Hall Garth, Over Kellet, Carnforth, LA6 1BX

A once in a lifetime opportunity to breathe new life into a grand and historic country house; an impressive and statuesque Grade II Listed property in a private edge of village, set in well maintained gardens and grounds of 3.3 acres with fabulous open and panoramic views.

A once in a lifetime opportunity to breathe new life into a grand and historic country house; an impressive and statuesque Grade II Listed property in a private edge of village, set in well maintained gardens and grounds of 3.3 acres with fabulous open and panoramic views.

Welcome to Hall Garth, Capernwray Road, Over Kelle

The design of Hall Garth is attributed to local architect George Webster and is thought to date back to the early 1820s. Grecian in style and gracious in proportions, Hall Garth offers a slice of grandeur and elegance rarely found in properties of other periods. Rich in architectural detail, the house has been a much loved family home since the present owners’ family purchased it in 1975, it’s now ready for new custodians to refurbish and put their own stamp on this historic gem; no doubt a rewarding project for those keen to create a family home for the next generation.

The accommodation is laid out over two floors with additional cellars; Arranged around a spacious hallway there are four large reception rooms as well as a garden room and a breakfast kitchen, garage/ utility room and cloakroom. An elegant and wide staircase rises to the first floor where there are four generously sized double bedrooms, three bath/shower rooms and a dressing room.

Surprisingly private for a property so centrally located, it is set back from the road and with the cover of established trees and planting the house could possibly be missed. Occupying a generous plot of 3.3 acres that includes formal and informal gardens, seating terraces, generous parking provision and garaging, an outdoor swimming pool with changing room and a small area of woodland. The majority of the garden is located to the north and west of the house and there are fabulously open panoramic views that span across Morecambe Bay estuary towards Grange over Sands to the limestone crag of Warton Crag and then over to the Lakeland Fells.

Architectural note

The detailed schedule on the National Heritage List for England provides the following architectural detail:

“House, early 1820s. Attributed to George Webster. Limestone ashlar with slate roof. Grecian style, symmetrical. 2 storeys, 5 bays. Windows sashed with glazing bars in plain ashlar surrounds, the 1st floor windows having projecting sills. Tetrastyle Doric portico, the order copied from the Propylea at Athens. Facade flanked by pilasters, the central bay above the portico recessed and also flanked by pilasters. Roof hipped with projecting eaves. Chimney on each side of central bay. West (left-hand) facade of 4 bays. North front of 3 bays with central bay recessed and having a doorway with pediment carried on console brackets. Outer bays, flanked by giant pilasters, have tripartite sashes on the ground floor with square mullions treated as pilasters.”

To provide further background, George Webster (1797–1864) was an English architect who practised in Kendal. All of his works were executed near his practice and were located in Cumbria, north Lancashire and in the adjacent parts of Yorkshire. He worked mainly in domestic architecture, designing new houses and remodeling older properties. His early designs were mainly in Neoclassical (Greek Revival) style. He later pioneered the use of the Tudor Revival style and in some of his later designs he incorporated Italianate features. He also designed a number of churches, all in Gothic Revival style, plus some public and commercial buildings, including Kendal Town Hall.

Hall Garth is centrally positioned within the heart of the attractive Lancashire village of Over Kellet, set back from the road behind a stately copper beech tree, at the front it looks out towards the village green; open and unique in design it features a war memorial and includes both a cross roads and series of slip roads, all in the form of a diamond shape. In the spring the green is a blaze of yellow with a blanket of daffodils.

Over Kellet offers all of the advantages of village life (there is a pub, The Eagles Head, a primary school, village hall and St Cuthbert’s Church) alongside excellent connectivity to the wider world thanks to the narrow communications corridor which runs to the west of the village, this includes the M6 motorway, the A6 trunk road, the main West Coast railway line and Lancaster Canal.

