St Trinians Hall for sale near Richmond is one of North Yorkshire's most beautiful period homes

“It needed a complete refurbishment from the bottom upwards including replacing the roof, plumbing and electrics,” says Peter. The Mothersills took a particular interest in the garden, which they had redesigned after taking inspiration from the gardens of a French chateau where they holiday.

“We have loved living here and bringing up our two children here. It is a large house but it feels very homely. It’s also very conveniently located with Easby on the doorstep, Richmond a five-minute drive away and some of the best walking territory in the world in Swaledale,” says Peter. He and Sue are selling to downsize but say: “The house has been a passion of ours and we hope the new owners will enjoy it as much as we have.”

St Trinians Hall has a sitting room, drawing room, dining room, library/ snooker room, hoby/playroom, a large kitchen, a laundry room and back hall. The upper floors have six bedrooms, a sitting room and four bathrooms. To the rear of the property is a cottage with two ensuite bedrooms that is connected to the house but with its own separate entrance

Outside, there is a large, gravelled area with a turning circle and a garage block. The garages offer scope for development subject to consents. Beyond is a small stable yard with three loose boxes. The gardens include a kitchen garden with a glasshouse with two mature and productive grape vines and fig trees. The parkland extends to 17 acres with a small lake and pond.

"This is such a rare home, a serious house, which lends itself to family life and entertaining on a grand scale. The owners have carried out a wonderful restoration, leaving little for the next custodians to do. The gardens and park are glorious, ideal for free range children and animals alike," says estate agent Ben Pridden of Hewetson and Johnson.

For details of the sale contact: Hewetson and Johnson, tel: 01347 868308, www.hewetsonandjohnson.co.uk

St Trinians lies just outside the hamlet of Easby, well known for its abbey, a casualty of Henry the Eighth's reformation of the monasteries. The area is surrounded by open countryside, and is close to the eastern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Richmond (1.5 miles) is a popular market town with excellent amenities including schools, supermarkets, restaurants and The Georgian Theatre Royal. There are mainline stations in Darlington (15.5 miles), and Northallerton (14 miles) with direct services to London (2h 30m), Edinburgh (2h 20m) and Leeds (1h). Barnard Castle School is the nearest independent school.