Cosy, character cottage in the village of Sand Hutton, near York (From York Press)

Cosy, character cottage in the village of Sand Hutton, near York

3:37pm Thursday 26th January 2012

HOW do you pick the houses you write about, a friend asked this week.

Well, it’s an exhausting business requiring considerable knowledge, skill and experience, I replied. No, really, my friend replied when she had finished laughing… Well, some weeks it is easier than others.

Sometimes a character property will just jump out at you and beg to be featured.

This week’s choice is a case in point. It’s a pretty cottage sitting in the corner of a small courtyard community on the edge of the attractive village of Sand Hutton.

And it takes just one glance at the brochure pictures to realise it is a little bit special.

It’s a delightful ramble of nooks and crannies, with overhead wooden beams and vaulted ceiling trusses, a cosy and comforting exposed brick fireplace and a surprising series of light and spacious rooms. And that’s before we saw the brilliant views across open fields.

Cosy and comforting, actually, is a brilliant description, not just of the fire in the living room but the house as a whole. “It is a lovely place,” says Gill Richardson, who has owned this home for the last 18 years.

“I have very much enjoyed living here.

There is a nice warm feeling about it.”

Well, having seen the pictures, it was time to judge for ourselves.

We arrived on a crisp, bright Sunday morning, sunshine sparkling on frosty fields. Gill greets me with her partner John Edmonds.

And it is John who, as an architect has an interest in such things, relates the history of the building.

Until the 1970s, the cottage – and the others set around the courtyard – made up the outbuildings for Home Farm, the Sand Hutton Hall estate farm.

John has a lovely picture of Gill’s house in use as a stable, complete with horses peering curiously at the camera.

When they were converted, the developers, as well as building in comfortable mod-cons, also cannily kept some of the original pieces, the conversation-starters that first attracted my attention.

So it is that, stepping into the kitchen, we find the first of the deep black solid wood ceiling beams that feature throughout the house and make this such an attractive home.

The kitchen has another nice character touch in the form of an arched window to the side, while a further window to the front allows you to look out up the road towards the village centre.

“That view is super,” Gill says, “you can see all the comings and goings, it’s like a window on the world.”

The view from the kitchen is interesting but there is better to come.

As we walk through into the dining room and glance out of the window, we are struck by the sight of a high and handsome blue cedar tree waving gently at us.

And then from the window of the living room the vista opens up to give us a beautiful view across to open fields stretching into the distance.

“Stunning isn’t it,” says Gill. “And there are lots of walks around the area which you can take from here.”

The living room is empty of furniture at the moment, Gill and John having moved to another house in the village (they never considered leaving Sand Hutton as they both love the area).

But it’s not hard to see (especially with the aid of the brochure pictures) just how warm and welcoming a room this is. The fresh white wall and the whitewashed exposed brick fireplace contrast stylishly with the deep black of the ceiling beams and trusses.

There are built-in cupboards and alcove shelving with overhead bookshelves running all around the room.

“Yes, that is very much a working fire” Gill says when I ask of this centrepiece. “And when it’s on this room is lovely and warm, very cosy.”

It is also, she adds, a very relaxing room to come back to after a hard day at work – Gill owns and runs the nearby Dunnington Lodge nursing home.

“Sand Hutton is a village which has a very good social community, there’s a lot going on here if you want to get involved. People don’t live in each other’s pockets but they are very friendly.

“Sand Hutton is also very easy to get in and out of – you can be at Monk’s Cross in 15 minutes and in York in 20 minutes.”

There is a regular bus service directly into the village, with four buses each way daily on the York - Castle Howard route.

And there is an arrangement with Defra which allows for cycle parking at the weekends near to the A64, so you can use the Yorkshire Coastliner (Leeds -Scarborough, Filey and Bridlington) with three buses an hour each way.

At this point I myself feel like moving into the village and this little haven in particular.

But there is still work to be done.

Moving on, we walk into an inner hallway off which there are two good-sized bedrooms either side of a pretty bathroom and a third bedroom/dressing room/home office (and there is a further storage area which can also be accessed from outside).

And, talking of outside, another of the joys of this little gem is a small but perfectly-formed courtyard- within-a-courtyard garden.

Set out in a flagged stone patio style it is set off by mature shrubs, flower beds and with a range of mature, privacy-providing, tall trees. There is also a hard-parking area to the front.

“I think this is an ideal place for someone who wants to have a home with character and who wants to enjoy village life,” Gill says.

Absolutely… a lovely home in a lovely village. And that, I shall tell my friend, is how we make our selections.

at a glance

Sand Hutton Court, Sand Hutton

Reception rooms: 2/3
Bedrooms: 2/3
Bathrooms: 1
Gardens: Pretty courtyard-style garden, hard standing parking area
Wow factor: A cosy, characterful home throughout – super living room with good views of the surrounding countryside
Price: £250,000
Contact: Hudson-Moody. Telephone: 01904 650650