Exceptional period house in an historic street opposite York's Museum Gardens

St Olave's House is remarkable for being a double fronted townhouse in prime central York with an unusually generous and wide plot. The rear of the house connects directly to a glorious walled garden, a tranquil and leafy space. The house itself is believed to date from the late seventeenth century and retains many features from that period. Extended two hundred years later and presented with a new front that includes decorative panels, it has been updated to the highest specification in the last few years and is offered in immaculate decorative condition.

Additional Information - Entrance vestibule, staircase hall, cloakroom wc, 4 reception rooms, kitchen dining room, utility room, wine cellar, back staircase
Principal bedroom suite with dressing room and en suite bathroom, guest bedroom suite, 4 further bedrooms, house bathroom, separate wc on first and second floors, loft space
Front garden, cobbled side yard, shed, rear walled garden, bothy, greenhouse

Described by York Civic Trust as a property of significant heritage, St Olave's House retains many of its fine original architectural features, all fully restored, such as seventeenth and eighteenth staircases, doors, fireplaces, stone flags, plasterwork and cornicing. The entire property has been renovated and finished to the highest standard under the guidance of Woods of Harrogate Interior Design service and is now offered as a luxury period home.

The entrance vestibule is laid with Victorian Minton tiles and the inner staircase hall, once an open courtyard, retains the original York stone flags; it also gives access to the wine cellar. The hall is flanked by two front reception rooms: the study has a large bay window overlooking the church, bespoke built-in cupboards and shelved arched recesses either side of a marble fireplace housing a wood-burning stove; the family room also overlooks the church and has exposed timbers and a fireplace. The formal dining room has a fitted dresser, window overlooking the cobbled side courtyard, and a door to the rear hall. At the rear of the house, the sitting room is connected to the kitchen through glazed double doors. This magnificent room has deep plaster cornice, a Victorian cast-iron duck grate fireplace with painted wood surround and an elegant full-height bow window and French doors opening onto the garden. Alongside is the luxurious fitted kitchen, a 22 ft room with a polished wooden floor with underfloor heating, two roof lights, a full-height window and French doors into the garden. There is a three-oven gas AGA with an electric and gas module, extractor above, integrated appliances, island unit with breakfast bar and larder cupboard.

The principal nineteenth century turning staircase with carved balusters and polished mahogany handrail rises past a full-height arched window with sliding panelled shutter. There are four double bedrooms on the first floor and two double bedrooms on the second floor. The first floor principal bedroom suite faces the walled garden and has a bespoke fitted dressing room and bathroom as well as its own back staircase to the rear hall (formerly allowing servants to access the loft). The upper staircase is seventeenth century with bulbous carved balusters and a broad handrail. It ascends to the second floor where the two front facing bedrooms enjoy good ceiling heights and have dormer windows providing a wonderful outlook. Both give access to substantial eaves storage.

Outisde - The house sits on Marygate behind a low brick wall and wrought iron garden gate, overlooking St Olave's Church. Here is plentiful on street permit parking and the property lies a few minutes' walk from Marygate Car Park. On the north eastern boundary is a long cobbled yard that connects to a side door and a wrought iron gate that provides access to the rear garden. The lovely walled garden extends to the west and has a traditional bothy, a greenhouse and potting shed. It has been beautifully landscaped with ornamental trees, mature shrubs, sweeping herbaceous borders and pathways encircling a generous area of lawn.

Environs - York city centre ? mile, railway station ? mile

48 Marygate occupies a discreet position in the heart of Marygate just off Bootham, one of the grand Georgian thoroughfares into the city. Marygate itself is probably York's most desirable street with its array of fine period houses facing the medieval precinct wall of St Mary's Abbey. The property sits opposite St Olave's Church (origins circa 1008) and the eastern entrance into the Museum Gardens, originally the main thirteenth century entrance into the Benedictine abbey. Marygate itself slopes gently down towards the fourteenth century water tower and green open spaces that run alongside the riverbank. Just a few minutes' stroll away through the botanical Museum Gardens and past the medieval ruins of St Mary's Abbey are the principal shopping streets of York. Two high-ranking independent schools lie on Bootham and the mainline York Railway Station is reached in minutes on foot via a pleasant walkway across Scarborough Footbridge.

General - Tenure: Freehold
EPC Rating: Grade II listed
Services & Systems: All mains services. Gas central heating. Cabled broadband.
Fixtures & Fittings: Only those mentioned in these sales particulars are included in the sale. All others, such as fitted carpets, curtains, light fittings, garden ornaments etc., are specifically excluded but may be made available by separate negotiation.
Viewing: Strictly by appointment
Local Authority: City of York Council Directions: Heading along Bootham from Bootham Bar turn left onto Marygate and the house can be found opposite St Olave's Church on the right hand side.

Photographs, particulars and showreel: July 2023
NB: Google map images may neither be current nor a true representation.