Transport links are therefore to hand with convenient access onto the M6 at J35 (a mere 1 mile away), train stations on the main West Coast line at both Lancaster and Oxenholme (Kendal) depending on the direction of your travel and a branch line station at Carnforth offering local connections. Over Kellet is preeminently well connected bringing travel for work and pleasure within easy reach. The countryside backdrop to the village is stunning and varied and includes Morecambe Bay and the AONBs of both Arnside & Silverdale and the Forest of Bowland, as well as the gently undulating beauty of the Lune Valley and the impressive National Parks of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.

At 1.5 miles distant, the nearest town is Carnforth where you will find a range of everyday amenities; doctors, dentists, opticians, vets, a busy high street of independent retails and a choice of supermarkets (Booths, Aldi and Tesco).

As the nearest city, Lancaster (just over 8 miles away) has much to offer all generations with an established cultural and music scene, bars and restaurants offering cuisines from around the world, an excellent range of high street retail chains and also an eclectic host of independent shops. There is also a comprehensive offering of professional services, two universities (Lancaster and Cumbria) and good healthcare with both private and NHS hospitals represented.

Step Inside

Arriving through the gated entrance and sweeping up the drive, first impressions matter enormously. Hall Garth will not disappoint. The Doric columns make for an imposing entrance and welcome you inside this impressive Georgian country house, stepping over the threshold through the substantial double doors with the leaded and coloured glass panels either-side and you are into the entrance vestibule, a further set of double doors open to the reception hall. This generous space is central to the house and provides entry and connection to all rooms as well as to the elegant staircase.

The ceilings are high and the skirting boards deep, fireplaces are grand and the panel doors weighty, sash windows grace nearly every room and are wide and tall (some with working shutters). This is a house of substance, rich in original period details that are in evidence throughout. The layout is traditional, there are no rabbit warrens and back passageways to take up space, it’s an old house with would be both practical and easy to run, the whole house being usable on a daily basis.

On the west side of the house are the two formal reception rooms, connected by double opening doors, together they form a grand space, both have dual aspects in their own right, combined together and there is a light filled triple aspect. The space is wonderful if you have a big family, like to host friends or simply wish to embrace the space. The dining room would make the perfect venue for leisurely weekend brunches, relaxed Sunday lunch feasts or atmospheric candle lit supper parties. It has a marble mantelpiece, the surround capable of holding an open grate. The drawing room boasts the long, panoramic view and also has a marble fire surround (not currently in use). Also enjoying the view towards Warton Crag, Morecambe Bay estuary to the left and the low lying Lakeland Fells to the right, is the sitting room. A great room for week nights; we can imagine the family gathered around enjoying a box set, film or a board game together. Here there is a carved wooden fireplace, fitted with a Gazco gas stove for convenience and an original inset glazed cabinet provides an attractive display.

Adjacent to the kitchen is the breakfast room which looks out to the front garden with glimpses of the village green through the trees. It’s a flexible space that would make a good play room if you had little ones or might even be a super kitchen if you chose to remodel. There’s a connecting door to the existing kitchen; fitted with modern cabinets there’s room for a dining table too. In terms of appliances there is a Bosch double oven and five ring gas hob, an integrated fridge and a free standing dishwasher. It might not be the kitchen of your dreams, but it is highly serviceable and will certainly enable you to get settled before deciding on future plans.

There is a garage behind the kitchen; this is currently used as a utility room with plenty of room for free standing domestic appliances. It is home to the boiler, washing machine and has a butler’s sink. There’s a second cloakroom here, ideal if you are working in the garden and don’t want to trail through the house.

The cellar space is excellent, easy to access from the garage. Off a central hallway are three rooms, one of which is fitted with wine bins, sadly, no wine is included in the sale!

In the hall there is a pair of narrow shelved cupboards offering great storage space, a cloakroom and through what was once the access to the garden, double doors open to the light filled garden room. Classic but also contemporary in design, this extension has floor to ceiling double glazed windows, a lantern in the roof and two glazed doors to the garden, this is a lovely bright space in which to sit and enjoy the outlook of the garden and the wider view beyond, whatever the weather.

The staircase is a notable feature of the house with an unusual and very striking balustrade it has wide and gently rising treads with a large half landing. Alighting at the first floor and looking back, there is a great view over to Warton Crag.

