The revival of this fabulous Grade I listed Elizabethan mansion in Yorkshire and its conversion into homes to let have secured its future

The upmarket properties in glorious grounds went on the market this week and the income from them should secure the building’s long term future. One of the key players in this remarkable turnaround was Mark Granger. The Yorkshire based chief executive of property and land agency Carter Jonas is also a trustee of the Wheler Foundation, the charitable trust set up by Ledston Hall’s late owner Granville Wheler, before his death without heirs in 2004.

The trust also owns the Ledston Estate, with its cottages and commercial buildings and pub, along with the Otterden estate in Kent, which is where Mr Wheler’s main home was. He inherited all the above in 1948 when he was just 19. Mark Granger says: “Mr Wheler knew me from when I was in short trousers, as my father’s involvement with Ledston Hall went back to the 1930s.

“Mr Wheler always wanted to restore the hall but, although he was capital rich in terms of owning the two estates, he didn’t have the cash necessary to embark upon such a project. I’m thrilled for him because we’ve managed to do something that he would’ve loved to have done but wasn’t able to in his lifetime.”

The fortunes of the historic Yorkshire house started reversing when the Wheler Foundation sold a parcel of land in Kent to developers in order to fund Ledston Hall’s revival. “Although the Foundation considered other uses for the Hall, ranging from office space to a hotel, we realised they weren’t viable. The south wing had been converted into five flats in the 1960s and we’d always been able to let them so we knew there was a demand,” says Mark.

In addition to the ten homes to let, all with lift access, the Hall has a meeting room, dining room and a kitchen space for meetings and functions. Managed by Carter Jonas, the conversion started in April 2020 and has just completed. It is the first Grade I listed property in the country to be granted permission to replace many of its metal windows with double-glazed equivalents to boost the energy performance of the building.

External walls have also been thermally upgraded, floors fitted with acoustic insulation and original features retained and replicated. The hall has been divided into four houses and six apartments, which have period charm while catering for modern living.

Set in private grounds with far-reaching views, they are 1.5 miles from Ledston with Leeds 15 miles away and the A1, M1 and M62 within four miles. The lets range from a one-bedroom apartment for £1,150 per calendar month to £2,600 for a four bedroomed, end of terrace house, arranged over three floors.

“There isn’t anything else like this in the UK,” says Olivia Mayo, an associate in the rural team at Carter Jonas, who has been managing the renovation with Hannah Burton, a partner in the firm’s Harrogate office. Some stately homes have rented out flats, but nothing recently and certainly nothing where everything inside is brand new and every property has fibre broadband and access to an electric vehicle charging point.”

The repurposing is the latest chapter in the hall’s evolution. It began life on land belonging to the Monks of Pontefract Priory. In 1556, it passed to the Witham family before being sold to the Earl of Stafford in 1631. He added the south and north west wings, while the next incumbent, Sir John Lewis added the north wing.

Following his death, it passed to the Hastings family and the remarkable Lady Elizabeth Hastings, a social reformer known as Lady Betty, who inherited it at the age of 23. She lived there in the 18th century and made many improvements to the property. The estate passed to the Wheler family in 1789, though they favoured their home in Otterden in Kent spending only short periods at Ledston.

Granville Wheler inherited it in 1948 and leased it to a school until the 1960’s since when it remained vacant apart from the south wing. Now begins a new life with a new use for an old house that is splendid and useful again. “The Wheler Foundation has two main objectives, the first being the restoration and repair of its historic buildings. The other is education so there is a classroom on the estate used by visiting schools,” says Mark Granger.

"We are also going to welcome schools to the Hall, so that children can learn about its history. Mr Wheler was passionate about educating children from towns and cities about the countryside.” For details of the homes to let contact Carter Jonas, Harrogate, tel: 01423 523423