5 bed detached house for sale

Church Brow, Halton, Lancaster LA2

An exceptional opportunity to acquire the well-established and highly regarded The Red Door, a Grade II listed property that combines a thriving hospitality business with beautifully spacious (2734 sqft) family-orientated living accommodation above. Steeped in charm and full of character, The Red Door is more than a café – it is a landmark within the heart of Halton village and an integral part of the community. With its welcoming interiors, flourishing reputation, and homely atmosphere, it offers buyers not just a business but an enviable way of life.

The Red Door is known for its warm hospitality, homemade food, and loyal customer base. It draws steady trade from locals, walkers, cyclists, and visitors en route to the Lake District, as well as repeat customers who return time and again for the quality and character it provides.

Inside, the café offers over 40 covers, with further seating available in the sun-filled enclosed rear garden during warmer months – a perfect spot that has become a favourite with families and dog-walkers alike. The dining space exudes character, blending rustic charm with modern comforts to create an inviting environment that has made The Red Door a much-loved destination.

Behind the scenes, the café is exceptionally well equipped. It benefits from a kitchen and service area complete with Aga and professional Barista machine, a separate prep area, and further dry storage facilities – all designed to support efficient service and the highest standards of food preparation.

Adjoining the café is a substantial barn, currently used as storage but offering incredible flexibility. It includes a mezzanine level housing a biomass boiler, ensuring the property benefits from sustainable and efficient heating. The barn provides generous additional storage space but could also lend itself to alternative uses or further development (subject to the relevant permissions) – opening up exciting possibilities for expansion of the business or conversion into additional living or leisure space.

What truly sets The Red Door apart is the lifestyle it offers. This is not simply a place of work – it is a business and home intertwined, creating an opportunity that is particularly suited to families seeking both community and balance. The café operates with manageable hours, allowing owners to enjoy the rare luxury of time outside of work – something almost unheard of in the hospitality industry. This creates space for family life, while the café itself naturally becomes an extension of the home: A place where children grow up in the heart of the village, surrounded by familiar faces, neighbours, and the steady rhythm of village life. The atmosphere is warm and family-focused, making the business feel as much like home as it does work. It is a chance to step into a role at the very centre of the community – where the café becomes not just a business venture, but a source of pride and belonging.

Above the café, the property opens into extremely spacious and well-appointed private accommodation. The living space includes a large lounge filled with character, a recently updated dining kitchen ideal for family meals and entertaining, five generously sized bedrooms, a substantial family bathroom with WC, and an additional utility and shower room for extra convenience. Together, this provides the comfort and practicality of a true family home, perfectly suited to both growing families and visiting guests. The location further enhances its appeal, with excellent public transport links into Lancaster’s secondary schools and the village primary school, St Wilfrid’s, just a short walk away. The balance of rural charm and easy access to schooling and services makes it perfectly placed for family life.

The property also enjoys a private rear garden and dining area, providing a safe and enclosed outdoor space that doubles as both a family garden and additional café seating. A private car park with space for up to twelve vehicles is another rare and valuable asset for a village property, supporting the café’s popularity and providing scope for further growth.

The Red Door is a unique and rare opportunity to acquire not just a successful café business, but a spacious and welcoming family home at the heart of one of Lancashire’s most sought-after villages. Offering character, charm, sustainability, and lifestyle appeal in equal measure, it is the perfect choice for a family looking to blend business ownership with a fulfilling way of life. Viewing is essential to fully appreciate the scale, charm, and lifestyle potential of this outstanding property.

When the current owners bought, renovated and re-opened The Red Door Café in 2021 they had a vision to create a lifestyle business, that gave them a true work life balance.

The café trades 26 hours a week spread over 4 days, leaving the remaining 3 days to be enjoyed at leisure, walking in the local countryside, days out in the Lake District or hopping on the M6 to travel further afield.

Indoors there are a generous 40 covers, and this figure is matched outdoors in the picturesque courtyard garden, a real sun trap throughout the summer months, bathed in sunshine every hour that the café is open. This can be extended to provide all year-round seating with the appropriate shelter and heating.

With the generous 5 bedroom living accommodation being on the upper 2 floors of the café the commute to work is a simple set of stairs, no long drives, negotiating traffic chaos or public transport worries. Then at the end of the day the door of the “commute” upstairs is closed, and the self-contained living accommodation can be enjoyed to its full.

For those not wishing to live above the business there is also the opportunity to convert the living accommodation into an Airbnb or a more traditional bed and breakfast. The accommodation can easily be made into a self-contained unit having 2 separate entrances and exits.

The café itself has built not only a good local reputation, but also one from further afield. With its close proximity to the M6 you can very often find customers there from the UK and foreign shores.

The food itself is wholesome and homemade using the Aga range cooker that is on display for all to see, breakfasts, lunches and cakes are served daily along with a comprehensive range of drinks including the premises being licenced.

The reviews speak for themselves with the café being rated 5/5 on Facebook, 4.7/5 on Google, 4.8/5 on Tripadvisor and has a food hygiene rating of 5.

This a fantastic opportunity for someone to buy a turnkey business in the hospitality sector that is not overly onerous on time or money, the business has traded profitably since it opened and full accounts are available when viewing the property.

The next owners of this already successful business may wish to extend the hours or days that the café trades, concentrating on the already successful private function business, afternoon-teas and the ever popular supper evenings, easily extending this to a full-time business opportunity.

The alcohol licence is already in place being licensed 7 days a week from 10.00am until 11.00pm. The current owners are also willing to carry out a full handover of the current business to the new owners.