9 bed terraced house for sale

Garforth House, York, North Yorkshire YO1

Situated within York’s city walls upon Micklegate, one of the city’s most important historic thoroughfares, is Garforth House, an extraordinary Grade i-listed Georgian home, replete with countless remarkable original features. Now beautifully restored, the seven-bedroom home unfolds across over 10,000 ft internally, with a separate two-bedroom apartment sited on its lower-ground level. There is also a large annexe building to the rear, along with a wonderfully private 100-ft long walled garden and secure off-street parking for two cars. Brilliantly positioned in the heart of York, the house is close to countless amenities and is just 10 minutes on foot from its train station, where services run to Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and London, the latter arriving in around an hour and 50 minutes.

Setting the Scene

Micklegate is designated as one of York’s ‘central historic core’ conservation areas due to its historic and architectural importance. It was described by the architectural historian Sir Nicholas Pevsner as “without any doubt the most rewarding street in York”. It is part-cobbled, lined with handsome Georgian buildings, has three medieval churches and is bookended by Mickelgate Bar to the south-west and the River Ouse to the northeast; at least six reigning monarchs have passed through Micklegate’s 12th-century gateway set within the city walls.

Traffic-free and moments from the River Ouse, Garforth House occupies one of the most prominent positions on the street, strategically and optimally positioned exactly halfway along its length on its outer bend so that it can be seen from either end. It was built by Yorkshire architect John Carr in 1757 for Edmund and Elizabeth Garforth, of Wiganthorpe Hall. The Garforths were a notable Yorkshire family and descendants of the entrepreneur William Garforth, governor of the Merchant Venturers Company of York.

The site was originally purchased as two separate tenements by the Garforths and was cleared in 1753 for the construction of Garforth House. John Carr was also responsible for 47 Bootham Crescent and Castlegate House in York, Harewood House, York County Court House and Beverley Burton Hall, East Yorkshire. Although a private family home for almost two centuries, the house later became the home of St Margaret’s School for Girls (1912 – 1968), commemorated by a plaque affixed to the home’s main elevation.

The Grand Tour

Set within a quarter-acre plot, the house is positioned on a gentle slope and set behind spearhead wrought-iron railings. Five storeys high and five bays wide, the red-brick elevation is defined by four tiers of stucco quoins and punctuated by large six-over-six sash windows, all fully restored and secondary glazed for sound and thermal efficiency. A pedimented stucco cornice crowns the house, inset with an oculus and decorated with triglyphs; chimney stacks lie at either range, inset within the double-hipped rooftops.

The main entrance is positioned in the west range, with a six-panel door inset within a grand Doric doorcase with a split pediment and radial fanlight; incredibly, the original iron lamp bracket remains on one side. A secondary entrance is set behind an iron gate to the east range, allowing independent access to the lower-ground-floor apartment and the generous lightwell.

Entering the house, a vast entrance hall leads through a glass door to the spacious stair hall, with a cabochon-tiled stone floor underfoot and elevations framed by a beautiful plaster cornice of acanthus modillions and rosettes. Walls are lined with wainscotting, and a cantilevered stone staircase rises to the first floor and principal reception rooms. A wonderful Corinthian Venetian staircase window invites light into the hallway, set beneath a shallow round arch filled with a cartouche, bearing the Garforth arms. The house is immensely peaceful, and a further glazed door to the rear of the staircase frames views to the garden beyond.

As part of the exhaustive programme of works to restore Garforth House, all the plumbing and burnished cast-iron radiators throughout the house were overhauled, the house rewired, and walls painted in an early Georgian palette, such as ‘Charleston Gray’ by Farrow and Ball.

The main hallway bisects the double-pile plan and pedimented doorcases inset with six-panel doors open to a suite of ground-floor rooms. The dining room is set to the front overlooking Micklegate, fully panelled and with one of many handsome marble chimneypieces dotted around the house, here inset with a hob grate. Adjacent to the dining room is a private study, originally part of the servants’ entrance to the home.

