BULKELEY

Bulkeley Hall is one of the finest examples of mainstream Georgian architecture in the region. Described by English Heritage in their Grade II* listing as a mid 18th Century mansion it displays the classic proportions and balance which is typical of the period. It was built for Thomas Bulkeley, gentleman of Malpas, whose family had links with both the Cholmondeley and Grosvenor families, who remain major landowners in the area.

The Hall is constructed in a Flemish bond brick under a slate roof with stone quoins, sash windows, stone sills and lintels with central pediments and is presented to the highest of standards. Whilst it retains a wonderful range of period detailing, it was comprehensively redeveloped by the current owners with the help of Mark Gillette Interior Design, one of the top interior design firms in the UK. The result is accommodation which offers an exciting mix of traditional and contemporary design, created without compromise.

Stone steps lead up to a recessed front door flanked by reeded wooden columns and with a fluted freeze and radial bar fanlight. It opens into a large reception hall with a flagstone floor and a fireplace with a stone chimney piece and iron grate. Off the hall is the principal access to the dining room with a hand painted mural depicting a rural scene, a fireplace with a marble chimney piece and an arch with an inset glazed panel.

The staircase hall provides access to an elegant hexagonal drawing room, again with a stone fireplace and French doors opening onto a paved terrace and landscaped walled garden beyond. The link between the drawing room and library is arranged as a drinks room, with a sink, fitted cupboards and shelving, and provides access to the wine cellar.

The library is less formal in style and doubles as a study and cinema room. A corridor from the staircase hall passes a cloakroom arriving at a side hall with extensive fitted cupboards and a central ottoman.

The kitchen is positioned at the rear of the house and takes best advantage of the views over the lake and the adjoining countryside.

Smallbone were commissioned to design and construct the kitchen units and a large island unit. A breakfast/dining area extends into a green oak extension and at the opposite end of the kitchen is a study area and a sitting room, from which is a door leading to a back staircase and a door to the garden.

On the first floor is a fine master bedroom suite with a bathroom and dressing room, a guest suite, 3 further bedrooms, a linen room, WC and a family bathroom.

On the second floor are two guest suites, a bedroom, WC and a playroom.

Outbuildings

From the turning circle in front of the house the drive connects to a small courtyard around which there is stabling constructed of brick under a slate roof with loose boxes, feed store, tack room, machinery and implement stores. Behind the stabling is an all weather sand manège with post and rail perimeter fencing. Beyond the immediate gardens railed paddocks which are ideal for grazing by horses.

Gardens and Grounds

At the front of the house the garden forms an expanse of formal lawns either side of the drive which is finished in fine gravel and edged with granite sets. Against the front of the house are shrub borders with box and topiary and to the south east of the house is an exquisite walled garden with a series of raised beds and floral borders divided by paths. The garden (lawns, flower beds and vegetable garden) is fully irrigated via a fully automated irrigation system which is fed from the lake.

A gate within the walled garden leads up to a sheltered outdoor swimming pool complex surrounded by a flagged terrace finished in York stone. Against the pool is a brick, timber and glazed pool house incorporating a garden room, open fronted barbeque area with dining and kitchen, twin changing rooms with shower facilities and a plant room housing the equipment for the swimming pool.

Adjacent to the swimming pool is an all weather tennis court and beyond which are further lawned gardens extending across the back of the house and sloping down to a very attractive lake. The lake is framed by trees, under-planted with rhododendrons and spring bulbs. Adjacent to the lake and behind the stabling is a natural woodland garden with children’s play area and tree house. The whole extends to 9.3 acres or thereabouts.