'Magical' medieval manor with superb handcrafted kitchen on the market for £1.5m
It began, as many childhood dreams do, with a fairy tale. For beauty entrepreneur Andrea Asquith, the vision of a grand, storybook home took root early – an old house glimpsed in childhood, its stone floors and historic beams casting a spell that never quite wore off.
“I always dreamed of being a princess,” she says. “When I was little, I loved old houses – they were just magical.”
Years later, that long-held dream became reality when Andrea stepped inside High Bentley Manor, a Grade I listed medieval aisled hall in Shelf near Halifax.
At once atmospheric and surprisingly light-filled, the house felt not only historic, but alive. “It was a princess house and it just had a magical feeling about it,” she says.
Standing within two acres of gardens, looking out across rolling green fields and woodland, High Bentley Manor is one of Yorkshire’s most extraordinary homes – not just for its impressive architecture, but for the way it folds over 350 years of history into a warm family space.
The Grade I-listed property is officially recognised by Historic England as the only complete Yorkshire aisled hall which retains both its service and solar wings in timber framing. The organisation says the late medieval timber-framed interior belongs to the second half of the fifteenth century.
It adds: “It was a large hall to a shrunken medieval settlement the platforms of which are still visible in the field immediately to the north.”
Andrea, founder and director of beauty brand NYK1, first came across the property on Rightmove.
Initially, she was cautious. High Bentley Manor was big, old and potentially draughty. “So I rented it first, just to see. It wasn’t draughty and it didn’t feel creepy,” she says. Six months later, she bought it.
Over the last eight years, Andrea has put her own stamp on the property in subtle ways. A bright new kitchen from Drew Forsyth & Co in Hebden Bridge replaced the dark original.
She fitted a new Aga and refreshed a couple of bathrooms and painted the walls. Beyond that, though, very little changed. “You don’t need to change it,” she says. You don’t put wallpaper on these walls – there isn’t the space.”
The manor house became a cosy home for Andrea’s blended family and a magnet for history enthusiasts. "People are fascinated by the historical significance of the house,” she says. “Some people come a long way just to see it.”
Despite its scale and grandeur – five bedrooms, a minstrel’s gallery, a billiard room and vast great hall – the house is surprisingly cosy.
“That was one of my fears, that it wouldn’t be warm,” she says. “But it is. Within 20 minutes of putting the heating on, it’s toasty. I think it’s the thick walls, and in summer, it’s cool too.”
While the architecture is undeniably impressive, it's the light that has stayed with her most. “There’s so much of it. The great hall has five windows, and because of the mezzanine level, you get it from above too. Morning light, afternoon light. Even on dull days, it still feels bright.”
Outside, landscaped gardens wrap around the manor. From the back, the views stretch over Judy Woods and all the way to Emley Moor.
Andrea says: “It’s part of my identity now. I wanted a house like this for so long and it became mine and I’m sure it’ll stay with me. I’m proud of it.”
The manor has had many incarnations. Before it was restored in the nineties, it was close to ruin. Andrea remembers hearing stories from people who played there as children when it was little more than a shell – “a dangerous one, with the roof coming in.”
Part of it, she was told, once housed livestock before the house was extended. “Apparently the pigs were kept in the part of the house with the stone floor,” she says.
Alongside the main house sits a substantial detached garage - large enough for three cars, with a loft space above that could become anything from a home office to an annexe. “The people before us started converting it. It’s a serious building - a stone house in itself,” says Andrea.
Now, after nearly a decade of calling it home, Andrea is preparing to say goodbye after buying a property on Lake Windermere in Cumbria.
Her new Victorian home comes with a private beach but the decision to sell High Bentley Manor hasn’t been easy. “I wanted something completely different,” she says. “I’ve got grown-up kids now – I don’t need a house this size. But I’ll miss it. I already do.”
“I’m nearly 60,” she adds. “I didn’t want to wait until I’m too old to start a new chapter. But it’s not a house you leave empty for weeks at a time. It needs to be lived in.”
High Bentley Manor is on the market for £1.5m with estate agent Mr & Mr Child.
Director James Child, inset, says: “High Bentley Manor is one of the most significant historic homes we’ve ever represented. It’s a landmark of Yorkshire’s architectural heritage, yet it feels deeply lived-in and loved. Homes of this calibre very rarely come to market.”
Meanwhile, Andrea is looking forward to spending one last Christmas in her dream home: “The great hall was made for it,” she says. Visit mrandmrchild.com or call 01423 225121.