Holme Hall

A fine Grade I listed freehold manor house presented in excellent order and set in beautiful gardens, extending to approximately 4 acres, on the edge of the popular Peak District market town.

Distances (approximate): Matlock (trains to Derby)- 8 miles; Buxton (opera house)- 12 MILES; Chesterfield (mainline train to London St Pancras from 1 hr 50 mins)-12 miles; Sheffield-16 miles; M1 (junction 29)- 16 miles; Manchester (international airport)- 34 miles.

The house offers accommodation of 10,000 sq. ft. in excellent order and with many original features, including a large oak-panelled main hall, a magnificent early 17th century staircase tower and extensive kitchen area with original massive kitchen fireplace. The house is approached through a pair of stone gate posts onto a tarmaced, tree lined drive leading to a further gate and a gravelled driveway, flanked by large, flat lawns, to the side of the house. The property has been maintained in excellent order by our client and has many fine, original features including oak panelling, stone mullioned windows, limestone and original oak flooring, beamed ceilings and exposed beams to the upper floor and many other period features. The house is either entered through a fine oak side door or an imposing stone portico leading to the front door.

Ground floor: A large oak panelled, dual aspect drawing room with open fireplace set in fossil marble surround, there is a bay window to the front and windows with built in seating overlooking the side garden and driveway. Inner hall leads to the panelled dining room with a bay window and a door to the front lobby and front door. The kitchen/breakfast room is a large, spacious room with sitting and dining areas and a window overlooking and a door a terrace and the front garden. There is a range of built-in units and a massive stone fireplace with chamfered arch and niches within incorporates a range of Miele ovens, gas hob, griddle and teppanyaki plate with extraction over. A large Belfast sink is set into a marble work top with etched drainer and built in storage cupboards and integral Miele dishwasher. An inner hall leads to a bar area with shelving and marble worktop. Off the kitchen is a large scullery with glass storage cupboards, twin Belfast sink with granite drainer and integral Miele dishwasher. This leads through to the stone floored boot room with built-in cupboards and door to the outside, there is a rear staircase to the first floor. To the rear of the kitchen is a vaulted sitting area with an archway to a good sized sitting/tv room. The rear inner hall has a back door into the courtyard, a guest cloakroom off and a laundry room, there is also access down to the wine cellars.

A lovely wide staircase rises to the half landing where there is a games room overlooking the side garden, there is a fireplace with ornate tiles inset. This room had planning for a bathroom to be installed and thus would make a very nice suite.

First floor: A long, wide landing/gallery gives access to two large, panelled, double bedrooms to the front of the house with a ‘jack and jill’ bathroom between them to the rear of the landing is the family shower room with a double shower, hand basin and wc.

A door off the landing leads to the wing of the house where there is a cloakroom with wc, two single bedrooms to the rear, a large double bedroom to the front. To the side of the house is a further double bedroom, currently used as a study with a bathroom off with suite comprising bath, shower, hand basin and wc. A staircase from the study leads to the second floor.

Half landing to second floor: Home cinema room with windows overlooking the garden and a door to the elevated terrace, this was formerly a chapel.

Second floor: main bedroom suite comprising a large bedroom overlooking the garden with an open plan sitting area and a door leading to a small dressing room and then onto a substantial dressing room with excellent fitted wardrobes, adjacent is the main bathroom with large cast iron bath, circa 1910, with period shower fitting over, hand basin, wc and heated towel rail. The wing side of the second floor is accessed from the first floor and has a further large double bedroom with a dressing room off and a large bathroom with ceramic tiled floor, double walk-in shower cubicle, hand basin with mirror over, wc and three heated towel rails, these rooms all feature fine Cruck beams. To the rear of the house is an area for the storage of luggage and a further room currently used as a gym but which was the ‘curing room’ for meats with its own smoke hood.

Outside: a door from the rear hallway opens onto a small inner courtyard with a covered log store area leading to a door to the side garden. Off the courtyard is a two-storey building probably dating from the mid-19^th century with great potential, the ground floor has a store room (it was the dairy house) and the original wash room which now houses a pair of wall mounted, gas fired boilers. To the first floor is a garden tool store which had planning for conversion into an orangery style room. To the side of the house is a large log store and a gardeners wc. A rear driveway offers parking for a number of cars and there is a further parking area at the bottom of the front garden for several more vehicles. To one corner of the garden is a stone built banqueting house.

The gardens: The well-maintained gardens have been restored to their original layout, facilitated by very detailed sketches and plans (including tree paintings) and a poem about the estate (which includes various references to specific flowers in the garden) from the early 18th century, which are contained in the Bagshawe Collection in the Derbyshire Archives. Adjacent to the drive are two large areas of flat lawns with gravelled pathways leading to the front of the house where there is a gently sloping lawn flanked by some fine yew topiary, in front of the kitchen is a large stone flagged terrace. A large elevated terrace is accessed by a covered stone staircase from the side garden, it has a gravelled pathway with a mature flower border to the front. A stone arch with steps leads up to a further raised terrace which then leads up to the large rear garden, to the bottom of which is an attractive water feature with a stone trough feeding the mirror pond. Stone steps lead up the middle of the garden to the ‘Prospect House’ which has a commanding view over Bakewell and down the valley. The gardens are planted with a variety of semi-mature and mature trees and shrubs including a lime tree avenue and some recently planted cherry trees amongst others. Immediately behind the house is a small vegetable garden.

