'We’ve kept all of the existing features', says owner of outstanding £2.5m Regency house Sigglesthorne Hall
Sigglesthorne Hall in East Yorkshire, which dates back to the 1800s and has links to celebrated architect Cuthbert Broderick, is on the market for £2.5m. Lizzie Murphy reports.
Set on the edge of a quiet East Yorkshire village, Sigglesthorne Hall is a stunning example of Regency architecture surrounded by 18 acres of gardens, woodland and paddock.
The Grade II listed property in Sigglesthorne, near Beverley, has been thoughtfully restored in recent years, preserving its early 19th-century character while sensitively adapting it for contemporary living.
When John and Valerie Redman relocated to Yorkshire from Kent in 2011 for John’s work, it took just one visit to convince them they had found their home. Driving up the tree-lined avenue, past sweeping lawns and mature trees, they were struck by the hall’s setting and sense of privacy.
“What appealed was the garden and the central position of the house on the site, which adds to the general privacy,” says John, a retired senior executive in the over-the-counter pharmaceutical and vitamin industry. “When we drove in, my wife said, ‘I’m having the garden’.”
The peace and tranquility of the property also appealed to the couple. “You can hear nothing except horses going past and sheep in the field. It’s delightfully quiet,” adds John.
John and Valerie bought the house from the late John Townend, who had lived there with his family for nearly four decades while serving as MP for Bridlington for much of that time.
Sigglesthorne Hall is thought to have been built at the turn of the nineteenth century for Hull mechant Matthew Gibson and was described as the “smaller hall of the Gibson family” according to research by John Townsend.
The house was extended some 30 years later with the addition of canted bays that rise the full height of the house on the west side of the house with the help of architect Cuthbert Brodrick, who went on to design Leeds Town Hall.
Historically, it has been home to notable figures including Captain George Richard Bethell, a Royal Navy officer and Conservative MP for Holderness, who acquired the property in the late nineteenth century.
At the entrance to the property, a handsome Ionic columned porch is framed by stone friezes and arches forming shelved niches either side of a panelled front door which opens into a reception hall.
Inside, original details have been meticulously preserved, including decorative cornicing, ceiling roses and a striking open-string staircase with highly decorative wrought iron spindles.
Some fittings even pre-date the house itself, salvaged from nearby Winestead Hall before its demolition in the 1930s. The most notable of these is the fabulous hand carved wooden overmantel in the style of Grinling Gibbon and the delightful Adams-style fireplaces.
The eight-bedroom main house is arranged over three floors, featuring nearly 7,500 sq ft of accommodation.
Large sash windows bring in natural light, and rooms such as the kitchen, complete with Aga, granite worktops, and adjoining breakfast room, combine traditional craftsmanship with everyday comfort.
A two-storey attached cottage adds further living space, with its own kitchen, sitting room, and two bedrooms.
In the early days, the property required some attention. The couple reroofed the main house, the cottage, and the outbuildings, improved the drainage and redecorated throughout.
The property also has full fibre to the premises offering super fast broadband.
"We both like a traditional country house to look like a traditional country house so we’ve kept all of the existing features and we haven’t gone through and modernised everything because that didn’t feel appropriate,” says John.
A walled garden encloses a south-facing pool house, and a tennis court is presided over by a timber summer house. There are also stables, outbuildings, and a paddock, making the property well-suited to equestrian use.
"We’ve updated almost everything to do with the pool but the pool itself was there when we bought the house,” says John. “It has the appearance of an orangery so it’s a delightful building.”
Valerie is an avid gardener and maintains a lot of the seven-acre garden herself. “My favourite part of the garden is the rose garden, just outside my kitchen window,” she says. “I love to keep that looking nice because it’s the first part of the garden I see.
"The garden feels different in different places but none of it is overly formal,” she adds. “I like it fairly natural.”
The couple’s favourite spots include the greenhouse, where Valerie grows flowers, fruit, and vegetables; the summer house, perfect for entertaining or enjoying a quiet glass of wine; and the snug, a cosy space to unwind.
While the house is private and not overlooked, it’s within easy reach of Beverley, Hull, and York. Nearby Hornsea offers access to the Holderness Coast and the lake, Yorkshire’s largest freshwater body.
However, after 15 years, the couple, now in their 60s, are ready to downsize. "It’s wonderful at Christmas when family comes home and there are children about the place, but for the rest of the year there are only two of us here, which isn’t ideal for this house,” says John.
Sigglesthorne Hall is on the market with a guide price of £2.5m with blenkinandco.com