Private House

North Yorkshire

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A distinguished new house, built in a Georgian style, sitting within the mature landscape of the Howardian Hills. The building replaced a previous house in a very poor state of repair. The new house has received significant local and regional praise for being an elegant country house, befitting of its setting.

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The house is designed over two storeys (with some second floor loft storage), laid out around a central hall and staircase, above which is a central lantern light. Accommodation at ground floor includes a study, dining room, sitting room, kitchen, snug, WC / cloakroom and rear entrance hall. At first floor there is a master bedroom with attendant dressing rooms and en-suite together with four further bedrooms, two with individual en-suites and two with shared en-suite. The new house is orientated on a Northwest - Southeast axis with its footprint  offset from that of the demolished property. The aim of this offset footprint is to maximise views from the property across the applicant's land, especially towards a series of lakes to the South.

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The house features four distinct elevations, the 'front' (Northwest) entrance is defined as the formal entrance to the property, central to which is a double front door and stone portico supported by stone columns flanked by two full height stone arched bay windows. The Southwest and Southeast elevations are both grand formal elevations providing views from the main sitting room, kitchens and master bedroom across the gardens and to the woodland and lakes beyond. Sash windows to the Southwest elevation are detailed with cut stone surrounds, with two full height windows to the sitting room flanking full height french doors and focal window above, which are detailed with a cut stone surround and broken pediment. The Southeast elevation includes a central ground storey arched bay, which provides a balcony to french doors at first floor level (from the master bedroom dressing room). The Northeast elevation looks towards the service courtyard and is much simpler in style to the other house elevations, clearly differentiating it as the rear / service elevation.

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It is felt that whilst the proposed building is clearly a grand property, its impact on the surrounding landscape is minimal. Views of the house are helped by a number of mature trees sitting in the immediate landscape, which either screen the buildings when viewed from a distance or help to establish a number of focal views on the approach up the long private driveway.

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