This charming Grade II-listed former shop has been sensitively converted into a wonderful family house. Constructed in 1720 and nestled in the middle of a ragstone terrace, it retains a wealth of its original details, such as the fireplaces and exposed beams, yet is perfectly suited to modern living. The house unfolds over some 1,745 sq ft, with two pretty reception rooms, a large country kitchen and two bedrooms. Located along a quiet street in Winterton, a lovely small town in the heart of North Lincolnshire, the area has easy train access to Leeds, Edinburgh and the rest of the North.
Setting the Scene
With a history chequered by invasions, Winterton was home to Roman, Viking and later Norman settlements. The area is most famously known for its Grade I-listed All Saints Church, which acts as both a symbol and a centre for the local community; built circa 1080, following the Norman Conquest of England, the Church sits on the remains of an earlier Anglo Saxon church (parts of which are still in the west wall). Now a Conservation Area, Winterton is perhaps best known for its quaint streets and traditional village life. For more information, please see the History section below.
The Grand Tour
Entry to the house is via the old storefront, now a useful vestibule with useful spots for hanging coats and stowing shoes. A charming sitting room lies beyond, with an open fireplace and original wooden lintel. Beyond this is the living room. A wonderfully comfortable space, the current owners have laid the room out as a library and music room. There is useful under-stairs storage next to the fireplace, and a large 6×6 window lights the room.
Next to the living room is a beautiful country kitchen, flooded with natural light from dual-aspect windows and French doors leading to the garden beyond. Wooden cabinetry and a small island occupy one corner of the room, and there is plenty of room for a big dining table and chairs.
Upstairs, a large landing space currently doubles as an additional reading nook and study, and there are two double bedrooms. At the front of the plan is the large primary bedroom, where wonderful exposed beams run overhead, and an original Georgian fireplace creates a focal point. At the back of the house is an en suite bedroom with sloped ceilings and built-in cabinetry. The en suite has a shower, vanity and WC.
A family bathroom sits between the two bedrooms at the top of the stairs with another shower, WC and bidet.
The Great Outdoors
French doors in the kitchen open to the beautiful rear garden, where an array of well-established planting creates an intimate oasis. white rose, honeysuckle and clematis climb the ragstone walls, and there is a small paved space for alfresco dining alongside a useful potting shed for the green-fingered.
Out and About
Though Winterton may be small, it nonetheless enjoys a wide range of local amenities beyond the supermarket. These include Grey’s Butcher, which serves high-quality locally sourced meat and Teasdales Bakery, famous for its delicious traditional goods, much of which can be enjoyed at The Old Barn Tea Room down the road. No thriving village would be complete without a local pub, and Winterton is blessed with two: The George Hogg and The Butcher’s Arms.
Further afield, the Hope and Anchor in South Ferriby sits on the estuary and is in the Michelin guide. For foodies willing to venture further still, Winteringham Fields and The Pipe and Glass in South Dalton are two Michelin star restaurants a short drive away. Nearby, the town of Brigg has an excellent weekly farmers market.
Hull itself has been enjoying something of a renaissance of late, having been designated the UK’s city of culture between 2017 and 2020. It has enjoyed an influx of newly opened art galleries, museums and restaurants but still manages to preserve its old-world charms. Wander down to the docks, and you will be met with a view not dissimilar to that enjoyed by monks of Meaux who founded the town in the late 12th century as a port from which to export their wool. Since the 19th century, the docks have provided a venue for the thriving Humberside fruit market every Sunday.
A mere six miles from Scunthorpe and just over fifteen to Hull, Winterton has easy train access to Leeds, Edinburgh and the rest of the North. London can be reached in under three hours. Humberside airport is a twenty-five-minute drive from Winterton and a direct train runs from Scunthorpe to Manchester Airport.
Council Tax Band: A
History
Lincolnshire was of considerable strategic importance to the Romans. The settlement of Winterton was first established in the 2nd century to accommodate weary troops on their marches northwards to conquer Britain. This history is still alive in the mosaic floors of the Winterton Roman Villas, built in the 2nd century and among the most complete archaeological sites in England.
A significant discovery was made in 1968 when a group of road workers unearthed a sarcophagus, made from a single huge block of limestone, containing the skeletal remains of a young woman. Dubbed ‘The Winterton Lady’, she was buried down the old Roman road from the Villas and is today part of the collection at The North Lincolnshire Museum.
The area’s history is marked by stories of invasion: first, the Romans, then the Vikings, who landed on the Lincolnshire coast and sailed up the Humber in the late 9th century. The crumbling Roman ruins of Lincoln and its outposts, including Winterton, proved ideal spots for Viking towns and became important trading settlements. Unlike the warrior kings who ruled York, the Danes that settled in Lincolnshire probably had more in common with their agrarian Saxon counterparts and were, for the most part, essentially farmers.
Some two centuries later, the Norman conquest put the Viking claim to Lincolnshire to bed. In 1067, William the Conqueror, recognising what the Romans had done, built the first Norman castle in Lincoln, establishing it as a centre of his new Kingdom. Winterton, repeatedly mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086, enjoyed a period of relative stability and grew steadily in the following centuries. Built in 1080, the Grade I-listed All Saints Church, which stands in the centre of town and boasts a uniquely designed “Lincolnshire Romanesque Tower”, is a testament to this period.
Modernity brought industrialisation to the area and transformed Hull and its surrounding area into a prosperous port. Soon, people began to look out of the city for the clean air and scenic views of the surrounding country. The stately homes of Ferriby and Maister House were built across the Humber to accommodate them. Down the road from Winterton, The Duke of Sheffield and Normanby commissioned Robert Smirke, a celebrated contemporary architect responsible for the main block and façade of The British Museum, to design the classical Regency Mansion house, Normanby Hall. Today, the home and its 300-acre estate are protected by the North Lincolnshire council and open to the public.
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