Converted schools that are in a class of their own
Children across the country are being packed off back to school and for many it will be a time to come to terms with new and unfamiliar surroundings. In order to meet the needs of modern teaching methods and the technological age it means not only are children likely to set off with iPad or tablet in their school bags but the physical layout of school buildings have had to change and some are quite simply no longer fit for purpose. Jackson-Stops & Staff have several former schools on the market which have been converted into characterful private houses. Bowes Hall in County Durham was the site of one of George Clarksons infamous Yorkshire Schools in the early 1800s, an institution immortalised by the fictional Dotheboys Hall of Dickens Nicholas Nickleby. The property has been fully updated and now epitomises stylish and spacious family living. The Hall is centred around a two-flight stone cantilever staircase, rising from a carreaux doctagones pattern stone floor, with an arched Venetian window at the half landing. Other features include an elegant drawing room, dining room, morning room with stone fireplace, recently fitted kitchen with Aga, cellar, office, utility room, principal bedroom suite, two formal guest bedrooms, four further second floor bedrooms and a third floor suite of rooms with flexible use. Outside, the property boasts a landscaped garden, orchard, vegetable patch and stone bothy, all set within one acre of grounds. The property is situated in the village of Bowes, which has a public house and primary school and lies just south of the A66 trans-Pennine route. This property is on the market for 795,000 with our York office, for more information please click here.  Cransford Hall, near Framlingham, Suffolk, is a classic Edwardian mansion situated in the picturesque and tranquil Alde Valley, some of the most beautiful countryside in East Anglia. Previously a girls boarding school, the converted property is now perfect for entertaining, boasting four reception rooms and eighteen bedrooms, many with en-suite bathrooms and dressing rooms. The extensive gardens make up 15 acres and include formal lawns, flower beds, two ornamental ponds, a stone pagoda, an extensive kitchen garden in addition to a one bedroom gardeners cottage. Cransford Hall is found just four and a half miles from Framlingham, with its Norman Castle, excellent shopping and commercial facilities and both state and independent schools for all ages. This property is on the market for 2.75 million with our Ipswich office, for more information please click here.  Cherington Lodge, Shipston-on-Stour, is a charming Cotswold village house which has recently been remodelled. Although the main house dates back to the 18th Century, a school building was added on in Victorian times, which gives a delightful variation of elevations. The property contains many unique period features, such as the polished pine panelled doors which are believed to have come from the Treasury building in Whitehall, a limestone floor, Tudor Rose carving in the stone fireplace and cast iron staircase. The Lodge comprises five bedrooms, three bathrooms and multiple living rooms, including a library and study, in addition to a separate brick building with a first floor studio. Remote controlled security gates grant access to the property which is set in a generous garden made up of lawns and fruit trees and includes a hexagonal gazebo. Just seven miles from Chipping Norton with shopping facilities and schools the property also benefits from easy accessibility to London from Morton-in-Marsh train station. The property is on the market for 1.65 million with our Chipping Campden office, for more information please click here.