Home is truly where the heart is

"It was strange how we ended up with it as we had no use for 40 bedrooms at all," says Clare, a former writer for The Field magazine. "We went to view it in 2003 and loved it, so we looked for a reason to buy it. We decided we could live in it and relocate our telecoms business here, and put in a bid.

"We lost but the sale fell through twice after that, and all the time we kept coming to look round and calling the agents. By the time we actually managed to buy it, over two years later, we'd sold our business so we had absolutely no sensible reason to move somewhere so big. But we were hooked. Our hearts were pulling us to it."

The magnificent hall is Jacobean but was remodelled in the late 1700s by John Carr and Robert Adam. Owned by the Lascelles family of Harewood, it was the first marital home of Princess Mary and Henry Lascelles and they lived there for more than 10 years until they moved to Harewood House following the death of the fifth earl.

The couple left behind some reminders, including stained-glass windows on the staircase depicting the union of the Lascelles and the Royal Family. On the second floor there are stained-glass windows, which were a wedding gift from the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, and the copse of cherry trees were a present from the Emperor of Japan. Death duties forced the sale of the hall and estate and it became a school before going back to private use then becoming a nursing home.

Thanks to a Grade II star listing and a sensitive restoration in the 1960s by the Hanson family, many of the period features remain and include elaborate ceilings, Jacobean panelling in the library, Adam fireplaces and a 17th-century soapstone fireplace in the dining room depicting Old Testament scenes.

But being in institutional use and lying empty for almost two years had taken its toll. When Mark and Clare moved in there was no heating, windows were rotten, ceilings had collapsed, there was a squirrel and rat infestation and the roof was leaking. One of their first purchases was a cherry-picker that allowed Mark onto the roof to do repairs and clear the gutters without the expense of scaffolding

"There was so much to do, plus we had to think of a way of using the space. Our last home was 2,000 sq feet and this is 24,000 sq ft. It was far too big just to be a family home. It needed a reason to be," says Clare.

The Oglesbys came up with the idea of holding weddings and that has expanded into private functions and afternoon teas, business conferences and luxury B&B, for which they have been awarded five gold stars. They now employ 10 staff to help them with their hospitality business.

The ground floor, with its enormous formal rooms, is shared between them and their guests, the first floor is their own private space, and the second floor is devoted to guest bedrooms. So far, the Oglesbys have spent 2m on restoring and upgrading the hall and the project is on going.

"It's true what they say – places like this are a money pit," says Clare. "In some ways, we were lucky because it had been a nursing home all the bedrooms were en-suite and it had a commercial fire sprinkler system in. But even the smallest jobs end up costing a fortune. When we took the floor up to do the bathroom pipes upstairs, we discovered a 400-year-old beam that had shrunk away from the wall and wasn't supporting the ceiling downstairs."

Fortunately, she and Mark, who have two daughters, Charlotte, 14, and Lucy, four, make the perfect property partnership. He has an eye for design and has project managed the renovation and the interiors. Clare is a passionate gardener and has tackled the substantial and overgrown grounds, which she has done in the style of Gertrude Jekyll – to great acclaim.

They managed to find period furniture and paintings from a variety of sources including family, eBay, salerooms and antique specialists Tomlinsons in Tockwith. They have also sourced photographs of Princess Mary and other Royals at the Hall and had them enlarged and framed.

"I think her time here was her happiest. She was away from the constraints of her parents for the first time and her children were born. After she moved to Harewood, the war came and her life was more difficult," says Clare, who now sleeps in the Princess's bedroom.

One of the biggest investments has been the guest accommodation and the six suites all have different themes and wow factor bathrooms. One of the rooms is dedicated to Mark's late father, Arthur, a renowned salmon fisherman, author and broadcaster and reflects his passion for country pursuits. There are plans for more guest rooms in buildings next to the hall, and Mark and Clare are working on their private quarters.

"It's a wonderful place to live but it is hard work. People ask what you do all day and assume you wander round taking tea and giving orders. It's not like that at all, and it's hard to say what we do because no day is the same but we never stop and it's not glamorous. I can be gardening in the rain, while Mark is rodding the drains," says Clare.

"It's not what I imagined I'd end up doing but it's great and we don't mind sharing with guests, though I don't always admit to them that I'm the owner.

"I'm out in the garden a lot so I'm not dressed how they'd expect and I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone who thinks a stately home owner should look a certain way."

Goldsborough Hall, www.goldsboroughhall.com, 01423 867321.

The gardens at Goldsborough Hall are open to the public on July 25 from noon-5pm as part of the charity fundraising National Gardens Scheme.

YP MAG 26/6/10