Lost in grandeur! (From York Press)

Lost in grandeur!

12:00pm Thursday 12th January 2012

The Limes may well be one of York's grandest homes - but, says Brian Page, it is also one of its most family-friendly.

THERE is a moment, as Bob Doyle leads me on a tour around his home, The Limes, when I become lost... I have literally lost my bearings and have no idea of where we are.

It’s fitting somehow – because it took me a while to work out where this house was to be found in the first place.

It is close to a main road and a roundabout I have spun around literally hundreds of times – totally unaware that I was driving past one of York’s grandest properties.

The Limes sits sedately on the junction of Heworth Green and Heworth Road, sheltering behind a swathe of mature trees, a collection not just of the eponymous limes but colourful copper beeches, yew trees, sycamore and oak and a forest of firs.

“The trees are beautiful in leaf and they provide a great deal of privacy,” says Bob.

“You would hardly know we were here.”

Amazing, really, as this is one of the city’s most historic as well as handsome homes.

Built around 1835, the Grade IIlsted Regency property is described in the The Royal Commission on Historical monuments (England) as a “three bay villa-type house built on a stone plinth”.

Ah, accurate the Commission might have been but, how shall we put it, a trifle lacking in heart… Looking at the front of the house is to stare at splendour… its deep canted bay window, tall and imposing front door and its Roman Doric columns whisper grandeur.

And this is very much a grand house in all senses of the word. If we were to be as prosaically soulless as the Commission types we would tell you that this home, considerably extended in 2000, has a central hallway, a study, dining room, drawing room, family room, kitchen and utility room. We would tell you that it also has six bedrooms and an attic room.

That, of course, would be to tell you nothing of any meaning.

Better, perhaps, if we bring you on the tour that Bob, an affable and knowledgeable host, gave us.

We start in the imposing hallway, with a sweeping staircase spiralling upwards and a York stone flagged floor underfoot. The first of the rooms we visit immediately sets the tone for the tour, revealing why this grand house is also a warm home.

While the study is a large, rich and elegant room, it is also cheerful and welcoming, friendly rather than over-imposing.

“I’m glad you think that,” Bob says. “This is a big house but we think it is a very warm house, very much a family house.”

The study is also brilliantly light and bright – another feature of the house as a whole, thanks in no small part to the fact that virtually all of the rooms here have dualaspect windows or windows and French doors.

Across from the study is an equally warming breakfast kitchen, delightfully fitted and equipped and opening onto a family room (and more of that later).

First, let us press on to the back of the house, to the drawing room with its deep windows and French doors looking out onto the long, lawned rear garden. We stand quietly here for a moment, long enough to realise that the only sound that can be heard is the ticking of a pleasant grandfather clock. “Yes,” Bob says. “This is a very peaceful room – except when we are entertaining!”

And when it comes to entertaining there can be no better spot than the house’s delightful formal dining room, with a working open fire set in a splendid period fireplace in black marble.

“When we have the family here, for Christmas and celebrations, the fire is lit and it all becomes very jolly,” Bob says.

But, no time to dally, there is more, much more, to see. We take that fine formal staircase upstairs, admiring the high ceilings, period cornicing and ceiling roses (quite a few of which Bob had put in after he and Ann and the family moved here in 2001) and dramatic chandeliers along the way.

It’s worth pointing out, as we go along, that while some Regency homes can have dark and dull bedrooms, that is certainly not the case here, and that of the six bedrooms on this floor, five have dual-aspect windows – no shortage of light!

Of the six, the master bedroom has a smart en-suite bathroom with bath and walk-in shower. And the house bathroom has been sympathetically modernised to give plenty of comfort, but in a Regency style.

One of the bedrooms Bob described as a ‘dressing room’ but it felt to me (with a certain amount of wistfulness) that it would make a brilliant snug. “Oh, I quite often spend time in there reading, it’s another nice quiet room,” Bob agreed.

And now here comes the embarrassing bit. We come down to the ground floor by way of a secondary staircase (which at one point was blocked off but opened up by the previous owners). It’s when we reach the bottom of these stairs that I lose my bearings.

I know we are back in the kitchen but suddenly have no idea of the rest of the geography.

Well, it is a very big house… And there is one final headspinning joy to come. Turning from the kitchen to the back of the house, you walk into a family room, an absolute delight with two sets of French doors and a long window giving nice views to the garden and a stone-flagged terrace.

There’s a centrepiece fireplace with warming gas burner and rich solid wood flooring. The kind of room which invites you to sit yourself down and stay awhile.

Unfortunately, it’s time to leave, not stay.

For Bob and Ann, too… “We will be sorry to leave,”

Bob says, “we’ve been very happy here but our children have grown up now and moved on. It’s far too big for just Ann and myself.

It is a house which really should have children here, it’s a family home.”

Indeed. A grand family home.

at a glance

THE LIMES,HEWORTH GREEN,YORK

Reception rooms: 4

Bedrooms: 6 (plus a boarded attic room)

Bathrooms: 2

Gardens: Sheltered lawned and gravelled area to front, stone terrace patio area to rear with long lawned garden (all wrapped up in a wide variety of mature trees)

Wow factor: A clever blend of period grandeur and family home comfort throughout, but the super family room steals it for us

Price: Offers around £795,000

Contact: RM English

Telephone: 01904 697900.