English Heritage has declined to buy a section of Thornborough Henges near Ripon after talks with the landowner broke down.

The cluster of Neolithic monuments above the River Ure consists of three large circular henges that have been described as the Stonehenge of the North. They date back 4,500 years.

The northerly henge is currently on the market for £200,000.

Knight Frank, which is selling the freehold of the land on behalf of owner Richard Bourne-Arton, described it as a “unique opportunity”.

However, English Heritage, which currently manages the central and southern sections of the henge, confirmed that it has decided against purchasing the land.

It said part of the decision was because the site was in better condition than the other two, which were added to Historic England’s heritage at risk register in 2009.

The northern section of Thornborough Henges, which is being marketed by Knight Frank.

The charity added in a statement that it also had “limited resources” to be able to go-ahead with the purchase.

A spokesperson for English Heritage said:

“Of the three henges, the northern henge is the best preserved (it is not on the Heritage at Risk register) and it has recently come up for sale.

“However, English Heritage is a charity with more than 400 sites to care for – the vast majority of which are like Thornborough, free-to-enter but not free-to-maintain – and we have limited resources.”

The move comes after the remaining two sections of the monument were gifted to the public free of charge in February.

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Historic England has described the Neolithic site as “probably the most important single ancient site between Stonehenge and the Orkney Islands in Scotland”.

The three large circular earthworks are each more than 100 metres in diameter.

Construction firms Tarmac and Lightwater Holdings gifted the site into the legal ownership of Historic England, which is a non-departmental public body, although it is managed by the charity English Heritage.

The site is located near West Tanfield, between Ripon and Masham, just outside the Harrogate district.

Plans have been put forward to convert part of a town centre estate agent’s office in Harrogate into a two-bedroom flat.

The premises on Albert Street is occupied by North Residential, previously Knight Frank, but under the proposals part of the first floor and all of the second floor would be changed to residential use.

The prior notification documents submitted to change the use of the premises state that other than a meeting room to the rear, the upper floors have been out of use for some time.

The application states:

“The upper floors of the premises were ceased to be part of the commercial use following the refurbishment of the building at the rear 18 months ago.

“The ground floor floorspace was considered more convenient and offered a high quality meeting room. Since that time, the first and second floors have remained vacant in excess of the three month requirement.”

Access to the upper floors is through the estate agency office on the ground floor. However, the proposals state that a separate application will be made to alter the access and provide a self-contained staircase to the flat.

The plans show it would have a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom on the first floor, with a second bedroom on the top floor.

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Supporting information submitted with the plans states:

“The proposed scheme looks to preserve and enhance the character of the conservation area through conversion of its first and loft floor, improving the amenity of the building and bringing the upper floors of the building back into use.”

North Residential began trading last month after a management buy-out of the Harrogate branch of Knight Frank, having been operating it in Harrogate for 15 years.

The business will continue in the ground floor of the Albert Street building, along with a first-floor meeting room to the rear.

To view or comment on the application, visit the planning section of Harrogate Borough Council’s website and use reference 22/03448/PCBSR.

The directors of Harrogate-based estate agency Knight Frank have set up an independent business.

The change will see the directors launch a new company with a fresh identity called North Residential.

Harlan Pollitt and Daniel Rigg secured independent ownership of the business after operating in Harrogate for 15 years.

The team will continue to be located on Harrogate’s Albert Street, with the office currently undergoing refurbishment.

Emma Kingham has been promoted to director, Harriet Cheshire has also become a director and Fiona Lippell, who has been with the business for over 15 years, remains office manager.

A statement by North Residential said that although it was independent, it would “maintain an amicable working relationship and continue to collaborate as necessary” with Knight Frank, which operates internationally.

Mr Pollitt said:

“Whilst retaining our position as the leading estate agent in Harrogate, we have plans to invest considerably to expand into more regions over the next few years.

“We are thrilled that our existing, highly valued team, that have become known and respected within the local community over many years, will each have an incentive in helping to make it even more successful.”

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Nidderdale’s countryside conjures up images of farmhouses and stone cottages peppered across the sweeping rural landscape.

So Fringill Dike House in Darley certainly catches your eye.

However, the £2.25 million property isn’t invasive, as it has been intentionally designed to “blend in” to its natural surroundings.

The five-bedroom eco-house has been designed by Skipton-based Rural Solutions and took more than two-and-a-half years to build.

Underground

The property, which spans more than 6,000 ft, has been constructed using a mix of traditional dry stone walls and sedum living roofs. It is fitted with ground source heating, as well as an underwater storage tank, which collects rainwater.

A third of the house is also built underground.

