For sale: a home in the Howardian Hills close to Castle Howard

Bulmer Lodge at the rear with an Oakleaf conservatory.

This beautiful period home has its roots in the late 18th century but has grown in size and grandeur over the years.

Situated in a pretty village close to Castle Howard, it started life as two Georgian cottages. They were amalgamated in the 1930s and extended in the 1970s. The most recent addition was in the late 1990s when a substantial Oakleaf conservatory with a wine cellar beneath was added by the present owners, Michael and Anne Swan.

The couple bought Bulmer Lodge in 1996 after falling in love with the building and its location. It is in the sought-after Howardian Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, near York.

Bulmer Lodge is in a pretty village in the Howardian Hills

Philip Procter, Regional Director of Humberts estate agency, describes the property as “an all too rare combination of attractive features”.

Set well back from the road and next to the village church, there is an entrance hall, dining room, and a drawing room that extends across the full depth of the house.

The ground floor also has a study/fifth bedroom and a snug with built-in bookcases and a traditional range, which bears witness to its previous existence as a kitchen in one of the original cottages.

The breakfast kitchen is spacious with handcrafted beech cabinets and a matching peninsular There is also a walk-in pantry and an adjacent dining area, which opens onto the air-conditioned

conservatory. Built to be used year-round, the conservatory has automatic, temperature controlled air vents, hinged window units and French doors leading to south and west facing terraces.

On the first floor is a substantial master bedroom and adjoining walk-in wardrobe and en-suite bathroom. There are three further bedrooms, a box room and a house bathroom. The property sits in an acre of gardens with a turning/parking area. .

Mr and Mrs Swan are selling to downsize. Mr Swan says: “Bulmer is a lovely, sociable village and we have very much enjoyed living here.” He adds that Bulmer Lodge is proving attractive to buyers looking for a multi-generational property as it has two staircases and could easily be divided.

For more details contact Humberts, York, tel: 01904 611828, www.humberts.com or Rounthwaite Woodhead, tel: 01653) 600747, www.rounthwaite-woodhead.com

*Bulmer is one of the original Castle Howard Estate villages. It is close to Welburn, which has a pub, restaurant and primary school, and is two miles from the A64 York to Scarborough Road. There is a train station at nearby Malton.