City home and country pad - the best of both worlds

Keen to keep up a connection to a quintessential Yorkshire way of life, Michael and Alyne Lidgley bought a second home at Redrow’s Manor Fields development in Steeton.

Rather than heading back to the cottage that had been in the family for 200 years, it was all the modern amenities of a brand new two-bedroom apartment that appealed to the couple.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We wanted somewhere that wouldn’t require much upkeep,” Alyne explained. “My family’s cottage in Ingleton was idyllic but very old and in need of a lot of maintenance, so we decided to let it go and move on to something that wouldn’t require so much attention.

“We love Yorkshire and the North and we know Skipton very well so, while our permanent home is in North London, we wanted to keep that connection and be able to come back up regularly and explore more of the area in our retirement.”

Steeton is an ideal place to use as a base to explore and a fabulous place to set up home; especially as the Craven district of Yorkshire, just north of Steeton and centred around Skipton, was only last month named the happiest place to live in the UK, thanks to high levels of life satisfaction and low levels of anxiety according to an Office of National Statistics survey.

“Steeton is lovely,” Michael added. “The development is nice as a whole and its setting in the wider valley amidst picturesque countryside will be a really enjoyable retreat for us. We’re really looking forward to being able to sample the immediate locality as well as heading into the Yorkshire Dales and other places of interest.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We don’t mind the long journey from London as we tend to ensure that we can enjoy it and stop off on the way, but if it ever gets too much then we can always get the train, as the site is close to Steeton and Silsden railway station which has good connections to Leeds.”

And although managing their move from a distance of 200 miles away presented various challenges, it was made much easier by using Redrow’s online customisation tool, My Redrow.

“We really took advantage of My Redrow,” Michael added. “We couldn’t keep coming up to oversee things so we chose as much as we could online and then when we moved in, it was exactly as we wanted and almost entirely complete bar a bit of furniture. It’s so easy just being able to choose things like the flooring and the kitchen cupboards from your own computer at home.

“Our house in London is quite traditional with lots of antique furniture so we love the contrast of our brand new, very modern apartment. We particularly love the kitchen, and it’s on show to the living area, it was well worth investing in integrated appliances and granite worktops.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

For those interested in an apartment at Manor Fields, whether it be as a first or second home, the final few remaining two-bedroom properties include an en-suite to the master bedroom and boast an open-plan kitchen/dining and lounge area. Prices range from £129,950 to £137,950 depending on their position within the three-storey building.

For those who prefer a house, a two-bedroom Avon mid-terrace is currently available for £164,950.

For more information about the last remaining homes at Manor Fields, visit the sales centre, usually open 10am to 5.30pm Thursday to Monday inclusive. Alternatively visit www.redrow.co.uk/manor or call 01535 259694.

Related topics: