Down on the farm with space for the good life

Location, location, location is the mantra for most property buyers, but for Linda and David Robinson it was parking.
Thorntree Fram, near StokesleyThorntree Fram, near Stokesley
Thorntree Fram, near Stokesley

Thorntree farm, Busby, near Stokesley

Price: £1.5m

Location, location, location is the mantra for most property buyers, but for Linda and David Robinson it was parking.

Thorntree Farm, near StokesleyThorntree Farm, near Stokesley
Thorntree Farm, near Stokesley

“It sounds odd but we had lived in Hong Kong for ten years and we were constantly fighting for parking spaces there so we really wanted somewhere with lots of space for cars,” says Linda, whose search area was concentrated around Stokesley, which offers good access to major road and rail routes.

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“The ideas was to put a pin in a map to find the place that had easy access to Newcastle, Harrogate and Leeds, rail links to London and was in reasonable travelling distance of airports and this was the area that stood out. Another bonus is that it is also close to the coast.”

The couple were also keen to try hobby farming, which is why they bought Thorntree Farm in the village of Busby in 2004. It has 5,000 sq. ft of space and just over 23 acres of land with views of Roseberry Topping.

“It offered us a complete lifestyle change and we are able to have sheep, chickens and our two Labrador dogs,” says Linda.

Thorntree Farm, near StokesleyThorntree Farm, near Stokesley
Thorntree Farm, near Stokesley

The farnstead was a series of ramshackle old buildings when they bought it but they linked them together to create a sensational family home, taking inspiration from top hotels they stayed at during their travels round the world. Linda, a surveyor, project managed the build and the property reflects her attention to detail and her wish to retain the period features. She and David have also spent a small fortune landscaping the gardens and have planted 5,000 trees in the grounds to create a woodland.

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The house, which has smart home technology built in, now has an entrance hall, garden room with glass roof, utility room, shower room, cinema/games room, mezzanine area, family room, dining kitchen with Aga, sitting room, dining room. drawing room and guest wing and office. On the first floor, there is a master suite, three double bedrooms and a family bathroom. Outside, there are gardens, an orchard and a vegetable plot.

Linda and David are selling to downsize now their son, George, has flown the nest. She says: “We have loved living here and it is great house for parties. The last one we had was in the garden when we hired tipis from Papakata in York and put on a hog roast for our 25th wedding anniversary. It was magical.”

For details contact Robin Jessop, www.robinjessop.co.uk

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