The Mill in Caldwell, North Yorkshire, had fallen on hard times when it was bought by its current owners more than 20 years ago. Now it is back to its old glory, says Sarah Willcocks.

YOU wouldn’t be able to tell now, but once upon a time, The Mill, in Caldwell, North Yorkshire, was so neglected that nature had taken over and a tree was growing through the building.

But that was before North Yorkshire couple Peter and Michele Bigge took it on 20 years ago and turned it into a family home which oozes character and interest. When they bought the property, back in the early 1990s, it was in a terrible state of neglect.

Both Peter and Michele have always lived in the Richmond area and it was during Peter’s childhood that The Mill first caught his eye and made a lasting impression.

“It’s a property that we’d often been passed,”

says Peter. “As a child, I had always said that if it ever came up on the market, it would be my perfect house.”

A friend broke the news to Peter and Michele that the elderly farmer who had been living a solitary existence at the house had died and it was going to be sold. It was a one-off chance to own the property that had long been Peter’s dream home.

“When we got there, we found a 20ft tree growing out of the middle of the residence and out through the roof, so we couldn’t actually go round most of the building. All the floors were rotten. It was in a very bad state, but amazingly this man had been living there for many years. There were no loos or anything like that in the house. There was running water in part of the building, but that was about it. It was incredibly basic.”

There was only one option for Peter. He bought it and over the next two years, he and Michele set about rebuilding it.

Where the trees once grew is now the garden room, featuring a glazed roof, and above, the master bedroom.

The grounds are still a stunning feature of the property, but now, for all the right reasons.

The house is surrounded by formal and informal terraced gardens, and a paved patio with inset grindstones extends from the west elevation towards the sitting room. Within feet of the property a waterfall runs through the former mill sluice and 27 acres of meadows and pasture stretch beyond.

Even though the house still feels very much like a mill, it now has four reception rooms on the ground floor. Double French doors in most of these beautifully decorated rooms open out to the gardens, making a wonderful space for entertaining. Peter and Michele use the reception hall as a further sitting room in which they welcome guests. There is a hardwood floor and an oak chimney piece with slate slips and hearth.

“You can have 40 or 50 people round without too much trouble, so that makes it fairly unique,” says Peter. “We’ve sat down 40-plus before for family parties.”

Should some of the guests be reluctant to leave, there are five double bedrooms on the upper floor, two with en-suite facilities and a family bathroom. The lady of the house is particularly well-catered for by the master suite which leads into an impressive dressing room fitted with a large range of wardrobes and cupboards.

For the children, in addition to their own dedicated playroom with direct access to the gardens, there are lots of different rooms, passages and nooks for games of hide and seek, or to escape parents.

Outside there are fields for riding, a stable yard with five loose boxes, a lake for trout-fishing or swimming and making water slides and abundant trees for climbing, and Peter says that a family would be the ideal new owners for The Mill. “It’s a wonderful place for children who like the outdoor life,” he says.

After many happy years here, Peter, who is founder of Darlington-based property company Town and City Management, says he and his wife are ready to take on another building in need of renovation and some TLC.

“As I work in the property world, I’m always looking at things. We adore creating things and would quite like a new challenge.

“We’ve been at The Mill for 20-odd years and we have had a lovely time here. It’s been a wonderful family home, full of character, full of laughter, a very happy home.”

• The Mill, Caldwell, North Yorkshire, is on the market for offers in the region of £1.25m with Smiths Gore, Darlington. Tel: 01325- 370500.