HOME STARTS HERE
Thorpe Hall, Thorpe Willoughby
is an interesting footnote. At Thorpe Hall, the history is an integral part of the home.
Dating from circa 1800, Thorpe Hall is a substantial Grade II listed country residence standing within approximately six acres on the site of the historic Thorpe Hall moated monastic grange, itself designated as a Scheduled Monument of national importance.
Historic England records the wider site as originally being a grange belonging to the Benedictine abbey at Selby. The property was leased to Willoughby during the 13th century and, at the Dissolution of Selby Abbey in 1539, was described as a mansion house with a dovecot and orchard surrounded by a moat. The present Thorpe Hall was subsequently built around 1800 on the western part of this remarkable historic site.
Today, the property represents a very different proposition from a conventional country house.
Thorpe Hall has been partially refurbished but requires further updating and remedial works, while the extensive gardens and grounds require considerable attention. The remaining outbuildings are also currently in a state of disrepair.
For the right buyer, however, therein lies much of the opportunity: the chance to take an important period home with substantial accommodation, extensive grounds and genuine historical significance and carefully restore and enhance it for the future.
Substantial & Versatile Accommodation
The scale of Thorpe Hall becomes apparent once inside.
The ground and first floors provide approximately 3,682 sq.ft. of accommodation, with a further approximately 818 sq.ft. of loft space, giving around 4,500 sq.ft. across the three floors.
The ground floor is arranged around a central entrance hall and offers a choice of substantial reception spaces.
There is a sitting room and drawing room, together with a particularly generous lounge/dining room, providing considerable flexibility for family life, formal entertaining or simply creating different areas in which to relax.
The kitchen has previously been updated with fitted cabinetry and Corian work surfaces, while underfloor heating extends through both the kitchen and main lounge/dining room, adding a welcome modern comfort to these substantial living spaces. A separate study provides dedicated space for working from home, with a utility area and WC completing the ground-floor accommodation.
Four Double Bedrooms
The generous proportions continue upstairs.
The first floor provides four double bedrooms, with fitted storage to the bedrooms and an en-suite serving the rear bedroom, together with the family bathroom.
Above this, the loft floor extends to approximately 818 sq.ft., arranged as two substantial loft rooms.
This additional space adds another dimension to an already sizeable home and may offer possibilities for future use, subject to all necessary consents given the property's Grade II listed status and Scheduled Monument setting.
Around Six Acres
Thorpe Hall stands within approximately six acres, giving the property a sense of space and separation that is increasingly difficult to find so close to Selby.
The land has previously been arranged as approximately 2.5 acres of formal grounds, a half-acre orchard and around three acres of paddock, with separate gated access to the paddock.
The grounds now require extensive attention and landscaping, but their scale provides a wonderful opportunity for somebody with the vision to re-establish the gardens and outside spaces around this important historic home.
An electric gated entrance opens onto the property with extensive driveway parking.
Outbuildings & Further Potential
A substantial range of outbuildings remains within the grounds, extending to approximately 1,109 sq.ft.
These buildings are currently in a state of disrepair and will require significant work, but they nevertheless form an interesting part of the overall property and may offer potential for restoration or alternative future uses.
Previous marketing referred to historic planning approval for conversion of an outbuilding to a two-bedroom annexe. That consent has lapsed and no representation is made that the buildings are currently suitable for conversion.
Any restoration, conversion, alteration or change of use would be subject to the appropriate planning, listed building, Scheduled Monument and other necessary consents.
An Extraordinary Historic Setting
The setting of Thorpe Hall is what truly separates it from almost anything else on the local market.
Historic England describes the Thorpe Hall moated monastic grange as a very well-preserved example of its type, with medieval archaeological deposits expected to survive both beneath the present buildings and throughout the open areas.
The moat defines an island approximately 140 metres by 80 metres, with archaeological evidence potentially including earlier building foundations, gardening and small-scale industrial activity. Historic England also records that parts of the moat remain water-filled and may preserve organic remains providing further evidence of life on the medieval site.
Thorpe Hall itself is separately Grade II listed for its special architectural and historic interest. Historic England dates the house to circa 1800 and records its two-storey construction, sash windows and distinctive period entrance detailing.
For its next owner, this means taking on not only a substantial country residence, but becoming the next custodian of a property and setting with centuries of recorded history.
Location
Thorpe Hall enjoys its historic setting while remaining surprisingly convenient for Selby and the surrounding area.
Thorpe Willoughby Community Primary School is approximately 600 metres away, while Selby railway station is approximately 4.1km from the property.
Selby provides a wide range of shopping, leisure and everyday amenities together with rail connections, while the wider road network provides access towards York, Leeds and the motorway network.
A Home Ready for its Next Chapter
Thorpe Hall should be viewed with an understanding of what it is today and what it could become.
The house requires further updating and remedial work, the extensive grounds require considerable attention and landscaping, and the remaining outbuildings require significant restoration.
But rather than detracting from the property, for the right buyer this creates the opportunity to take a genuinely individual historic home and carefully bring the house, gardens and wider setting back to their full potential.
With approximately 4,500 sq.ft. across three floors, around six acres, substantial outbuildings and an extraordinary heritage stretching back to medieval Selby Abbey, opportunities such as Thorpe Hall are exceptionally rare.
This is not simply a house to move into. It is a property to take on, restore and make your own, while becoming part of the continuing story of one of the area's most fascinating historic settings.
Tenure: Freehold. The supplied Material Information report records Absolute Freehold under title NYK299008.
Heritage: Grade II Listed, National Heritage List entry 1365820. The wider Thorpe Hall moated monastic grange is a Scheduled Monument, entry 1017460.
Declaration of Personal Interest: In accordance with Section 21 of the Estate Agents Act 1979, prospective purchasers are advised that the owner of this property is the brother of Simon Anley of iMoved, the selling agent.
