Fine & Country Feature Property - A Painter’s Paradise

January 2008

It's not everyday you get the chance to buy a house and a piece of art history at the same time. But that's what is offered by this elegant West Yorkshire property, which is tucked away amid sweeping gardens on the edge of Leeds.

"The White House was built in the late 1920s for the family of a painter," explains the current owner. "She belonged to a school of artists known as the Staithes Group - associated with the East Yorkshire fishing village of Staithes. She lived and painted here in her studio. About five years ago I got a phone call from a friend who'd seen some of her work up for auction. We went along and found a picture that actually said 'painted at the White House, 5 Sandmoor Drive' on the back. So we bought it - it lends the property a real sense of history. There’s a wonderful sense of the past in the house itself too. It's a very stylish design. It's one of the things that sold me on the property in the first place. I stood in the back garden and looked at the two arches and loved the balance of it. The house also used a lot of Yorkshire stone which also appealed, as did the large rooms and very high ceilings."

Other historic features remain too - some of which are still, surprisingly, in use. "We've retained the push button bells that were used to call servants," adds the current owner. "They ring in a box in the kitchen, which signals which room you're calling from. These days my wife actually uses them to let me know she needs my help with something, or to get me to go to bed. I don't mind - it's all part of life when you've been married as long as we have. It was our first home when we got married, and it was in a terrible state.  We've done every kind of renovation in the 33 years we've been here. We’ve knocked the scullery, butlers' pantry and kitchen into one big room, and turned the coal store into a utility room. We’ve added to each side of the house - including putting a master bedroom on top of the former painters' studio. Because the rooms are so big there's also scope for the new owners to add shower rooms to the bedrooms if they want.

"We've also added a conservatory and courtyard with a Mediterranean feel. It's particularly lovely in late afternoons – we often sit there and dine ‘alfresco’. Inside one of our favourite rooms is the den. It's the former dining room and we've kept the old mullioned windows there. It's right at the centre of the house and is a very warm room; we spend a lot of time in there. My wife and I are both ‘outdoors people’; one of the parts of the property we most enjoy is the terrace. It's south-facing and runs the length of the house. It's a wonderful spot to sit and enjoy the garden. The garden is framed by beech hedges and is very substantial - it's one of the biggest plots in the area. It'll be one of the things I’ll miss most about the house - we've lavished a lot of loving care on it. The three main bedrooms and reception rooms are south-facing and look out onto the garden - I often glance up and watch the birds and the squirrels."

But this pocket of tranquillity is also with easy reach of Leeds. "If you dodge the rush hour you can be in Leeds in 20 minutes," says the current owner. "We're also within easy walking distance of the Grammar School, which takes both boys and girls. Harrogate too is a 20 minute drive away and using the back roads you can be at Leeds International Airport in 15 minutes. There are six golf courses within a 15 minute drive; two are within five minutes. We’re great walkers and it's only a ten minute walk to the Eccup Reservoir, so we often head off for walks around there."

When the current owners do come to sell up and move on, what will happen to the painting that links the White House so directly to its artistic past? "We loved the fact that the painting makes that connection," explains the current owner. "I think it'd be nice for the new owners to have that link too - we can certainly discuss a way to include it in the house sale if they'd like."

To view the full sales particulars for the property please click here.