North York Moors farmhouse renovation project with a quirky history goes up for auction

Bleach Garth Farm, a sandstone house set in its own, three-acre grounds and with sweeping views of the surrounding moorland, is along half a mile of unmade track. The house has five bedrooms and is being marketed as a renovation project, described by the auctioneer as “requiring full modernisation”.

The farmhouse was developed from a ruin in a three-year project some 40 years ago by Yorkshire-based inventor and entrepreneur Donald Keech, who, in the 1940s, was the first person to create and manufacture ink for the newly invented Biro ballpoint pen.

Andrew Parker, auctioneer and managing director at SDL Property Auctions, said: “This wonderful sandstone farmhouse is in a truly idyllic location, surrounded by the open countryside of the North York Moors.

“Because it does need redevelopment and modernisation, it offers something of a clean slate for any buyer. It has enormous potential, subject to planning requirements, either as fantastic family home or as holiday accommodation.”

The property has three reception rooms, a kitchen, five bedrooms and a bathroom. Outside, there are two garages, a workshop, gardens and paddocks across three acres of land.

“The location of the property is also difficult to beat,” added Andrew. “It’s set in what feels like the middle of nowhere, within the spectacular landscape of the North York Moors National Park, and yet it’s close to picture-perfect villages such as Beck Hole and Goathland, and only six miles from the bustling seaside of Whitby and eight miles from Robin Hood’s Bay.”

For more information about Bleach Garth Farm or to register to bid remotely online, on the phone, or by proxy, go to sdlauctions.co.uk. The auction will be live streamed online on 22 August, with bidder registration closing on 21 August.