8 bedroom house

Distinguished Regency villa with detached coach house, facing York Knavesmire, in all some half an acre.

Knavesmire Lodge and its coach house enjoy a prime residential location with an outlook at the front over York Racecourse. The principal house was divided in the early 1900s retaining the lion’s share of the accommodation. Inside and out, it retains an impressive array of period features, some dating from the Regency period: there is a grand hall with decorative floor tiles, a staircase with delicate spindles and polished handrail, panelled ceilings and walls, ornate cornicing and ceiling rose, magnificent fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling windows, stained glass, original floorboards and stone flags. On the market for the first time in some forty years, this remarkable property offers both scope and opportunities.

Principal house: front vestibule, staircase hall, rear hallway, cloakroom/wc, 3 reception rooms, kitchen breakfast room and pantry, cellars, 2 separate WCs, 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, bedroom 7/study
Garden flat: hall, sitting room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom
Outside: front and rear gardens, glass summer house, garaging/store, ample parking
Coach house: 4 reception rooms, 7 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, garage, garden

In all some half an acre

Environs - Knavesmire Lodge stands in a prominent position on Tadcaster Road, one of the principal thoroughfares into the city and regarded as one of York’s most sought-after places to live. It lies no more than a ten-minute drive from the A64 trunk road and is convenient for the extensive public access spaces of the Knavesmire, Hob Moor, Micklegate Stray and York Racecourse. There is a regular bus services into the city centre, and nearby Dringhouses offers a range of local amenities including a supermarket. Highly regarded independent schools and ‘Outstanding’ York College are easily accessible. The railway station lies about a mile to the south and offers regular services to major cities and to London Kings Cross in under two hours.

Knavesmire Lodge sits behind a front garden and low brick wall with wrought iron garden gate set in stone columns. Stone steps ascend to a grand, columned portico entrance with fanlight. The eminence of this early nineteenth century property is exposed through the magnificent reception rooms. The 31 ft drawing room has a full height, wall-to-wall window facing the Knavesmire and an extravagant floor-to-ceiling fireplace housing a modern gas-fire. In the dining room the south facing window retains its original stained glass, floorboards and ornate marble fireplace; it connects to the traditional kitchen with gas Aga. At the rear, the elegantly proportioned family room has a basket grate fireplace under a decorative wooden mantle, full height 21-pane sash windows and a bay facing west across the garden. There is a grand entrance at the rear with double doors opening onto a broad hallway with ascending steps flagged by columns and a balustrade. The cellars are extensive, offer a good head height and include a wine cellar. Arranged over two floors, the bedroom accommodation is generous, and every bedroom enjoys a fine outlook to the front or to the rear. The second floor, formerly the servants’ quarters, would make a self-contained annexe; it has a kitchenette and bathroom, and extends to nearly 700 sq ft.

The Garden Flat - The lower ground floor garden flat faces south and east over its attractive front garden. Its front door provides independent access although this one-bedroom flat is securely linked to the cellars of Knavesmire Lodge and therefore could be extended or incorporated into the principal house. It has its own boiler and independent heating system.

Outside - A long, high-walled drive leads to the rear garden and stone-flagged parking area immediately behind the main house. The mellow garden walls are lined with abundantly planted herbaceous borders, there is a long expanse of lawn and a glass summer house on the far west boundary. The drive continues to a range of traditional brick outbuildings at the rear suitable for garaging and storage. The whole extends to 0.281 acres.

The Coach House - A former coach house serving Knavesmire Lodge, this handsome, detached building sits at the rear of the property enjoying a discreet and private position. It offers versatile accommodation of 2317 sq ft including an integral garage. The seven-bedroom property has been tenanted and has versatile accommodation offering great scope for improvement.

The drive from Tadcaster Road leads to the integrated double garaging within the coach house and continues to the rear where there is a generous, block-paved parking and turning area. A west facing, walled garden lies behind the house, predominantly laid to lawn. The whole extends to some 0.2 acres.

General - Tenure: Freehold
EPC Rating: Knavesmire Lodge E, The Coach House E.