This hidden away home for sale is one of Yorkshire's most amazing grand designs

On the market with Savills York, it has been valued at £8m and has already attracted interest from high net worth individuals. The house was commissioned by entrepreneur Julian Pilling who engaged Mark Bramhall of Malton-based Bramhall Blenkharn Leonard architects, along with architect Julian Phillips of The Julian Phillips Partnership to design it.

“I am from the area and I was looking for somewhere to live that was peaceful, with no rights of way across it and no road noise. I knew of this estate because my grandparents farmed next door. It is a very special place. There was a modest house on the site, a building containing a pool and snooker table and a couple of tiny stone buildings.

“The valley was accessed by a steep road and there were lots of trees, which had never been managed. I could see that the site had huge potential.”

The planning authority was supportive of plans to build a contemporary home there but only if it was deemed to be architecturally outstanding and sympathetic to its surroundings.

“I was determined to build something of its time,” says Julian. “So many people build pastiche and then make it modern but that is not what I wanted and not what the site deserved.”

He and his family lived in the old farmhouse on the estate while the build was underway. They moved into the new, 18,000 sq ft home at the end of 2019 and have enjoyed all it has to offer. It is enormous and it’s modern but it has a wonderful feel and it’s very cosy,” says Julian.

The property was constructed with a palette of materials that includes limestone, large areas of glazing,

The main house has six ensuite bedrooms, an interconnecting self-contained three bedroom apartment and a separate building housing a three-bedroom annex complete with an indoor swimming pool.

The property is highly insulated and is fed by its own spring water with heating and hot water provided by a biomass boiler that is fuelled by timber harvested from the estate’s woodland.

There is also scope to install solar to replace the mains electricity supply, and in the event of power outage there is a generator, enabling the estate to be 100 per cent off-grid.

“The sustainable running cost was an important factor when planning the estate,” says Julian, who has tackled various complex property projects over the years, though this was one of the most challenging.

“Little did I know that this was going to test every ounce of my skill and determination. Just acquiring the land took several years. I knew exactly what I wanted early on and provided a detailed brief for the house from a bridge to the front door to a loo with a view.”

The project was undertaken in stages, starting with the new entrance and exit roads, followed by the creation of three upper lakes.

He adds: “Then there was woodland management and the creation of the three bedroom pool house, the main house and a further four lakes to complete the Valley Farm Estate’s transformation.

“There is everything you’d expect from a house of this size including; a wine room, gym, two smaller kitchens, expansive garaging for 20 cars and an amazing office. With two of the elevations being almost 100 per cent glazed, the views are breath-taking. You see the ever-changing light reflecting on the lakes and the landscape is an extension of the house.”

You can also watch several species of deer originating from the Duke of Bedford’s estate at Woburn Abbey, which graze the organic grassland.

Savills describe the property as “A perfect balance of modern architecture in a peaceful landscape at one with nature.

“The house has a wonderful feel and atmosphere and whilst it has very spacious rooms, voluminous double-height spaces and large roof lights that connect you to the external nature, it nonetheless retains the atmosphere of a comfortable home. The flow of the home was given extraordinary consideration so that occupants can make use of the main rooms and can retreat to private spaces as required.”

The ultimate accolade was paid recently when the house was recognised as a property of importance in the most recent edition of the Nikolaus Pevsner Architectural Guide.

For details of the sale visit Savills, York, www.savills.co.uk

*Location, location, location: The Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers just 79 square miles of the North Yorkshire countryside and is nestled between the North York Moors National Park, the Yorkshire Wolds and the Vale of York.

This exceptional landscape features rolling countryside, woodland and a patchwork of arable and pasture fields and pretty villages.

It has an abundance of historic country houses, along with Castle Howard, one of the UK’s most famous stately homes.

The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designation was confirmed in 1987.

It is popular with high end buyers thanks to its easy access to top private schools, independent shops and great restaurants.

The Valley Farm Estate is 15 miles from York railway station, which has trains to London with a journey time of around two hours.