Lesson in great design at this school conversion - now for sale

The former village school in Newton on Ouse has been given a new lease of life after a striking transformation that has turned the disused building into a contemporary four-bedroom home incorporating the building’s original features.The property is now for sale with Croft Residential and is priced at £900,000Built in the 19th century and used as a school until the 1980s, the building was bought from the local parish council in 2018 by Cherry Blossom Developments.Its new incarnation as a home is thanks to designer and developer Glen Shorrock who has made the most of the property’s tall arched windows to create a house that is full of natural light.

Yorkshireman Glen has recently returned to his native county after several years tackling stylish home refurbishment projects for the well-heeled residents of Richmond, in London.He is now based in York and he and his two new business partners have launched Cherry Blossom Developments, with the Old School, nine miles from York, as the firm’s inaugural project.

“When I first saw the school, which was for sale with outline planning permission, I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it,” says Glen. “I was so excited by the height of the building and the roof structure and how we would use the space, which had basically been divided into two full-height halls. I knew we could create a fabulous modern home within the school building.”

The interior of the property includes new first and second floors, dropped into the cavernous space and set back from the windows in order to maintain the clean lines of their beautiful church-style proportions.

The historic fabric of the building contrasts beautifully with new features, which include a high-spec kitchen, German engineered oak flooring, underfloor heating and a vented heating system. The property has two first-floor ensuite bedrooms and a second-floor master bedroom.Set across from the village green and close to the National Trust gem that is Beningbrough Hall, the Old School was designed by celebrated York architect George Townsend Andrews, who also designed York Railway Station.Croft Residential director Toby Cockcroft says: “I think what Glen and his team have created with the Old School is unique and I certainly haven’t seen anything else like it in Yorkshire, let alone in such a great location close to York and Harrogate.”For details visit www.croftresidential.co.uk