Malborough Croft, Pontefract, WF9 2

South Elmsall, equidistant from Doncaster and Wakefield is in the heart of the Yorkshire coal mining country or was, until the dark days of the 1970s which saw the beginnings of the industries’ decline and eventual demise. But, showing the bloody minded determination typified by local sporting legend Sir Geoffrey Boycott the area has adapted to new realities and undergone its own renaissance, once again becoming an attractive proposition for newcomers and existing residents alike as fresh new industries arrive to replace the old. What remains unchanged however is the beauty of the surrounding countryside, something this particular home is ideally positioned to enjoy. The small estate on which it sits backs onto open farmland and is only yards from the nature reserve of Johnnie Brown’s common. Who was he? I’ve no idea but keep imagining a hard as iron pit worker emerging from the bowels of the earth black with coal dust and sweat, desperate for some peace and fresh air and determined not only to find it for himself but to establish somewhere for others to enjoy as well. If so, this is a fitting tribute to him.

15 Marlborough Croft began life as a modest two bedroom semi detached bungalow but the addition to two further dormer bedrooms on an upper floor has given scope for not only extra sleeping accommodation but also a separate dining room making a well equipped, if not especially huge family home.

Occupying a corner plot, the garden is a series of triangular wedges reminiscent of the playing pieces in Trivial Pursuit with the smaller one to the rear of the home. We enter the garden via the broad driveway that runs past the gable end of the home where we find the side facing ‘front’ door which unusually, but very practically opens straight into the kitchen because let’s face it, in smaller homes halls are frequently nothing more than a waste of useable space. To the side of this drive is a large area of lawn surrounded by decorative crushed gravel with colourful plants and shrubs set in large pots and provided with a surprising degree of privacy by the substantial surrounding hedges. A further lawn lies to the other side of the drive, in front of the lounge window and with similar decoration giving a pleasing outlook.

Opening the white semi glazed UPVC front door an stepping into the kitchen we find a spacious and modern room fitted out in fashionable shades of grey (no, not those ones…) and where units line the walls giving generous work top space, storage and room for all the 21st century gizmos we can’t seem to live without. The big picture window overlooking the front garden makes the whole room feel spacious and airy while providing masses of natural light.

From here we pass into the inner hallway where on our left is the door into the lounge. A similar window to that found in the kitchen ensures your gloom problems are a thing of the past, filling the room with daylight and again making it feel larger than it actually is, which is always a good trick. The room’s main focal point is provided by the attractive faux marble fireplace and the living flame fire it contains, for those autumn evenings when it is not cold enough to warrant running the central heating but you crave the comfort that only a flickering fire can give. At the rear of the lounge a pair of fully glazed doors opens into the adjoining dining room where we find enough space for the sort of table and chairs suite that positively encourages communal eating. That is to say it can be done in comfort and without the continuous clashing of elbows that make children squabble with one another and causes Aunty Doreen to spill her Pinot Grigio. As in both the lounge and kitchen before it, the room is bright and filled with natural light thanks in this case to the opening patio doors to the rear which overlook the garden and offer the possibility during warmer months of dining almost al fresco while being able to quickly decamp to drier quarters should the rain gods intervene. Along one wall the staircase rises to the upstairs bedrooms and normally, I would have expected this to make the room feel cramped but due to the simple but highly effective ploy of using open tread stairs to open the sight lines they simply become part of the room rather than an eyesore to be avoided. Beyond the patio doors the triangular rear garden offers a sheltered haven of peace in which to relax with a long drink at the end of a hard day. Or a hard drink at the end of a long day; either is applicable. Fairy steps traverse the lawn, needing only the addition of some decorative lights twinkling in the shrubbery to complete the magic and give some peace in a troubled world.

Climbing the stairs from the dining room takes us to a small square landing with two doors leading off. The left hand door reveals the smaller of the two bedrooms but in this case, smaller does not necessarily mean actually small as its dimensions of approx 11’6’’ by 13’4’’ will attest. With additional floor space made available thanks to the large and capacious fitted wardrobe negating much of the need for free standing furniture, this is a well proportioned and if you’ll forgive the clumsy term, roomy room.

Beside here the remaining bedroom is even bigger but sometimes, its irregular shape can tend to disguise this. However, clever use has been made of a recess caused by the room having to follow the roof line of the building by fitting a wardrobe, vanity unit and small dressing table into it. The remainder of the room offers more than enough space for everything you need and providing you are not a market trader needing to store your stock will give you somewhere rather lovely to lay your head.

Downstairs again and opposite the lounge on the other side of the inner hall is the family bathroom, which has either been recently refurbished or fastidiously maintained because it is utterly immaculate. Tiled from floor to ceiling in attractive pastel shades it contains a suite of pedestal hand basin, lavatory and traditional bath. What? I hear you cry, no shower? But don’t panic, because rather than the more common compromise of a shower fitted over the bath which can become something of a death trap for those less nimble as they try to step over the side, there is a walk-in shower cubicle set into the wall. Now there’s posh.