Dawson Weir House Rochdale Road Todmorden Lancashire OL14 7LU

Dawson Weir House Rochdale Road Todmorden Lancashire OL14 7LU

DAWSON WEIR HOUSE The beautiful Dawson Weir House in Todmorden has been a happy family home for the current owners, who were immediately drawn in by the historic atmosphere of the house and have since put a lot of love and hard work into restoring it to its former grandeur and glory. Here they reflect upon life in the property:

A delightful period property presenting versatile accommodation boasting an impressive Georgian frontage with origins dating back to the early 1700 s. Dawson Weir House has been restored throughout to an exemplary standard with the emphasis encompassed around the atmosphere of this historically important home.

The property offers spacious accommodation which is presented to the highest of standards throughout offering the potential to create a self-contained annexe, leisure or business suite without compromising character or orientation of the main living areas. Dawson Weir House stands proudly within this popular village offering immediate access to glorious open countryside whilst at the same time being highly commutable located central to major commercial centres and only a 5-minute walk from a railway station. Local services and amenities are in abundance and include highly regarded schools. This magnificent home retains original features; examples of which are displayed from the outset. The property has been sympathetically refurbished throughout with great care and attention to detail being focussed on the charm and character of the period.

A stone cobbled path leads to a beautiful arched portico and surround to a grand front entrance door which opens to the formal reception vestibule. Features displayed immediately include deep skirting boards, tiling to the floor and an original glass panelled door with ornate stained glass and leaded inserts. The inner reception hall presents an impressive welcoming introduction to the property with the main staircase leading to the first floor landing. Formal reception rooms on either side of the ground reception, present grand living accommodation in the form of spacious light filled rooms, once again showcasing exquisite retained original features, ranging from ornate cornices, high ceiling heights, deep skirting boards and period fireplaces. A bespoke kitchen is situated to the rear aspect of the house, accessed via a versatile vaulted room, and has a useful walk-in pantry and a utility which opens to the rear of the property. A further staircase leads to a second landing which gives access to a self-contained first floor suite to the property.

Seller Insight We were attracted to the magnificent Georgian façade of the house and the history of the place parts of the house date back to the 17th century, and the front was added by Honest John Fielden, a local mill owner and MP who was responsible for passing Child Labour acts in the 1840s such as the Ten Hour Act. Although the house was in great need of TLC, we could see the potential to make a great family home (we had a two year old and a two day old when we moved in to the house!). Whilst we have used the house as a single family home, it offers such flexible layout that it could easily be used by a couple of generations of a family if needed. The house is often referred to as the house with two faces, as it has the Georgian façade added to the much older rear with its heavy stone mullions in many of the rooms. Originally used as an Inn, the house still boasts generous high ceilings. When we moved in, the house was in need of a great deal of care and attention there had been many changes made to the house in the 1970s and 80s, and we were determined to restore the house to its former splendour. We have removed all the modern changes: removing a large brick fireplace in the dining room and replacing it with an open fire in a style much more in keeping with the age of the house; replacing the 1970s glass-panelled front door with a Georgian style door made especially to fit; opening up a wonderful fire place in the morning room which had been plasterboarded in; and replastering the walls. In addition, we have redecorated, repaired and renovated all the rooms in the house adding, for instance, cast iron radiators and oak floors to the downstairs, and replacing 1970s/80s coloured bathroom suites with white suites. The house has the unusual feature of entrances on both the ground and first floors. The back garden and upstairs patio are very private and catch the sun, especially in the afternoons. The driveway is large, capable of holding 5 or 6 cars easily without using the garage, which is useful when we have friends and family here. The house has been the venue for many parties over the years, in particular birthday parties for our children. It also lends itself brilliantly to Christmas, when we have three large trees in the main reception rooms, decorations all over, and fairy lights up the banisters of the stairs, making the house incredibly festive. The town of Todmorden is only half a mile away from the property with a fine variety of shops and cafes and there is a reasonably sized supermarket very close by. The primary schools in Todmorden are excellent, and there are three state Grammar schools within easy reach, as well as a number of High schools. The railway station is only 5 minutes walk away, offering convenient access to both Manchester (30 mins) and Leeds (1 hour). The motorway network is also just 15 minutes away. For larger supermarkets, Burnley, Rochdale and Halifax are all within about 10-12 miles distance, with regular bus services as well as good roads.*

We love the morning room, which is peaceful, comfortable and cosy, especially with the glow from the stove. We also love the games room, which has proved to be a great hit with the children and their friends! At Christmas, the dining room is also a very special room for us with the open fire blazing and the festive decorations.

