Country living

COMPLETE with a cross-country course, an all-weather gallop and reservoir teeming with wildlife, Langdale Hall in North Yorkshire is ideal for an equestrian lover or anyone passionate about the countryside.

The £4.6m estate in Melsonby, near Richmond, includes the magnificent Langdale Hall as well as the more recent development, Langdale Court, and is on the market to buy as a whole or as four individual properties.

The estate is owned by John and Karen Pratt, who live at Langdale Hall with their teenage daughters, Rachel and Stephanie. “It was my wife who fell in love with it first,” says John. “I have a love for racehorses, my wife has a love for riding them, so with stables and gallops on the doorstep, it was a natural place to go.”

The estate was just a house and 30 acres when they bought it 17 years ago. It wasn’t until a few years later that they acquired the stables, gallops and the area around Stanwick Hall Reservoir, before building three further properties – West View, North View and South View known collectively as Langdale Court.

Dating back to the 19th Century, Langdale Hall is regarded as one of the finest residential estates in North Yorkshire.

The approach is particularly impressive, with a long driveway leading up to electric gates, a raised gravel terrace and stone balustrading. The house itself is believed to have undergone major expansion between 1910 and 1920, virtually doubling in size. Today it has six bedrooms and six large reception rooms, including a drawing room, panelled snooker room, dining room, study, sitting room and play room.

One of the biggest improvements John and Karen made was the conservatory which runs along the south side of the house.

“The house had such lovely formal gardens and there was only a tiny door opening out into it from the conservatory when we moved in,” says John. “We can now access it from the lounge, snooker room and dining room. You’re can sit there looking out at uninterrupted views and when the sun comes out, it’s fantastic.”

The kitchen/breakfast room has the feel of a traditional farmhouse, but John’s favourite place to relax is the living room next to the kitchen. Having previously been used as a room to keep rabbits, they completely refurbished it. “It’s cosy in winter with log fires and cool in summer,” he says. “It’s where I like to sit and watch my football.”

The first floor has six bedrooms. The master bedroom has large sash windows overlooking the garden, an open fireplace and an en-suite dressing room and bathroom. A separate rear staircase leads to a first-floor annex which has its own kitchen/breakfast room, sitting room, bedroom and bathroom, making it ideal for a relative, member of staff or it could even be let.

The latest addition to the house is the indoor swimming pool complex complete with jacuzzi, sauna and wet room. With five sets of French doors opening out from the pool onto the gardens, it’s a fantastic spot for entertaining in summer. The pool is also heated from a ground source heat pump, keeping fuel consumption at a minimum.

“It’s a family home and a lovely place to live,” says John. “We’ve considerably improved it with the conservatory, tennis court and pool area in the past two years. The gardens are like a little wonderland, you can lose yourself walking around them and the views are breathtaking – what you see is what you own.”

The estate is surrounded by beautiful gardens, clipped hedges and immaculate lawns.

The woodland area is accessed by a bridge and further along there’s a secluded walled garden and vegetable garden.

They created a tree house and zip wire in the middle of the woodland area for their daughters.

Another popular feature is the hard tennis court which was reinstated in time for Stephanie’s tenth birthday. “There were 32 tenyear- olds – the noise level was pretty high,” says John.

Towards to the south-eastern end of the estate is the Stanwick Hall reservoir, which is a haven for wildlife and provides opportunities for fishing and shooting. There is also an uphill summer and all-weather gallop as well as a cross-country course within the woodland.

The grounds have played host to many crosscountry events and barbecues including the annual Melsonby Church summer fate, raising thousands of pounds for charity.

The estate also includes Langdale Court, which is accessed by a separate driveway. The development features three houses in a courtyard setting. The largest of the three, West View, is on the market for £650,000. It has a kitchen/breakfast room, sitting room, drawing room, study and garden room as well as four double bedrooms, two en-suite shower rooms and a family bathroom, plus stables and parking outside. North View (£550,000) has similar features as does South View, on the market for £450,000.

Situated within three miles of the A1, just north of Scotch Corner, Langdale Hall is well located and John and Karen are now looking for a smaller property in the same area. “It’s not like buying a house, it’s buying a way of life,” says John. “You can wander around and see the deer, ducks and other wildlife, it is ideal for someone who wants their own country estate.

It’s not a grand house, it’s a family house and it’s been a very happy home for us.”

■ Langdale Hall, Melsonby, Richmond is on the market for £4,600,000 with Strutt & Parker, 01423-561274