Garden patios create the perfect space for outdoor entertaining

As the weather closes in and the sun goes on a sabbatical, the time for sitting outside appears to be all but over, yet if summer teaches us anything, it’s that there are few simpler pleasures than relaxing on the patio, with a drink, with friends, or just with a good book.
Woodside, South Crescent, Ripon - £775,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01765 605151.Woodside, South Crescent, Ripon - £775,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01765 605151.
Woodside, South Crescent, Ripon - £775,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01765 605151.

The patio is now an established part of the British garden landscape, and yet the concept has not been in this country for all that long. In fact, it is one of those imported ideas that really took off about 40 or 50 years ago, along with other continental innovations, such as duvets, bidets and muesli.

The word “patio” comes from Spanish and is thought to stem from “pati”, an old word meaning pasture, or the land at the back of the house.

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The 1970s saw patios being laid at a furious rate, as more people spent time abroad and decided that sitting outdoors was something they’d quite like to do when at home, and not just while on holiday.

10 Throstle Nest Drive, Harrogate - £1.3m with Strutt & Parker, 01423 561274.10 Throstle Nest Drive, Harrogate - £1.3m with Strutt & Parker, 01423 561274.
10 Throstle Nest Drive, Harrogate - £1.3m with Strutt & Parker, 01423 561274.

The placement of a patio can be an important consideration. Often, it will be dictated by the available space, but where a house has land on all sides other factors come into play. For example, you may want it to get maximum sunlight and so have it facing south, or you might prefer to have it catching the morning light (east) or sunset (west).

There are scores of properties with patios currently on the market in our area, but the following are three of the best.

In Harrogate, 10 Throstle Nest Drive has a fantastic patio spanning the width of the house, overlooking the large lawned gardens. The house also has five bedrooms and three bathrooms upstairs, plus another bedroom and shower room on the lower-ground floor, where there is undercroft storage and spacious garden room, with bespoke bar, which opens onto the terrace.

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Sandwiched in the middle, on the ground floor, is the large living kitchen with balcony, utility room, entrance hall, two reception rooms, study and integral garage.

Holgate Lodge, 44 Aspin Avenue, Knaresborough - £550,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01423 864126.Holgate Lodge, 44 Aspin Avenue, Knaresborough - £550,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01423 864126.
Holgate Lodge, 44 Aspin Avenue, Knaresborough - £550,000 with Dacre, Son & Hartley, 01423 864126.

Outside, the south-facing gardens have lovely views across open countryside, and the lawn slopes gently down to Stone Rings Beck.

In Ripon, Woodside has not one, but two patios - a semi-circular one to the front and a large one that’s ideal for eating and entertaining to the rear. The house has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, hall, a large living kitchen, dining room and sitting room, which has a balcony and terrace with steps leading down to the patio below.

On the lower ground floor there’s a games room, shower room, cinema room and garden kitchen, as well as an integral garage accessed from the utility room. There are also good-sized gardens with a summerhouse.

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Finally, Holgate Lodge in Knaresborough is a detached family home with views across Nidd Gorge in Knaresborough. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, hall, breakfast kitchen, utility room, study, two reception rooms, conservatory and integral single garage.

The back garden is south-facing, and has an access gate to walks that lead along the crag top and down to Abbey Road.

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