Inside Holme House: The Hebden Bridge Georgian villa that became a family home and musicians’ retreat
When Michele Rashman moved into Holme House with her husband and elderly parents over a decade ago, she wasn’t just buying bricks and mortar, she was creating a home that bridged generations.
The six-bedroom Georgian villa, on New Road in Hebden Bridge, has had many lives. For Michele, it has been a family home, an artist’s haven, and, unexpectedly, a backstage retreat for musicians. Holme House may look like a typical period property from the front, but behind its traditional façade is an adaptable home.
When Michele and her husband bought it in 2013, it hadn’t been lived in for over a year. “There were mushrooms growing on the carpet,” she says. “It needed everything – re-wiring, re-plastering, a new central heating system.” But what it had was potential.
The layout suited their family’s unique needs: a self-contained two-bedroom flat on the ground floor for Michele’s parents, a one-bedroom guest flat beside it, and a spacious two-bedroom apartment above for Michele and her husband. It allowed her parents, then in their late eighties, to live with a sense of independence while being supported.
“It was ideal,” she says. “When my mum’s mobility declined, we installed a ramp so I could take her in a wheelchair to the park or the shops. And my dad, who was more mobile, became a bit of a local character, always out feeding the ducks.” During lockdown, the guest apartment became a temporary home for her brother and his family. Later, it turned into something more unusual: a green room for Hebden Bridge’s Trades Club, the legendary music venue next door.
“It started when they were short on space.
“We let them use the flat, and now I’d say about 90 per cent of the acts who play the Trades Club pass through here.”
From Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock to the late Blondie drummer Clem Burke, and even a drag act who left behind a trail of sequins and false eyelashes, Holme House has quietly hosted a backstage scene of its own.
“People assume musicians are going to be wild,” says Michele. “But they’re usually just thrilled to have a quiet, clean space. Sometimes we’d hear someone playing our piano while we were looking after my mum. It was oddly comforting.”
The house itself dates back to pre-industrial Hebden Bridge. Michele has traced its origins to the Appleyard family, early landowners in the area. “The town really grew up around it,” she says.
Today, it remains a building full of possibilities. The three apartments could easily become one home again or continue to function separately – ideal for extended families or rental income. Michele has even built a “catio,” an outdoor enclosure connected by tunnels from the cellar, so her cats could roam safely in the town centre.
Now looking to downsize, she says it’s time to pass the house on. “It’s too big for just the two of us now. But we’ve had a wonderful decade here. Holme House is on the market for £875,000 with clairesheehan-estateagents.co.uk