Gisburn Road
Gisburn Road
Beyond the garden walls, the picturesque tower of St Peter and Paul's Church rises proudly
Beyond the garden walls, the picturesque tower of St Peter and Paul's Church rises proudly
A palimpsest of contemporary interiors, natural materials and a vernacular Lancashire-stone façade, this Grade II-listed house sits in the bucolic village of Bolton-by-Bowland, Lancashire. With three bedrooms and some 1,636 sq ft of interior living space, the house has undergone an extensive, high-specification renovation in recent years. Respecting the 18th-century sensibilities of the original building, the simple minimalism reveals the vernacular subtleties of the home.
Externally, a gravelled courtyard garden overlooks the peaceful village church and a large allotment garden lies some 200 yards from the house. Gisburn Road is positioned within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with footpaths and bucolic walks on the doorstep. Manchester is reachable by car in under an hour, while trains from Preston reach London Euston in just over two hours.
Setting the Scene
An ancient and storied settlement, Bolton-by-Bowland was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1087 as ‘Bodeton’ and in 1464 Henry VI sought refuge with Ralph Pudsey at Bolton Hall following his defeat by the Yorkists at Hexham during the ‘War of the Roses’. The Church of St Peter and St Paul abuts the house, and has been at the centre of village life since its first iteration in the 12th century; the structure that stands today tells a patchwork story of the ecclesiastic vernacular of the past eight hundred years
The Grand Tour
The house sits adjacent to the site of Old Bolton Hall, with its grand stone gates and rolling parkland. Entry to the home is via a panelled door leading off quiet Gisburn Road.
The entrance opens to the dining room, where a sense of calm is fostered by the use of natural materials such as lime plaster, polished concrete and bleached timber. Original construction techniques have been employed, with gently undulating, hand-finished walls and a reinstated open fireplace. Leading off the dining room is a limed-oak utility and boiler room, and a separate shower room with Lusso Stone fixtures.
Next to the dining room is an inviting drawing room; finished in a similar palette of natural, pale tones, the room has original stone mullion windows overlooking the road and rolling landscape beyond. The current owners have incorporated a Contura wood burner, for cooler months, and treated original, chamfered oak beams with a wash of Farrow and Ball‘s ‘Wimbourne White’.
The rear of the plan is home to a sleek contemporary kitchen, with a vast island clad in matte quartz. A bank of units also lines one wall and houses appliances such as a Neff integrated dishwasher, full-height fridge, separate freezer and Neff oven and induction hob. The space overlooks the tranquil garden to the rear and has direct access to a gravel patio to the side of the house via barn doors.
Ascending to the first floor, a large primary bedroom suite occupies the back of the plan. Overlooking the picturesque West Tower of St Peter and Paul, the space has been divided into a sleeping quarter and an elevated platform home to a sculptural freestanding bath by Lusso Stone. With dual-aspect windows over the garden and church grounds, the room is flooded with natural light.
Two further bedrooms sit adjacent, both with views over the quiet road and parkland beyond. The larger of the two has an exposed, limestone fire surround, while the third bedroom has an exposed, ragstone wall.
A large family bathroom completes the floor, partially clad with creamy porcelain tiles that contrast the exposed ragstone opposite. The space has a walk-in shower, twin vanity and WC with fixtures by Lusso Stone.
The Great Outdoors
The house has direct access to a gravelled garden at the rear, and a larger secondary plot a short walk away.
The rear garden has been recently landscaped in two tiers, including an intimate seating area beside the kitchen (with brick outhouse), and a larger gravelled area to the rear. Planted with olive and birch trees, the space abuts the church grounds at the rear, offering a secluded, private oasis.
A short 2-minute walk up Gisburn Road is the secondary plot. Currently used for vegetable and flower growing, the space is a perfect spot for the green-fingered. There is also a large storage and potting shed.
Out and About
Gisburn Road is brilliantly positioned within the bucolic village of Bolton-by-Bowland which itself sits in the Forest of Bowland, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This 803 sq km rural haven of upland straddles the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire and is comprised of varied epic landscapes including incised gritstone fells and vast, heather-covered moors.
Beyond the historic beauty of the surrounding architecture, the house is conveniently located for a number of celebrated eateries. In the village, The Coach and Horses pub is a local favourite for Sunday lunch and The Reading Room at Holden Clough Nurseries sports a fantastic menu centred on fresh, local produce. A newly reinstated farmers’ market can be found in Clitheroe, just a 16-minute drive south, while Skipton, a 25-minute drive to the east, is home to numerous large supermarkets, independent boutiques and restaurants. Easily accessible from Gisburn Road are countless idyllic walks that cover woodland, riverside and local historic villages and hamlets, including Chatburn (8km) and Slaidburn (17km).
There are a host of excellent schools within the area, with a village primary school just over the green. Trains from Preston reach London Euston in just over two hours.
Council Tax Band: F
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