DESTINY IN THE DALES

A moment of intuition led Cherrie McCarron and Paul Cray to buy the house of their dreams in the heart of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales

- HOLLY PHILLIPS

For years, Cherrie McCarron and her partner Paul Cray would admire this beautiful Georgian manor house while out on their favourite walk in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. ‘We lost our hearts to the house many years ago on a winter’s walk along the trail,’ says Cherrie. ‘The combination of the grand Georgian architecture, the location and its riverside setting captivated us. I would periodically check to see if the house was on the market, not really believing that we would ever be lucky enough to buy it one day. Three years ago it came up for sale and we decided to head north for a viewing.’ Just minutes into their first look around they were besotted. ‘We decided to follow our hearts and make an offer,’ recalls Cherrie. ‘I grew up in London without a garden or even a park nearby, so the prospect of living in this magical environment was beyond anything I could have dreamed of as a child.’

Dining room

It was a tight squeeze getting the elegant 18th-century Irish linen table into the dining room. Table, from Loran & Co Antiques. Mirror, English and Continental Antiques. Map, Graham and Green

THE COMBINATION OF THE GRAND GEORGIAN ARCHITECTURE, ITS LOCATION AND ITS RIVERSIDE SETTING CAPTIVATED US