NEWS COPY
A stunning 16th century property featuring England's highest moat has gone on the market for £1m.
Beautifully grand Hopton Hall near Kirkless, Yorks, boasts a plethora of stunning features, including part of its original moat which is now drained.
The property is thought to have been the seat of Alric Lord of the Manor, and William the Conqueror gave the hall to Ilbert De Lacy, his tenant in chief.
Now the home of surgeon Jeremy Ridge and wife Maria, the six-bedroom grade II listed hall - which sits 154ft above sea level - has been put on the market for offers over £950,000.
Mr Ridge, a surgeon at Dewsbury District Hospital, said the house in Mirfield, West Yorks., was a special place and added: "We are not sure why the house has a moat.
"We don't know whether it was strategic or whether it was to show off.
"There was probably a manor house here in the mid 13th century.
"We had some carbon dating done on the timbers and they dated them to 1215. That is when the moat is also dated to.
"The main house was built in 1495 and the wooden structure has been around since then.
"There are not many east-facing wooden houses left and the east-facing part was re-built around 1720.
"The moat remains to the north of the property with timber bridges. In 1720 the southern section was filled in, likely when the sewers were built."
The moat does not currently have any water in it - but it could always be filled in by the discerning buyer.
"I've lived here 20 years and we re-established the fabric of the building and completed the renovations."
With his children Alexander and Emily having flown the family nest, Mr Ridge says it's time to downsize.
The estate agent listing describes the property in Hopton Hall Lane as a "fine, moated timber detached dwelling house, offering generous family accommodation, with a natural scarcity value."
It's so iconic in the village its image is depicted on the road sign welcoming visitors to Upper Hopton village.
The current owners were awarded a Mirfield Civic Society blue plaque.
The hall is set among trees immediately adjoining St John's Parish Church.
Whilst parts of the house have been clad in stone, possibly in the 19th century, there is an 18th century brick infill to the timber frame at the rear of the west wing.
The whole property is covered with a stone slated pitched roof.
During the renovations a more precise estimate of the age of the building was obtained.
The oldest surviving part thought to have been built around 1495. The massive Bressumer fireplace in the west wing is 500-years-old.
Downstairs there is an entrance porch, a reception hall, drawing room, music room, cloakroom, snug, utility room, kitchen, plus a dining kitchen, dining room and larger living room, plus a basement area.
On the first floor there are six bedrooms, two en-suite bathrooms, a house bathroom and wetroom, a Minstrel gallery, study and a store.
Outside the house boasts a stone cobbled driveway and turning facility, a double garage and storeroom.
The hall also has a two-storey outbuilding with its own living and bathroom.
ENDS
