For sale: two for one in the pretty and historic village of Hovingham

This five-bedroom detached house in the pretty village of Hovingham comes with a two-bedroom cottage.

The attached properties are on separate titles, with a shared access and gardens to the rear.

Anna Hemmingfield and her family bought Hovingham Country House two years ago after relocating to the country from central York.

“We had already put a deposit down on a new-build house in York when we saw this. It offered more space and character and we liked the idea of bringing our four children up in the country.

“It turned out to be a great decision. The pace of life is slower, the schools are good and there’s a lot to do in the area. There are some lovely walks and we are very close to Castle Howard,” says Anna, who adds: “The cottage was separately owned but when it came up for sale, my mother and father-in-law bought it and we are now selling the two properties together.”

Over the past two years the house has been updated, redecorated and the galley kitchen moved into what was the dining room to create a dining kitchen. Digger cottage has been completely renovated and extended.

The two homes offer a range of possibilities. Hovingham Country House was once a guest house and could revert back to this with the cottage providing owners’ accommodation.

The cottage and house could be combined to make a larger, single property or the cottage could be used as a holiday let or as a self-contained annexe for relatives.

The house has a sitting room, dining room, breakfast kitchen, a utility room, five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garden, store and off-street parking Digger cottage, which adjoins the main house at the rear, has a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom. There are also two lower ground floor rooms.

The family is selling to move to a property with land for horses.

Anna says: “We will be sad to leave this house and the village but we want to have ponies and so we need a house with land. We are hoping to stay close to Hovingham.”

A spokesman for Savills says: “Hovingham Country House is a five bedroom home much improved by the current owner. It offers an unusual opportunity to buy two attached properties on separate titles.”

*For more details contact Savills, York, tel: 01904 617820, www.savills.co.uk

*Hovingham is a village set in the Howardian Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is home to historic Hovingham Hall and has a primary school, hotel, public house, village shop, bakery, hairdressers, children’s playground, bowling green and tennis club. There is also an award-winning monthly food market.

The market towns of Malton and Helmsley are both eight miles away and there is a railway station at Malton with trains to York and Leeds.

York is 20 miles away and offers more extensive amenities, including a mainline station with direct services to London Kings Cross in under two hours.