Property on Forty Acre Lane near Longridge for sale at £2.2m

This stunning home near Longridge was built less than a decade ago and has glorious countryside views

THE VENDORS SAY

When was the house built?

The adjoining annexe was completed in 2013 and the main house was completed in August 2015.

How long have you lived in the house?

We bought Hill Top Farm in 2012 and lived in the original farmhouse for a couple of years. We then totally demolished the old shippon, reclaimed all the stone and then used that to build the new annexe. In 2014, we demolished the original farmhouse and, again, reclaimed all the stone and slates from which we built the new farmhouse. We moved in to the new farm house in 2015.

What first attracted you to it?

When we first visited, we were captivated by the amazing views which must be some of the finest in the Ribble Valley. But we also quickly realised the fantastic potential to redevelop the site to create our dream home. The house is at the end of a 200 yard private drive and not visible from Forty Acre Lane, so it is very private. It also is situated right in the centre of about 16 acres of farmland, so again we had total privacy. The other main attraction was the proximity to Longridge. We feel like we’re living in the heart of rural Lancashire, but we are only five minutes’ drive from all the local facilities on offer.

How have you changed the house?

The whole site has been totally re-developed. The original rickety outbuildings have been demolished and a new bungalow built in their place. The original farmhouse was very tired and needed a great deal of renovation, so it was actually more cost-effective to demolish it and build a totally new house, which was also much closer to our requirements. As there is no mains gas at the site, the old farmhouse was heated by oil which we found to be very expensive. So, we took advantage of our surrounding meadows to install ground source trenches, heat pumps and underfloor heating to both buildings which not only made Hill Top a very ‘green’ home, but also reduced heating bills. This was also supplemented by the installation of solar water heating panels on the roof.

What will you miss most about the house?

Undoubtedly that view! Even after 12 years, we never tire of looking across the fells every morning and the amazing sunsets in the evenings.

Describe the garden:

We purposely didn’t create large gardens. We have built rear decking at both properties to drink in the views, and another large patio to house the swim spa pool. There are several shrub and flower beds behind extensive dry-stone walling, but our main ‘garden’ space is the 16-acre greenery that surrounds us.

THE AGENTS SAY

Inside: Almost 5,000sq ft of high-specification living accommodation including an expansive sitting room, an open plan kitchen with living and dining, a large utility, four en-suite bedrooms and a lower level with cellar, gym, storage, and workshop.

Outside: Approximately one acre of gardens and a further 15.8 acres of pasture and meadow. There is a two bedroom annexe/holiday cottage with a busy diary. A remotely accessed electric gated entrance leads to a tree lined driveway and an integral double garage and ample parking for eight vehicles to the front. There are composite decked terraces and an extensive slate paved terrace as well as a swim spa pool.