Generous circulation space is such a luxury and here the first floor landing is a room in itself. There are two ensuite double bedrooms, the third and fourth share the house bathroom, with one of the bedrooms having a connecting door.

The principal suite offers an east facing bedroom with a view of the magnificent copper beech tree and the front garden; it has an ensuite shower room and a dressing room with five fitted double wardrobes. The second bedroom is light filled with a splendid far reaching view; it has the benefit of an ensuite bathroom. Bedrooms three and four are equally well proportioned and between them is a bathroom. To sum up, this handsome period house has great views and offers generously proportioned and well balanced accommodation both in terms of living to bedroom space; bedroom to bath/shower rooms provision and house to garden. There is an abundance of original period features and enormous scope to implement sympathetic upgrades alongside the authentic architectural detailing to make the Hall Garth admirably equipped and comfortable for 21st Century family living.

Step Outside

Set back from the village green behind an ivy clad wall and generous front lawn, Hall Garth is approached through electric gates (with intercom entry for visitors) set into stone pillars. Turn in, the gently curved drive leads to a large parking area in front and to the side of the house, there is also a second gate further round to the west. Next to the majestic copper beech tree in the foregarden is a small pond with a planted surround.

There is a garage and workshop and an adjacent working area/outside storage area, tucked away out of sight.

Walking around the front of Hall Garth and there is a large graveled area along the length of the front elevation, with access out from the garden room it is perfect as a seating terrace. A paved walkway flanked by pillars and rose planted beds leads down to the outdoor swimming pool and surrounding seating terrace just ready for steamer chairs, the pool area gets all day long sun and enjoys wonderful far reaching views. Set away from the house it’s screened from view by established planting and would be a super for hosting a pool party, a refreshing dip on a warm day or building some bracing lengths into your morning routine. A pool house provides a place to change and an attached plant room houses the heater and pump.

To the front, the garden borders open fields, walking along the length brings you to the summer house, a delightful octagonal garden room with windows set above lower stone walls, all under a slated roof. Internally there is fitted bench seating, just bring your cushions. It would make the ideal spot for a moment of quiet time with a book, your easel or possibly a glass of something chilled as the sun sets over the hills opposite.

From here a path leads through the lightly wooded area, the trees underplanted with shade loving hostas and ferns.

To the west lies a small copse of spruce trees in a mowed paddock.

Directions

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Use Sat Nav LA6 1BX with reference to the directions below:

Hall Garth really couldn’t be easier to find. Leave the M6 at Junction 35 and take the B6601 signposted Kirkby Lonsdale and Over Kellet. At the T junction with the B6254, turn left signed for Kirkby Lonsdale and Over Kellet. The first village you will reach is Over Kellet. After the road has narrowed between the properties there is a field on the left, Hall Garth is then the first house on the left.

Council Tax Band

H

Tenure

Freehold

Services

Mains electricity, gas, water and drainage. There is gas fired central heating from a pair of Vaillant boilers, the first in the garage , the second on the first floor along with a hot water storage tank. There is a security alarm fitted and an intercom entrance to the front gate with electric gates.

Local Authority

Lancaster City Council

Schools

Primary

Over Kellet Wilson’s Endowed CoE Primary School

Nether Kellet Community Primary School

Carnforth Community Primary School

St Mary’s CoE School, Kirkby Lonsdale

Secondary

Carnforth High School

Queen Elizabeth School and QEStudio, Kirkby Lonsdale

Royal Lancaster Grammar Schools

Ripley St Thomas CoE Academy

Further Education

Lancaster University

University of Cumbria (Lancaster campus)

Lancaster and Morecambe College

Kendal College

Included in the Sale

Fitted carpets, curtains, curtain poles, blinds, light fittings and integral kitchen appliances as listed are included in the sale.

Broadband

Superfast speed available of76 Mbps download and for uploading 20 Mbps.

Rail Journeys

Based on approximate direct train journey times from Lancaster station. Train service durations vary, please check nationalrail.co.uk for further details. There is also a station at Carnforth on the Bentham and Furness line.