This 'space age' bunglalow for sale in York features outdoor pool and wildlife haven
There was a rumour doing the rounds in the late 1960s that the newly-built Dovecote Garden rotated to follow the sun.
“Utter nonsense,” says its current owner Nigel Shepherd. “But it was an urban myth that was around at the time and one of my cousins heard it. Everyone thought the building was space age stuff.”
Although it may not spin, Dovecote Garden in Fulford, York, still offers something a little bit different.
The single storey four bedroom bungalow was built in the gardens of Fulford Hall in 1967 as a retirement home for York businessman Harry Raylor.
The unusual detached stone-built property, which stands out in the brick-built neighbourhood, retains the grandeur of a country house setting being bounded by an eighteenth-century wall on one side and neighbouring the original dovecote on the other.
It sits in the heart of its landscaped garden and grounds, entirely private and accessed from a long drive with electric gates.
Nigel moved there 14 years ago and initially rented the house before making the purchase. “It’s not immediately the most gorgeous house you’ve ever set eyes on but it grows on you and it has a very practical layout and it’s extremely light,” he says.
Every room is generously proportioned and illuminated by tall windows providing a fine outlook across the gardens.
Over the years Nigel has fully updated each room of the house, extended the kitchen and added an outdoor pool surrounded by decking.
Originally a five bedroom home, he exchanged one of the bedrooms for a bathing and wet room area, making it a four bedroom and four bathroom property.
Nigel says his favourite area of the house is the kitchen table in the extension.
“In the summer the glass box opens up completely and the pool is right in front of you,” he says. “In the winter the double glazing is shut, the underfloor heating is on and when it snows it’s like you’re in the snow but you’re warm and dry. I rather like that feeling.”
The front garden was designed in 2023 by renowned landscape architect and designer, Hal Forbes Adam, who arranged the planting of a wildflower meadow interspersed with green paths and scattered with a variety of saplings. At its centre is a bird bath of stone hewn from a North York Moors quarry.
“Hal Forbes Adam was recommended to me by an architect friend,” says Nigel.
“The front garden is now a haven for wildlife, bees and birds. It’s beautiful because it’s effectively a meadow in the summer time – it’s quite something.”
Nigel, who sold his business earlier this year, is planning a move down to Jersey, an island he has adored since he was a child.
"I first went there in 1960 and I’ve wanted to live there ever since,” he says.
“If you think Yorkshire people are friendly, Jersey people are extraordinarily welcoming and friendly.
“I’m very excited about it.”
For further details on this property, call Blenkin & Co, York on 01904 671672 or visit blenkinandco.com