Appletreewick, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23

Believed to date from 1535 and steeped in a remarkable history entwined with Lord Craven, High Hall is an exceptional Grade II* listed country residence at the heart of Appletreewick. A house of rare provenance and enduring character, its magnificent period architecture is complemented by beautifully landscaped gardens, extensive outbuildings and additional grazing land available separately. A truly special Yorkshire Dales residence, where history, beauty and country living converge.
Freehold I Council Tax Band: H I EPC: Exempt

High Hall is a truly distinguished Grade II* listed country residence, believed to date from the early sixteenth century and occupying a prominent position within the historic village of Appletreewick. Steeped in history and with an enduring connection to the influential Craven family, it is a house of considerable provenance and architectural importance, beautifully complemented by established gardens and grounds extending to approximately 0.76 acres, with a further 3.6 acres of grazing land available by separate negotiation.

Set within the heart of Wharfedale and surrounded by the spectacular landscape of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, High Hall possesses the rare quality of feeling entirely connected to its surroundings whilst retaining a wonderful sense of privacy. The property has been in the same family ownership for the past twenty-eight years, during which time it has been carefully and sympathetically enhanced. The result is a home where centuries of history sit comfortably alongside the requirements of contemporary family life.

Arranged over four floors, the accommodation is both substantial and versatile, with an impressive sequence of reception rooms and family spaces. At the centre of the house is the magnificent Great Hall, a particularly evocative room with striking mullioned windows and a wonderful sense of scale and history. Above it, the minstrel's gallery provides an intriguing architectural feature and a glimpse into the house's distinguished past.

The reception accommodation is complemented by a superb breakfast kitchen, beautifully fitted with bespoke Smallbone cabinetry, a four-oven Aga and a range of high-quality appliances. The principal bedroom suite occupies part of the first floor and provides a private and spacious retreat, with bedroom, dressing room and en-suite bathroom, together with an adjoining room offering flexibility as a further dressing room, study or private sitting room.

Five further double bedrooms are arranged over the upper floors, four enjoying en-suite facilities. Amongst the most impressive rooms is the Earl of Craven's Withdrawing Room, a handsome and atmospheric elevated reception space with dual aspects across the surrounding countryside. It is a room that perfectly captures the character of High Hall, combining generous proportions, historic associations and views across the landscape that has shaped the property for centuries.

The gardens are every bit as important to the setting as the house itself. Sweeping lawns are framed by mature trees and established hedging, creating a wonderful sense of seclusion, whilst a series of winding paths lead through the grounds to a charming carp pond and folly. A kitchen garden lies to the western gable, together with useful stores and ancillary buildings, adding to the traditional country-house character of the setting.

A handsome gated entrance opens into a substantial cobbled courtyard, providing generous parking and access to an excellent range of outbuildings, including a double garage, further garage, storage and a versatile studio, gym or playroom. Beyond the principal gardens, approximately 3.6 acres of additional grazing land are available by separate negotiation, offering the opportunity to further embrace the property's rural setting and provide space for equestrian, recreational or livestock use, subject to the necessary consents.

The story of High Hall is inseparable from that of the Craven family. Sir William Craven, the "Dick Whittington of the Dales" was born in Appletreewick in 1548, in a modest cottage that is now part of St John's Chapel, directly opposite. Apprenticed to a London Merchant Taylor, he rose through the London Guild system, amassing a fortune and becoming one of the most influential figures of his time. He purchased High Hall from the Yorke family in the late 16th Century to house his extended family, and remained devoted to the area, building bridges over the Wharfe at Barden and Burnsall, and endowing Burnsall with a Grammar School that still bears his name. He financed James 1st's Union of Scotland and England in 1603, for which he was knighted, and subsequently became Lord Major of London in 1610. His son, William Craven, became the first Earl of Craven, exiled consort to Charles 1st's older sister, Elizabeth Stuart - the widowed Queen of Bohemia; and played a prominent role in the subsequnt restoration of Elizabeth's nephew, Charles II to the throne in 1661. Their influence extended far beyond Yorkshire, as power-brokers across Europe's Royal households, yet High Hall remains a particularly tangible reminder of their connection with this beautiful corner of Wharfedale.

Appletreewick is one of the Yorkshire Dales' most cherished villages, surrounded by magnificent open countryside and retaining a timeless sense of character. Traditional cottages, farmsteads and country homes sit alongside popular inns and the River Wharfe, whilst the surrounding landscape provides an exceptional setting for walking, cycling and enjoying the outdoors. It is a location where the pace of life feels wonderfully removed from the everyday, yet with the amenities of Grassington, Skipton and the wider Wharfedale communities within easy reach.

Ultimately, High Hall is about more than its architecture, its history or its setting. There is a rare sense of continuity here; a feeling that the house has witnessed generations come and go whilst remaining firmly rooted in its landscape. To become its custodian would be to inherit far more than a beautiful country home. It would be to take responsibility for a remarkable piece of Yorkshire's heritage and, in doing so, have the privilege of writing the next chapter in the story of one of Wharfedale's most captivating historic houses.

As Halliwell Sutcliffe wrote in The Striding Dales:

"Nowhere in all the Dale, perhaps, will you understand so completely as here at High Hall the meaning of England and her strength."

Freehold I Council Tax Band: H I EPC: Exempt

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From the A59 roundabout at Bolton Abbey, take the B6160 towards Burnsall. After approximately 3.7 miles, turn right at Barden and continue for around 4 miles to the T-junction. Turn left towards Appletreewick; High Hall is on the left as you enter the village.

Mains Water, Drainage and Electric. Oil Fired Heating.