A glazing grace: three homes with stunning conservatories

This is a damp and dingy time of year, but dark afternoons are becoming a thing of the past, and this is when conservatories come into their own.
The Reins, Moor Lane, Arkendale, Knaresborough - £750,000 with Hunters, 01423 536222.The Reins, Moor Lane, Arkendale, Knaresborough - £750,000 with Hunters, 01423 536222.
The Reins, Moor Lane, Arkendale, Knaresborough - £750,000 with Hunters, 01423 536222.

The weather may be improving, but it’s not yet warm enough to sit outdoors for prolonged periods, so conservatories – sheltered yet swimming with light – can be the ideal place to top up vitamin D levels at a time when, due to the Covid pandemic, legitimate reasons to go outside are few and far between.

Funnily enough, it’s actually vitamin C, rather than vitamin D, that first drove the fashion for building conservatories. First built in the 16th century to protect oranges from the frost, they took off in the 18th century as citrus-mania took hold, and then developed architecturally and technically (with central heating and lever-operated roof-lights) in the 19th century as their usefulness was exploited for countless other types of plants.

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But all that, of course, was the preserve of the landed classes who had the money to lavish on such things. Nowadays, the conservatory is very much more affordable, but also rather more modest. Available for around £6,000 upwards as an adjunct to the main home, it has become one of the hallmarks of comfortable middle-class living, and shows no sign of losing any of its popularity.

Pendle House, Ripon - £925,000 with Blenkin & Co, 01904 671672.Pendle House, Ripon - £925,000 with Blenkin & Co, 01904 671672.
Pendle House, Ripon - £925,000 with Blenkin & Co, 01904 671672.

The following three properties all have conservatories and are all currently on the market in our area.

Pendle House in Ripon is a Grade II listed Georgian property dating from the 1830s. Originally a main house and coach house, these are now connected by a beautiful conservatory (much larger than it looks in the photo) to form a single rambling family home. It has four bedrooms, four bath- or shower-rooms, two kitchens, utility room, cellars, four reception rooms, study and, on the first floor of the coach house, a large snug, which could be used as a games or cinema room.

Set in just under an acre of gardens, it also has a large detached workshop and annexe, which has been fully renovated and part-converted to form a self-contained apartment with open-plan living space, kitchenette and shower room. If fully developed and with the right consents it could make a substantial cottage or home office/business space.

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The Reins is a detached family home in about a third of an acre of gardens on the edge of Arkendale, near Knaresborough. It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, two reception rooms, snug and not one, but two conservatories, both west- or southwest-facing. There are also outbuildings, a summer house, off-street parking and a large attached garage/workshop with utility area.

45 Aspin Park Crescent, Knaresborough - £475,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01423 864126.45 Aspin Park Crescent, Knaresborough - £475,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01423 864126.
45 Aspin Park Crescent, Knaresborough - £475,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01423 864126.

Finally, 45 Aspin Park Crescent is a detached family home backing onto St James’s School in Knaresborough. Now in need of little modernisation, it has four bedrooms, two bath- or shower-rooms, a dining kitchen, three reception rooms, a conservatory, and integral single garage leading off the utility room. Outside, there are large gardens with terrace, walkways, and raised pond.