Arbour masters (From Living Northeast)

Arbour masters

1:00pm Monday 19th April 2010 in

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Despite its architecture and fascinating history, Arbour Hill, near Bedale, was in a sorry state of neglect before the Stourtons moved in. Ruth Addicott finds out how the couple restored the Grade II*-listed house to its former glory.

TWENTY-FIVE years ago, when Nigel and Jenny Stourton first laid eyes on Arbour Hill, it was a complete wreck. The rooms were damp, the ceiling cracked and there was water pouring down the walls. To cap it all, it had attracted a bunch of squatters.

Made of stern stuff, the Stourtons could see its architectural value and fell in love with it instantly. They decided to buy it, seek planning permission to restore it to its former glory.

Now, after being changed beyond all recognition, the £975,000 property is up for sale again.

“It was in a state of complete neglect when we first saw it,” recalls Jenny. “The inside was dreadfully damp and the ceiling was covered in cracks. The one thing it did have was beautiful views, right over the Cleveland Hills and North Yorks Moors. We fell in love with it straight away.”

The Stourtons have ten grand-children and four children – the eldest of whom is BBC broadcaster and Radio 4 presenter Edward Stourton, who was just leaving school when they moved in. “He said we were mad – they all did,” laughs Jenny.

The house dates back to the late 1760s and was originally built as a model farm. It was designed by the prolific English architect John Carr, who was behind some of the finest buildings in York. He was commissioned by the Earl of Holderness, from nearby Hornby Castle, who wanted to improve the view for his Italian wife and believed its Palladian style would remind her of Italy.

The house was unfit to live in at first so the Stourtons lived in one of the barns for six months, until the work was complete. “It had a tractor, a pile of straw and no ceilings, but three very nice bedrooms,”

recalls Jenny.

They were both incredibly hands-on, using their creative talents to generate ideas on how to revamp each room. The property had been previously owned by farmers and had farm buildings attached, but no garden. One of the first things they did was remove the outer buildings – leaving the two barns which sit at right angles to the house, to form a courtyard.

Although the view was one of the first things that had drawn the Stourtons to the house, they found it hampered somewhat when they came to sit in their favourite armchairs. They could only see the sky. Unable to uproot the North York Moors, they decided to raise the floors instead.

“We raised all the floors downstairs because the rooms felt too high and we wanted to see out of the windows when we sat down,” explains Jenny. “We thought we’d have to raise the doors as well, but fortunately, they were all arched.”

The other big dilemma was where to put the waste.

“Men always design kitchens but they never design anywhere to put the rubbish,” observes Jenny. Not to be defeated, she designed a four foot high “cupboard” in the wall where they could store a black bin bag. It allowed them to open the door and put the rubbish in on one side of the wall, then to empty it from the other.

Jenny also came up with a novel idea for one of the two rooms at the top of the tower. They both have-three dimensional views but while one is used as a guest room, the other is accessed via a staircase from their bedroom.

“I thought it would be a good idea for my husband to have his dressing room up there,” she says. “He’s getting a bit stiff on the stairs now but it’s been fine. He’s got his suits hanging up and his shoes in boxes.”

Jenny even made use of the space under the stairs by installing drawers to store her clothes. “I’ve had great fun fitting it all in,” she says. “One of the best things we have is a bum warmer for people to sit on by the fireplace.

I saw one at Ampleforth College, where Edward was head boy. It was in the senior boys room, so I measured the space and got one made and it’s beautiful. They are usually made of brass but ours is oak.”

Nigel has also played an integral role and made a lot of the furniture by hand. He’s fitted beautiful bookcases in the study and sitting room and even designed a cupboard to hide the TV. “Televisions are just hideous, aren’t they?” says Jenny.

Unusually for such a large house, Arbour Hill is also very warm, thanks to special insulation in the walls.

Jenny was born in Hong Kong, Nigel was born in Mauritius and Edward was born in Nigeria. After spending 30 years abroad (Nigel worked for British American Tobacco), they eventually settled in the Yorkshire village Newton-le-Willows, where they lived for ten years, before moving to Arbour Hill.

The Stourtons have many happy memories at the house, one being the wedding of their daughter Lavinia.

They were still living in the barn at the time and held the reception in a marquee in the garden for 400 guests.

“We are sad to leave, but my husband is over 80 and it requires too much upkeep,” says Jenny. “They all thought we were pretty brave to take it on. Nobody realised how nice it could look.”

■ Arbour Hill, at Patrick Brompton, near Bedale, is on the market with Savills. The guide price for the four-bedroom main house, barns, stable block and seven acres is £975,000. More details on 01423-535-800.