Thatched cottage for sale in an idyllic Howardian Hills village with easy access to York and Malton

“It’s a wonderful place to live with lots of walks with the dogs because the village is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,” says Gillian.

Since buying the period home, the couple have worked their magic on it and are only selling to buy a house with a smaller garden. “We are sorry to go because we love the house, the village and the neighbours. It is a great community but I am a great believer in what will be, will be,” says Gillian.

Tucked away in a rural hamlet above the River Derwent and just a 15-minute drive from York and Malton, Church Farm House is a short stroll from The Stone Trough Inn and the beautiful riverside ruins at Kirkham.

The property is a quintessential English cottage that dates from the 1500s and it is one of only a handful of homes in the area with a thatched roof. It now boasts modern side and rear extensions with pantile roofs and this has transformed the property while creating an impressive, double-height, contemporary space that connects to the gardens as well as providing additional accommodation.

One of the best views is from the kitchen and canopied terrace, which stretches across the lawn to the village’s Grade I listed Norman church.

Inside, the kitchen breakfast room has a slate floor from Porcelanosa, bespoke, handmade cabinets with breakfast bar, a five-oven electric Aga, wine fridge and pantry. Alongside is the back kitchen/utility/laundry room that has a double oven with integrated microwave and separate hob.

Connected to the kitchen is the 30ft family room, which is double height and vaulted with exposed timbers and full length bifold doors that lead to a stone terrace and garden

This historic part of the property includes two reception rooms with reclaimed cottage doors, deep sills, beams, fireplaces and double glazed, Yorkshire sliding sash windows. There is also a study.

The principal bedroom has a dressing room and en suite shower room and there are two further bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Outside, there is a cottage garden at the front, a driveway with ample parking, a double garage and a pergola with a terraced seating area. The main garden at the side of the house has a wildlife pond, summer house and terrace.

Crambe is a rural hamlet and is close to the A64 which gives rapid access to the lovely market town of Malton – known as ‘Yorkshire’s Food Capital’ – as well as York with its mainline railway station, Leeds and further afield. The neighbouring village of Kirkham with its monastic ruin has a public house and is easily accessible via a footpath. Monks Cross and Vangarde Shopping Park can be reached in 15 minutes by car, and the coast in 45 minutes.