A county of contrasts

Location, location, location… three properties currently on the market in Cheshire highlight the contrast in style, taste and price of a country house

- Penny Churchill

CRISPIN HARRIS of Jackson-Stops in Alderley Edge (01625 540340) is handling the sale of Grade II-listed Blackden Manor near the old farming village of Goostrey, 2½ miles north of Holmes Chapel and eight miles south of Alderley Edge, the ancient and picturesque village in the east of the county, nowadays best known as one of the most expensive and sought-after places to live in the UK outside London. Lying due east of the manor is the Peak District National Park. Size matters in this affluent part of Cheshire, a fact reflected in the ‘excess of £10 million’ guide price quoted for the 9,903sq ft former manor house, which stands at the end of a long, tree-lined drive, surrounded by 28½ acres of parkland, woodland and landscaped gardens, having been substantially renovated and extended by its current owners, who bought it in 2018.

According to its listing details, Blackden Manor dates from about 1597 and was originally timber frame before being encased in red brickwork in the late 19th century. In 1920, the manor house, built on two storeys under a sandstone slate roof, was restored by the Manchester-based architect James Henry Sellers, who added new wings to the rear to form a courtyard. Also listed Grade II is a two-storey brick farm building, which dates from 1709. With a 21st-century squire in mind, the renovation of the interior blends the finest bespoke contemporary fittings and joinery with the original period features that are present in most rooms. The entire manor has been fitted with a sophisticated Control 4 intelligent home system that controls the heating (some of which is underfloor), lighting and music to the main ground-floor rooms, the principal bedroom suite and three further bedrooms, as well as the electric entrance gates.