The rear of the plan has been redesigned to accommodate service areas, including a spacious kitchen that overlooks the garden. Bespoke panelled cabinetry with granite worktops is complemented by a central island unit. A double butler sink lends a sense of authenticity, and a Rangemaster stove is accompanied by integrated appliances, including an oven and microwave by AEG, and a dishwasher. There is space for a large kitchen table beside the windows. Adjacent is a large utility room that could also function as a secondary overflow kitchen if required, with a larder fridge/freezer and cabinetry that mirrors that of the main kitchen.

At the end of the ground-floor hallway is the secondary cantilever staircase, linking all floors, and unusually, a wonderful 1930s Otis passenger lift, fully restored and oak-panelled. The entrance to the annexe building is located here, connecting both buildings internally.

Ascending to the first floor, the grand staircase features a remarkable Rococo plasterwork ceiling in a floral design, illuminated by the arched staircase window framing views to the garden. The main drawing room is set to the rear of the first-floor plan, taking advantage of garden views through three large windows. This room also has a decorative plasterwork ceiling and a Carrara marble chimneypiece inset with a gas fire. To the front of the plan are three additional rooms: The largest is used as an informal sitting room, while the middle room has a remarkable cast-iron spiral staircase that connects the two floors above.

The second floor houses the principal bedroom suite and two further guest rooms that share a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. The principal suite encompasses the entire rear of the plan, with sleeping quarters positioned centrally and enjoying views of York Minster and Clifford’s Tower. A dressing room is set in the west range, with a clawfoot bath set beside the window, poised to take in the arresting views. The east range accommodates the en suite shower room, with a spacious shower enclosure and rainfall shower head.

The uppermost storey has four bedrooms that share a spacious contemporary bathroom and a separate den that acts as a further sitting room. This floor would make excellent quarters for older children, with its own reception room and study area.

The Apartment

The lower-ground floor is currently configured as a two-bedroom apartment spanning over 2,000 sq ft, with interior and independent external access. Yorkstone flags line the central hallway, and a suite of rooms offers flexibility of use, including a light-filled kitchen to the front of the plan. As part of the restoration works in the lower ground quarters, an air exchange system was installed for air purity, and it has its own heating system as well as access to the rear garden.

The Annexe

Connecting to the secondary staircase’s ground-floor stairwell and with exterior access from the garden and rear parking area, the annexe is a brilliant opportunity for further development as either an entertainment complex, further residential quarters or for a home-run business. Set across over 4,000 sq ft, this substantial attached building was constructed in the 1950s as an extension to the school and was updated in the 1980s. It currently provides several office areas facing west across the garden, as well as a vast and open pitched games room and gym on the second floor. A long corridor connects both buildings internally, with a series of useful storage spaces.

The Great Outdoors

The immensely private rear gardens are surrounded by brick walls, some four metres in height, with coping stones and projecting buttresses as well as by the three-storey front elevation of the annexe, forming a wonderful, enclosed space, some 100 ft long and over 50 ft wide.

The garden is mainly laid to lawn, with a brick pathway creating four quadrants. Deep flower beds are well stocked with mature shrubs and flowers, in addition to mature trees, including two acers to the front of the annexe and a large silver birch beside the spacious terrace nearest the rear of the house.

The parking area is set at the very rear of the annexe, with access from Tanner Row. This block-paved space currently provides parking for two cars behind a secure metal gate and a timber garden gate within a high brick wall. There is extant planning permission to construct a double garage here and steps rise to a paved footpath that gives access to the garden, rear entrance of the house and, separately, to the annexe.

Out and About

York has a rich and varied history, first established in 71 ad when a Roman military fortress was constructed on flat ground above the River Ouse. This fortress, later rebuilt in stone, covered an area of 50 acres and was inhabited by 6,000 soldiers. The York City Walls remain to this day, although they have been rebuilt over the years, and are now used as an elevated circular walking route around the city centre.

The city is arranged around York Minster, an enormous cathedral that was originally built by the Romans around 627 ad. One of the largest of its kind in northern Europe, the Grade i-listed cathedral has been destroyed and damaged by various fires and battles over time. It survives in its latest iteration as an enormous