Owner Paul Chapman lives on a nearby farm. He explained that the home had originally been built for him and his wife, Caron, on land owned by the couple.

Mr Chapman, who has eight children, said:

“We built four houses for our sons in one field and built this house in another. The intention was my wife and I were going to move into it.

“However, we decided we didn’t want to swap 13 acres for one. So we made the decision to sell it rather than move in.”

The property is back on the market with joint agents Knight Frank and Carter Jonas after an original sale fell through.

An aerial view of the house.

Despite it’s £2.25 million price tag, Mr Chapman said there had been a lot of interest in the property, which he put down to it being located in an affluent area.

However, he admitted he had spent too much on the build, which was hit by delays due to the pandemic.

He said:

“The difference between the build cost and the sale price is the price of the land, that’s all. It might not even be that much.”

But there is no denying the house is impressive, with no expense spared.

Private driveway

The property is approached via a lengthy private driveway over a bridge, which gently winds past a grassed field.

Upon entering the house, oak steps lead down from the hallway into a huge kitchen space. A wall of floor-to-ceiling glazing frames uninterrupted views of Nidderdale.

The huge kitchen that boasts incredible views across Nidderdale.

The lower ground floor features two large spaces, which have yet to be transformed.

Cinema room

Mr Chapman said:

“We were going to put a bar in one of the rooms, but when we decided we weren’t going to move in, we left them empty. So whoever moves in can build a bar, cinema room or a gym.”

Despite being underground, the lower floor features high ceilings with glazed panels in the terracing above, flooding the space with natural light. In addition to the two rooms, there is a shower room with a sauna, separate cloakroom and plant room.

One of the underground rooms.

Upstairs, a landing provides access to five bedrooms, all with their own ensuite facilities.

One of the bathrooms.

The gardens and grounds surrounding the property extend to just under 1.5 acres. A large paved sun terrace spans the entire width of the rear of the property.

Locally-sourced

Mr Chapman said:

“We had discussions with the architect and when the plans were designed, we were able to do a virtual tour of the house.

“We made sure everything was where we wanted it to be. We put in the best appliances and units and everything was sourced locally. For example Woodhouse, in Harrogate, designed and fitted the kitchen.

“It is named after the beck – or dike – that runs through the property.”

Mr Chapman, who has owned race horses for 15 years, has also named one of his horses Fringill Dike, a champion at that.

He said:

“He’s running again at Hexham this weekend and we are hoping he will win again.”

The sauna in the underground space.

Asked if he would build any more houses in the future, Mr Chapman, who moved to Darley from Howarth 12 years ago, didn’t seem overly keen.

He said:

“It went on too long. We did it for ourselves, but I wouldn’t want to build any to sell. If you employ a middle man, it’s hard to make a profit. Especially if you have to buy the land.”

‘Anchored in nature’

A statement on the Rural Solutions website, which features some impressive architectural drawings of the property, said:

“Working with the client, we produced a design for a new house on an open, sloping site in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

“Incorporating a dynamic, landscape-based concept we used indigenous dry-stone walls as a device to structure a single ‘ribbon’ design. In this way the project was designed deliberately to blend into the landscape, using local, natural materials; a beautiful home anchored in nature.”

You can watch a video of the property here.

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This article is sponsored by Lapicida

From working on each other’s kitchen tables, to launching a stylish new Harrogate design studio, Rachael Webber and Justine Kirkham have come a long way in just three years.

Their business, Stylesmith Interiors, has gone from strength-to-strength, with a surge in demand caused by the pandemic seeing them move to bigger premises on Cold Bath Road.

Modern space

The building, which formerly housed Fit Harrogate and the Joy organic food store, has been transformed into a modern space, which will allow the interior designers to meet clients and network with architects and builders, along with others involved in their projects.

As a retail space, it has been tricky to run a profitable business due to the lack of footfall. Joy closed its doors in August, less than a year after opening its doors.

There’s hope the design studio will be a much better fit, as there isn’t the reliance on passing trade.

The new design studio shows off the duo’s style

Justine said:

“In the middle of lockdown we were accumulating more and more things, as obviously construction carried on. So whereas we thought everything was going to slow down, as it turned out, we were busier than ever. It was great, but also it meant that it was absolute chaos with all the boxes of samples etc.”

The duo soon realised they needed more room, so found a unit at Hornbeam Park.

When they were told the building was going to be demolished and redeveloped after 18 months at the site, it was the push they needed to move to bigger premises.

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After looking at lots of similar office buildings that were tucked away, they realised when everything reopened after lockdown, their clients wanted to visit them in person.

