, room by room and with a clear point of view throughout. Original features have been preserved and restored, the kitchen was built in part from materials reclaimed from within the house itself, and the interiors carry the kind of considered, individual character that cannot be replicated by starting from scratch. Five bedrooms across three floors, a living room of nearly 28 feet, a dining room with a double-sided log burner, a bespoke kitchen with a Bertazzoni range, a garden of remarkable length flanked by mature brick walls, a timber summerhouse, a pergola-covered courtyard, and a detached garage. All of it in one of Thirsk and Sowerby’s most coveted addresses, within a short walk of the market town and its amenities.

Properties of this nature on Front Street are genuinely infrequent. This is one worth moving quickly on.

Entrance

The property is approached through a front garden of mature planting, set directly beside the churchyard of St Oswald's. A covered entrance porch provides a practical space for boots and coats before entering the main house.

Living Room

8.47m x 4.09m

At nearly 28 feet in length and running the full width of the house, the living room is the centrepiece of the ground floor. It operates as two distinct but connected zones and carries a consistent character throughout: deep charcoal walls, oak floorboards, exposed ceiling beams and cornice detail. Two cast iron fireplaces anchor the space, one with a white painted surround, the other with a decorative period surround and tiled hearth. Large windows, complete with original shutters to the front elevation bring in good natural light and frame views across Front Street.

Inner Hall

An internal hallway connects the living room to the kitchen and dining end of the house, with the oak staircase rising to the upper floors, a door to the rear of the property, and access to the ground floor cloakroom. Wide enough to furnish as a room in its own right, it is a well-considered transition space. There is a handy access to the rear garden and a ground floor cloack room/W.C

Ground Floor Cloakroom

A practical addition at this level, fitted with a white basin and close-coupled WC, tiled walls, fitted storage, and an obscured window to the rear elevation.

Dining Area

4.27m x 3.06m

A generous dining room with oak flooring and exposed ceiling beam, anchored by a double-sided log burner set within an exposed brick chimney breast with an oak mantle beam and decorative tiled surround. The stove serves both the dining room and the kitchen, a detail that speaks to the care taken throughout the renovation. A large picture window overlooks the side, and full-height glazed doors open directly onto the pergola-covered courtyard, creating a natural connection between inside and out through the warmer months. A substantial column radiator to one side completes the room.

Kitchen

4.64m x 3.06m

The kitchen is one of the most individual rooms in the house. The base units are reclaimed timber, salvaged from within the property itself and repurposed into a hand-built fitted kitchen, giving them a provenance and paternity that no showroom piece could replicate. Leaded glass cabinet fronts add another layer of character. The worktops are a continuous stone-effect surface, extending into a marble breakfast bar with bar stools providing an informal eating position. The centrepiece is a Bertazzoni range cooker with induction hob, flanked by an AEG dishwasher and an American-style stainless steel fridge-freezer. Open timber shelving runs above the run, an original ceiling beam overhead hung with a cluster of amber glass pendant lights. Windows to the side and rear draw in natural light and garden views, and a door leads directly to the rear courtyard.

Appliances can be included within an acceptable offer.

First Floor Landing

The first floor landing provides access to three bedrooms, the family bathroom, and the staircase to the top floor.

Bedroom One and Dressing Area

8.91m x 3.06m

The principal bedroom is a generous double room dressed in a striking cladding that follows the gentle curve of the roofline, giving the space real character. Oak flooring, a wrought iron radiator, and a hammered brass pendant light overhead. The room faces the rear of the property, with views across to St Oswald's Church. An open doorway connects directly through to a dedicated dressing room, making this a true suite arrangement. The dressing room continues the same decor, with a full run of high-gloss fitted wardrobes along one wall offering generous storage, and dual windows overlooking the garden. The room is large enough to serve simultaneously as a home office, as currently arranged.

Bedroom Two

4.69m x 4.26m

A well-proportioned double bedroom to the front elevation, with one of the property's finest original features at its centre: a tall arched sash window overlooking the tree-lined street below, flooding the room with natural light. Soft painted walls, oak flooring, and fitted storage.

Bedroom Three

4.69m x 4.03m

A further double bedroom to the front elevation, again benefitting from an arched sash window with views across Front Street. Original timber floorboards throughout, a wash basin within the room, a practical detail particularly useful for guests.

Family Bathroom

A generously proportioned and beautifully finished family bathroom. The walls behind the bath and shower are tiled floor to ceiling in a bold star-pattern encaustic tile, paired with dark charcoal tongue-and-groove half panelling that runs throughout the room. A full-length bath with dual-head shower over, traditional pedestal basin with crosshead taps, close-coupled WC, chrome towel radiator, open oak shelving, and a fitted storage cupboard. A rear-facing obscured window provides natural light, and an original stained glass detail above the door is a quiet period flourish.

Second Floor

The top floor provides two further double bedrooms and a shower room, served by their own staircase from the first floor landing.

Bedroom Four

6.78m x 3.86m

A substantial room at over 22 feet in length, with a characterful roofline and significant potential.

Bedroom Five

4.47m x 3.24m

A versatile top-floor room with an exposed beam, natural light from a window to the garden elevation, and the proportions to serve equally well as a bedroom, studio, or home office.

Second Floor Shower Room

To the top floor is a spacious shower room, the flooring and fittings have been replaced, with a modern, slate effect shower enclosure.

Summer House

The deceptively names 'Summer House' is enjoyed all year round as a social space and a peaceful retreat for home working.

Outhouses

There are two outhouses, one utilised as storage, the other has plumbing for a utility room.

Garage

The garage sits at the foot of the garden, with a pedestrian door to the side and an electric, roller door to the front. It benefits from power and lighting.

Garden

The grounds are an exceptional part of this property's offering.
To the rear of the house, a pergola-covered courtyard, constructed from substantial oak beams and hung with festoon lighting, creates a sheltered outdoor entertaining space directly accessible from both the dining room and kitchen. A characterful, enclosed space framed by the original brick elevations of the house and outbuildings.
Beyond, the garden stretches away at considerable length, boundaries are made up of mature brick walls tand recently added hedging. A generous central lawn is flanked by deep herbaceous borders, densely planted and well-established. Towards the far end of the plot sits a substantial timber summerhouse with a covered veranda, floor-to-ceiling glazing, and festoon lighting, a proper outdoor room that serves the garden throughout the year.

A detached garage with electric roller door is located at the far end of the plot, with a separate laundry room and storage to one side.

To the front, a pl...