Home:
* 17th Century home
* Not listed
* Council tax band 'G'
* 5 bedrooms
* Secluded with its own private drive
* Landscaped garden with fell views
* Double garage with mezzanine floor
* Barn and workshop
* Views/key points of interest - River Brathay/Wrynose Beck, Wetherlam, Swirl Howe, Great Carrs, Wet Side Edge, Wrynose Pass, Cold Pike, Crinkle Craggs, Lingmoor, Little Fell

Services:
* Mains water and electricity
* Private septic tank
* LPG heating

Ground and Location:
* Size of plot: 16 acres
* The house is surrounded by gardens which includes lawns, orchard, beck, heather rock, daffodil bank, bluebell bank and azaleas, camelias, magnolias, acers, roses and Hartley Botanic Greenhouse
* Parking for 6 cars
* South facing garden
* Local eateries - Three Shires Inn
* There are numerous circular walks from the house, including Cathedral Cavern

Wordsworth links:
Purchased not for the poet himself but in 1818 by an arrangement with his "connection and friends", according to extracts from Iving Howe's deeds, to divide it into seven freeholds owned by family and friends ensuring each voted for Lord Lonsdale in the forthcoming County elections. (The Westmorland election of 1818, because of such widespread sharp practice, and following riots in Kendal, was declared null and void).
William Wordsworth's son (also called William) having a liking for the home "for many reasons", acquired Iving Howe in 1842, and Iving Howe passed down through generations of the Wordsworth family until 1921.
In Wordsworth's biography, written by Mary Moorman, Mary, Wordworth's wife, describes Iving Howe as a "sweet sunny place with beautiful rocks".

Secluded setting:
Pull off the valley road into the private drive, up over the cattle grid and into the secluded setting of Iving Howe.
Park up along the ample driveway before making your way to the entrance, as views of the fells permeate the skyline.

Originally built in the 17th century with later additions, you enter Iving Howe through the oak front door and instantly sense the robustness of build, as the quiet calm of Iving Howe pervades in the entrance hall.

Turning left, enter the main living room, a large room suffused in light from windows to three sides. A comfortable space, naturally sectioned, and ideal for both entertaining and relaxing, rest awhile in the large bay window, admiring views out to the horseshoe of fells. In wintertime, the large log-burning stove nestled within a surround of daisy print tiles provides warmth and welcome, it also links into the central heating system.

In warmer weather, dine out on the verandah, accessed via French doors, south facing and soaking up idyllic views over the valley.

Returning to the entrance hall, take the stairs up turning left, to arrive at the master suite at the end of the landing. A sumptuously sized room, light and bright, the bedroom is carpeted in cream and features an array of fitted cherrywood furniture, including a vanity unit, all handcrafted by local cabinet makers at Colwith Interiors.

Flick a switch and the electric curtains open, waking you up to breathtaking views over the fells, picking out the shapes of Wetherlam, Swirl How, Great Carrs, Wetside Edge, Crinkle Crags and all the way over to Lingmoor in the winter months.

From the bay window, look down over the daffodil and bluebell banks and the River Brathay as it wends its way across the meadow, and enjoy the calm of this unique home.

Wood panelling, again locally crafted and matching that in the bedroom, is a characterful feature of the ensuite, a spacious bathroom with wash basin, bidet, WC, a centrally filling bathtub with showerhead attachment, a heated towel rail and a separate cubicle with power shower.
Light flows through a broad window overlooking the rural scenes.

Emerging from the bathroom, stepping down, cross the top of the stairs and turn right into the first guest bedroom. Carpeted in blue and with exposed beams and a feature picture rail set beneath the high ceiling, this spacious double looks out over landscaped lawns, planted with mature trees, shrubs and bulbs. Sneak a peek at the ensuite, featuring corner shower, WC and wash basin.

Returning to the landing, turn right, ascending a few steps to arrive at another inner landing, where a light and airy hobby room awaits on the left.
Floral wallpaper counterbalances the treacle toned beams above. Currently serving as a hobby room, this potential fifth bedroom enjoys views out over the daffodil bank through a large window.

Straight across the landing discover a separate WC and a neighbouring bespoke wood panelled guest bathroom, containing a vanity unit, bath and separate cubicle shower.

Turning right continue along the landing, admiring the exposed original timbers in the whitewash of the walls. On the right, arrive at bedroom three, a beam bedecked bedroom, with high sloping ceiling and views out over the garden.

Back on the landing, turn right and immediately left, along another inner landing where a handsome cupboard is built into the wall. To the end of this landing, arrive at the fourth bedroom, a large room currently utilised as a twin bedroom, brimming in light courtesy of windows looking out over the garden to one side and fells to the other.

Bathrooms are in abundance at Iving Howe, with a fourth situated close to the fourth bedroom, featuring a bath with overhead shower, wash basin and WC.

Turning left out of the bathroom, descend via a second staircase to the ground floor, turning immediately right into the utility room. Rustic slate slabs lie underfoot. A useful room with a Belfast sink, plumbing for washing machine and space for a chest freezer, continue through to the back kitchen, a room currently dedicated to laundry, with space for a dryer, ironing board and the boiler. There is also a handy WC behind a latched door beyond.

Turning back on yourself, make your way through into the spacious dining-kitchen, the heart of the home. Elterwater slate flooring extends underfoot, a perfect match for the locally crafted farmhouse style wooden fitted kitchen units offering ample storage space.

Enjoy breakfast at the table, with views out to the feeding station, which attracts a tremendous variety of wildlife including birds, red squirrels, weasels, and stoats. To another side, views extend out to gardens to the east.
Integrated appliances include a gas hob, and a double oven with microwave, and there is space for a dishwasher.

Step up from the kitchen into a spacious pantry, with its north facing windows, large slate slab and ample shelving, formally used as the dairy.

Off from the kitchen, is the study, fitted with telephone sockets, broadband hub and fitted bookshelves. Ideal for those working from home, with parquet flooring underfoot. Steps lead down into the formal dining room, an evocative atmospheric room, with exposed beams overhead, parquet flooring and a wood-burning stove inset upon a slate hearth. Among the other characterful elements to this room are spice cupboards inset within the wall.

Outside, experience the 16 acres of garden, orchard and fields and woodland surrounding Iving Howe. Meticulously maintained over the last 38 years by the current owners, the grounds are a haven for wildlife. Carpeted in daffodils and bluebells in the spring, pluck apples from the orchard as autumn arrives.
Views from the garden vary, to the north stretching out in a horseshoe reaching as far as Lingmoor in winter when the trees recede. A blaze of colour, mature rhododendrons and azaleas flourish in early summer. With year-round planting assured to provide interest throughout the seasons.
At the top of one field, discover a dozen damson trees, once used in chutneys made by Hawkshead Relish in the company's early days.
In winter, admire the river running through the valley, as it glints in the low sunlight.

A selection of outbuildings includes a Hartley Botanic greenhouse, a double garage with a mezzanine first floor, and a workshop and barn surrounded by a large covered wood-store, filled with logs from the 16 acres at Iving Howe.

** For more photos and information, download the brochure on desktop. For your own hard copy brochure, or to book a viewing please call the team **



Council Tax Band: G
Tenure: Freehold