Rachael said:

“This building just happened to come up and we thought it was a bonus that we are visible, but we are not retail so we don’t need the footfall like a retail shop. We are very happy and we love it. “

Experience

Both Justine and Rachael have previously worked for large interior design companies and have 30 years of experience between them. Rachael also has a background in fashion.

The kitchen area downstairs

Justine said:

“What we have realised is you get very much dragged into this corporate set-up where it’s all about sales figures and data and systems and it takes away all the creativity in what you are doing. So when we started talking originally, that was the bit that bugged us.

“We thought it needs to be more client-focused, where it’s all about their experience. So we decided to set-up ourselves.”

“The space shows what we can do. We have kept it very clean and haven’t gone glitzy. It’s much more how most people actually choose for their houses to be. A bit more colour, to push people outside their comfort zones slightly, but without being blingy.”

The kitchen area in the new studio

Understated

“We are not trying to be this super duper London-style – very uber cool. Because that doesn’t work up here. But equally we don’t want to be at the blingy, over-the-top end..

“Some people want this very Scandinavian style. We have got loads of people wanting the slightly industrial style. We are doing a barn conversion at the moment where it is very grand, so we are putting a bit of oomph into that. It all depends on the client.”

Compliment

“For example if you wanted to put in a new kitchen or bathroom, or you are looking at flooring or you wanted to knock a wall down, then we are your gals.

“Everybody is doing extensions and creating open-plan living spaces. When you extend and you suddenly have all these masses of space, that’s when you need someone to help you make that work. This is because more often than not, you end up with a very echoey, cold space.

A studio downstairs houses samples, including material, paint and tiles

Stylish

“The whole point for us is we want to be this much more approachable interior design set-up. So it’s not about feeling worried about walking through the door.

“If people come in we will give them a warm welcome and chat about their project and potentials and what they are thinking of doing. That is key really, it feels really intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. It doesn’t have to be really expensive.

People buying and selling property in the Harrogate district have expressed frustration over delays for land searches to be completed.

A buoyant local property market has increased the workload on Harrogate Borough Council.

The Stray Ferret understands searches in Harrogate are taking several weeks longer than in neighbouring authorities Leeds and York.

Local authority searches, which check there are no hidden surprises for buyers, are an essential part of the home-buying process.

HBC’s local land charges team charges £103.95 for a search, which reveals information on issues relating to the property such as previous planning applications, roads, utilities and the environment.

According to HBC’s website, the average search time in August 2020 was just over three weeks. However, the Stray Ferret has spoken to someone selling a house, an estate agent, and a solicitor who all say the process is now taking much longer.

‘Banging your head against a brick wall’

Robert Ash and his wife are currently selling a property in the village of Grantley, near Ripon. Their buyer’s solicitor asked HBC to undertake a search of the property at the end of August and he has now been told the result will be ready on November 8 — 10 weeks later.

Mr Ash suggested it could be taking longer because “everyone is trying to sell a house in Harrogate” at the moment.

He said he’d tried to ask the council why it was taking so much longer than expected but said “it’s like banging your head against a brick wall”. He added:

“It does seem ridiculous because everyone is anxious to get on with these things.”

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Estate agent Jak Cavanagh from Knight Frank in Harrogate said the delays were too long.

Knight Frank has offices across the country and Mr Cavanagh said Harrogate was known nationally for taking a long time to process searches.

He said searches were now taking 10-12 weeks, around twice as long as they were pre-covid.

“It would be great if they were a bit quicker. It’s delaying things a bit too much.

“From a seller’s point of view, it can be frustrating, but Harrogate is known all over the country for this, I’m afraid.”

Leeds and York quicker

The estate agent’s experience was echoed by local property solicitor Mike Sheldon, from the law firm Wilson Bramwell.

Mr Sheldon said searches were taking far longer in Harrogate compared to other local authorities, such as York and Leeds.

He said:

“The council are taking longer, there’s no question about that, but it’s just the volume of conveyancing that’s going on. It’s slowing things down. Each council is different but Leeds and York seem to be a lot quicker.”

In a statement released to the Stray Ferret, HBC said the current processing timescales for searches was approximately 28 working days.

It said July, August and September were the busiest three months for local land charges team in “a number of years”.

The council added that increased pressures related to covid meant it was unable to provide the team with additional resources. It also said two experienced staff from the team had recently retired.

The council added it had made overtime available for staff to clear some of the backlog.

A council spokesperson said:

“We appreciate how stressful buying a house can be and we are doing everything we can to reduce the processing times for local land charge searches.

“There have been a number of issues that have meant we are dealing with an unprecedented level of demand so we are asking people to be mindful of the current timescales and advise them to carry out searches as early as possible in their housing buying process.”