The Yorkshire Gold Rush

As seen in today’s Bricks & Mortar – the property supplement in The Times

'THE YORKSHIRE GOLD RUSH'

It has culture, connections and country houses … no wonder so many buyers are heading over the hills for the northern county. 

Scouts for a “million-pound” house lottery have been spotted this week scoping out a rural mansion near Wakefield as a possible contender for a future prize draw.

It would be in illustrious company, joining a London townhouse, a family home in the Cotwolds and a seaside retreat in Devon already selected by Omaze UK.  Is this further proof that Yorkshire is officially hot?

Putting the area on such a property pedestal might have been unthinkable 18 months ago but the pandemic has led to a reassessment of priorities and perceptions.  The shift towards working from home, the stamp duty holiday extension until the end of June and buyers wanting space to breathe are unprecedented factors in the mix.

Andrew Beadnall, founder of Beadnall Copley estate agency, with offices in Wetherby, Ripon and Harrogate, makes a crucial point.  “While Harrogate, for example, is uber-fashionable, largely because of its shops and wine bars, it’s only when everything is stripped away that people begin to appreciate the countryside and the amazing walks and nature that many locations in Yorkshire offer.”

The market in the village of Boston Spa, 13 miles northeast of Leeds, for example, is “on fire”, Beadnall says.  He recently dealt with 26 viewers in 48 hours for a £350,000, 1960s detached house in the village, which is close to the A1, with good connections to Leeds, Bradford and York.  Recent residential development in the centre has led to new independent shops, cafes and hairdressers, bringing about a “renaissance” and leading to sales regularly going to best and final offers.

Beadnall says that properties with an interesting history, such as a four-bedroom Georgian terraced house, formerly part of a hotel patronised by guests who would come to sample the spa’s waters, for £795,000, are especially popular with Yorkshire buyers.

3 The Terrace, Boston Spa – For Sale through Beadnall Copley Wetherby at £795,000

 

Edited from an original article by Jayne Dowle for Bricks & Mortar, The Times 07.05.2021