FOR SALE- FREEHOLD

Guide price: £3,750,000 subject to contract

SERVICES

Mains water and electricity are all connected. Drainage is into the mains. Gas fired central heating.

FIXTURES AND FITTINGS

Fitted carpets, standard fixtures and fittings are included in the sale.

Any fixtures and fittings not mentioned in this brochure may be available by separate negotiation.

COUNCIL TAX: Band H

POSTCODE: DE45 1GF

DIRECTIONS

From the centre of Bakewell proceed out towards Baslow, over the bridge onto the A619, pass Castle Hill on your right hand side and after short distance take the left hand turn into Holme Lane, the entrance to the drive will be found after 50 metres at the gatehouse.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Caudwell & Co give notice that: These details have been prepared in good faith however they are not intended to constitute part of an offer of contract and should be used as a guide only. Any information contained herein whether in the text, plans or photographs should not be relied upon as being a statement or representation of fact. No person in Caudwell & Co has any authority to make or give representation or warranty on any property. Any measurement or distance referred to herein is approximate only.

VIEWING

All viewing is to be strictly by appointment with Edward Caudwell on 07766 565 893

Accommodation

Entrance porch; drawing room; dining room; family room; sitting room; games room; cinema room; kitchen/breakfast room; scullery; utility room; boot room; master bedroom suite with large bed/sitting room, two dressing rooms and bathroom; 6 further bedrooms; two dressing rooms/potential bathrooms; four further bath/shower rooms; further dressing room; loft room/gym; luggage room.

Amenities

Beautiful landscaped gardens; large terrace; two tiered upper terrace; kitchen garden; banqueting house; prospect house; mirror pond; extensive parking; gardeners wc; log stores; tree lined main drive; rear drive and track; wine cellars.

Situation

The house is situated on the banks of the River Wye on edge of the market town of Bakewell with its excellent local amenities, the larger conurbations of Sheffield and Chesterfield are within an easy drive with their more extensive shopping, recreational and transport facilities including mainline trains to London St Pancras. Bakewell is the home of the headquarters of the Peak District National Park and therefore the property sits on the door step of excellent outdoor activities including walking, cycling, climbing at nearby Froggatt Edge and fishing to name but a few. There are many places of cultural interest nearby including Chatsworth, Haddon Hall and the historic spa town of Buxton.

Historical Note

Holme Hall is a 10,000 sq. ft. manor house, listed Grade I and set in four acres of gardens on the edge of Bakewell, and described in Pevsner Architectural Guides as ‘an important and interesting C17th house with earlier remains, set in important and interesting C17th formal gardens’.

Holme was granted to Thomas Foljambe in 1401 and, during the 16th century, was owned by the Eyre family who were involved in the local lead industry. The hall incorporates an earlier Tudor house in its north wing, retaining a medieval doorway, and with its old hall in front turned, as Pevsner points out, ‘into a much grander kitchen with a huge fireplace probably in 1626’. The main part of the current house was constructed in 1626-1628 by Bernard Wells, a lead merchant originally from Gloucestershire. It was based on Robert Smythson’s designs for smaller Italianate villas. The hall was expanded in 1658 with the addition of the east and west wings by his daughter Anne and her husband Robert Eyre of Highlow Hall, who was High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1638. Robert Eyre was also responsible for the terraced gardens, which include the Grade II listed banqueting house, prospect house (including a bust of Thomas Hobbes who resided at nearby Hardwick Hall) and two-tier terraces. Striking external features of the west wing range are the ogee-topped oeuils de boeuf dormer gables on both main elevations, with the surrounds of the oval windows having keystones at each quadrant.

Bernard Wells’ elder daughter, Mary, was sister-in-law of John Bradshaw, president of the court that tried Charles I in 1649, and husband of Henry Bradshaw who, after the restoration, was summoned to appear before the House of Lords and charged with the murder of the Earl of Derby on whose trial he had sat (it being a breach of privilege for a commoner to condemn a peer to death), but Henry was acquitted and pardoned.

As mentioned, Mary’s sister Anne and her husband Robert Eyre inherited Holme Hall in 1658 and passed the property to their son, William Eyre, who was High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1691 and married to Katherine Gell (sister and heiress of Sir Philip Gell of Hopton Hall). William and Katherine had two surviving sons: William, the younger son, inherited Holme Hall in 1706 and took the name of Archer on succeeding to estates in Essex, Berkshire and Soho, London, and John, the elder son, inherited Hopton Hall and took the surname Gell.

In the mid-18^th century Holme Hall was tenanted by the Twigge family until 1767 when a new tenant Robert Birch moved in and who purchased the hall in 1802. In 1831 the hall was purchased by Robert Arkwright who then sold it in 1837 to Joseph Hodgson who in turn sold it to Thomas Gisborne (a retired diplomat who had been based in St. Petersburg) in 1854. His third son, William, who was born at Holme Hall, became colonial secretary of New Zealand and the city of Gisborne is named after him. Thomas’ son, Francis, inherited the hall in 1868 and, following his death in 1878, left it to his widow Katherine Du Vernet Gisborne for life with the remainder to her daughter, Gwendoline, who had married Gerald Twiselton Wykeham Fiennes. Katherine subsequently married Benjamin Armitage in 1887 and the hall was used as a summer residence by them until 1912 when it was leased to Edward Lascelles Hoyles, who in 1920 exercised his option to purchase and lived there until after the second world war. In 1949 the hall was owned by Edwin Llewellyn Raworth and was sold in 1961 to Colonel and Mrs J P Hunt. There were three more owners until the current owners acquired the hall in 2009.