Barn conversions in countryside settings - yet still close to town (From York Press)

Barn conversions in countryside settings - yet still close to town

3:40pm Thursday 26th July 2012

We’ve picked out two quite stunning properties which enjoy the best of both worlds, being in pretty countryside but within easy striking distance of York city centre.

The first is an absolutely brilliant – in all senses of the word – home at Crockey Hill.

The Granary, in the village’s Wheldrake Lane, is a very fine barn conversion with a huge amount of space, a super sense of style and lots of light and airy rooms.

Originally dating back to 1750, it is handsome to look at from the outside and a dazzling visual delight inside.

The highlight is a breathtaking 45ft open-plan living/dining room with an eye-catching ceiling arrangement of beams and trusses, cleverly nodding at the building’s original use. Underfoot there is solid oak flooring lit up by light twinkling in from French doors and deep Velux windows - and cosy comfort comes from a solid fuel burning stove set in an exposed brick hearth at the heart of the room.

If this room has you whispering “wow, wow, wow”, then you can add another series of wows when it comes to the beautiful farmhouse breakfast kitchen. Again there are dramatic beams and trusses swooping overhead, while there is attractive tiling underfoot.

There is a fine range of bespoke wall and base and free-standing units and an oven and hob – as well as a superb range cooker.

Beautiful to look at and, we should think, a beautiful place to create entertaining dinner party meals.

(And there is a good-sized utility room in which to tuck away all the messy stuff) There is more to come on this first floor in the shape of a separate family room which has French doors out to the garden (and good views) and a smart master bedroom with fitted wardrobes and an en-suite shower room. There is also a separate cloakroom.

On the first floor, there are four further bedrooms, the biggest of which has an en-suite shower room, and there is a luxurious family bathroom.

Outside there is a large expanse of lawned garden to the front as well as a private walled rear courtyard – and there is an integral double garage.

This is a super family home (and it’s in the catchment area for the highly-regarded Fulford School ) with a great deal of style and charm. It is offered by Stephensons with a guide price of £675,000.

Our second property is a very different style of barn conversion, but an equally delightful home. Byre Cottage in Scoreby, tucked away down a quiet spot at Gate Helmsley, is a romper stomper of a property with lots of space inside and lots of land outside.

Let’s begin with an internal tour (and you will need to take a deep breath while we guide you around).

At the heart of the home is a large and elegant living/dining room which runs to some 25ft by 18ft, accessed by double doors from the long hallway and with French doors of its own out to the garden. Another highlight is the super kitchen/breakfast room which opens onto a spacious conservatory (opening in turn onto the garden). A utility room and cloakroom complete the living arrangements.

Then come the bedrooms – all five of them, running pit-a-pat down an internal hallway and with one of them having an en-suite bathroom and another with a connecting door to the house bathroom.

And now for the outside, where, as well as nicely laid-out lawned gardens, there are some 2.8 acres of paddock land with stabling and a pool house/summer house. A brilliant place for outdoor types – and those who like to entertain.

All in all, a super house with lots of land for horsey types. It’s offered by Ashtons at a guide price of £675,000.