Fans of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings can now buy their dream property site by buying a holiday accommodation and wedding business on the edge of the North York Moors.
Since 2010, North Shire at Liverton, near Saltburn, has helped thousands of people indulge their love of both fictional series by staying in one of the themed holiday homes – the Shire House which mimics a subterranean hobbit abode; the Dorm inspired by the Hogwarts’ Gryffindor dormitory; and the Groundkeeper’s Cottage based on Hagrid’s Hut.
But, now, owner Carol Cavendish is looking for a new challenge and has put the whole 4.72-acre site, including the three themed cottages, up for sale for £1.25 million.
Also included in the sale price are seven shepherd’s huts, one more self-catering cottage styled like a French chateau, five static caravan pitches, a fairytale-themed wedding barn which can host up to 450 guests and is fully licensed for ceremonies to be held, and the owner’s three-bedroom cottage.
On sale with Middlesbrough commercial property agent Parker Barras, North Shire also has planning permission for a further six hobbit-themed huts for those wanting to expand the Lord of the Rings connection.
Owner Carol said: “I’ve put everything into North Shire over the years and I’ve enjoyed indulging my love of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings by styling the accommodation as close as I could to the book descriptions, even down to sourcing stained glass windows and Hagrid-style paraphernalia.
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“The cottages have continued to be popular with people keen to step into their dream fiction.
"Together with the success of the wedding barn it has been very satisfying but now I’m ready to hand over the keys to new hands and move on to new plans to create more magic ahead.”
Here are further details of the Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings properties:
- The Groundkeeper’s Cottage – sleeps four and comprises three interlocking circular slate-roofed buildings, two with turrets, and all with stained glass windows. A lantern-lit wooden door opens into the spacious open-plan living space comprising a galley kitchen, dining area, seating in front of a feature fireplace and wood beams festooned with Hagrid-style paraphernalia such as old baskets, ropes, leather bags and lanterns. From the living room, one door leads to the circular bedroom complete with a double bed and a rustic wooden bunk bed, while a second door opens onto a large bathroom where the star feature is a huge freestanding copper bath.
- The Dorm – a roundhouse sleeping six, designed to look similar to the castle turret dorm room in the world of Hogwarts. It includes six handmade wooden four-poster single beds each of which have red curtains, bedspreads and golden Roman numerals etched on the front of their frames. There’s an open plan lounge area that resembles the students’ common room complete with a large stone fireplace and squashy sofas and a kitchen area tucked off to one side.
- The Dorm also replicates some of the key features of the lavish prefects’ bathroom on the fifth floor of Hogwarts Castle in particular the specially-commissioned backlit stained glass window depicting a blonde mermaid that became famous in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire film. Other whimsical features in the bathroom, including ornate Gothic-style mirrors and golden hand basins in the shape of giant shells, are a further nod to the opulence of the prefects’ bathroom.
- The Shire House - the cottage sleeps six and has a distinctive green round porthole-like door, stained glass windows and grass roof. There’s no skimping on any of the comforts as it offers a cosy retreat with galley kitchen, open plan lounge and dining area, roll-top free-standing bath and luxury organic wool mattresses used for the beds in both the bedrooms. Sea views out from the garden.
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