There are some fantastic walks in the countryside within a few minutes of the house, and some beautiful buildings in the town itself, including the Todmorden Trail of which Dawson Weir is a part.. Todmorden is also only 5 miles or so from the popular tourist town of Hebden Bridge and Bronte Country is only 30 minutes away. There is also an extremely popular and well-known garden centre, Gordon Riggs, about 5 minutes drive away from the house.

Dawson Weir House has been a fantastic place for the children growing up there is so much space for them to run around and to have their friends over. It is a very comfortable house, and is extremely handy for all the local amenities. In addition, the back gate of the house opens straight onto the canal towpath from the canal side, it is almost a secret entrance! and this offers fantastic walks, with ducks and geese for the children to feed on the canal.

The first and second floor accommodation is both generous and versatile in orientation with 4/5 bedrooms accessed from the main landing whilst also providing office / study accommodation. Each of the bedrooms offers spacious light filled accommodation with delightful character features; a theme which continues throughout the property. From the second landing access is gained to a leisure floor and additional bedrooms resulting in the potential to create Guest and family accommodation allowing high levels of privacy whilst at the same time lending itself to varying uses including a self-contained, teenage / granny suite or comfortable home office.

Externally The property enjoys well maintained grounds with parking being in abundance whilst also offering enclosed seating areas to the south and west aspects of the property. A private gate to the rear opens directly onto the canal towpath immediately accessing delightful walks and an idyllic external lifestyle.

LOCATION An absolutely charming market town situated in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale approximately 17 miles from Manchester nestling in the heart of the Pennines at the meeting point of three narrow river valleys. The River Calder flows down the Burnley valley, from the Rochdale valley, continuing down the Halifax valley towards Hebden Bridge. Dawson Weir House - History Originally the Coach and Horses Inn (built in the 17th century), the house was bought by Honest John Fielden, and the current Georgian front added in the late 18th/early 19th century. He married Ann Grindrod in 1811 and they moved into the house, which he renamed as Dawson Weir the name originating from the weir at the back of the property. At the time there was little else around the property, apart from fields, a few cottages, a stretch of canal and the Fielden s small spinning factory across the road. The factory grew to become the largest in the area, if not the country, and was known as Waterside Mill. The house was inhabited by John Fielden and his family they had eight children (one of whom died in infancy) until around 1843 when it was felt to have outlived its purpose for them, and they moved to Centre Vale House in Todmorden (this no longer stands, but some ruins and a plan of the house can be seen in Centre Vale Park, along with a statue of Honest John himself). The house then was lived in by the General Manager of the Waterside Mill for some time, and was regularly used for meetings related to the Fielden s business. Following this, the house was used as both offices for the mill s administrative staff and as an offshoot of the mill itself. A crane was sited in the attic (no longer there) to bring goods in from the canal running behind the house the doorway can still be seen, as can the large entrance (now a large picture window) below into which the goods were brought. The house is part of the Todmorden Trail (a walk around Todmorden, visiting buildings of great significance to the town s history), and was given Grade II Listed status in 1984. A blue plaque commemorating John Fielden s history with the house was erected in 2013 by the Fielden Society (a group who aim to keep the history of the Todmorden part of the Fielden family intact) and Todmorden Town Council.

Dawson Weir House is situated close to the town centre which presents a diverse range of shops, cafes, restaurants, traditional pubs and a supermarket. Todmorden is blessed with stunning surrounding scenery and a thriving art community ensuring that it has plenty to offer any visitor. In 2016 Todmorden also became a Walkers are Welcome Town being an ideal base for walking, mountain biking, bird watching, horse riding and much more. In short the property and location offer the best of both worlds; all the amenities of the town right at hand, but with the delightful surrounding countryside on your doorstep.

Registered in England and Wales. Company Reg No. 2346083 Registered Office: Lancasters Property Services Ltd, Lancaster House, 12-14 Mortimer Heights, Cubley, Sheffield S36 9UY copyright 2016 Fine & Country Ltd. Additional Information A Freehold, grade II listed detached home with origins as far back as the early 1700 s. The property provides mains gas, water, electric and drainage.

Agents notes: All measurements are approximate and quoted in metric with imperial equivalents and for general guidance only and whilst every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy, they must not be relied on. The fixtures, fittings and appliances referred to have not been tested and therefore no guarantee can be given that they are in working order. Internal photographs are reproduced for general information and it must not be inferred that any item shown is included with the property. For a free valuation, contact the numbers listed on the brochure. * These comments are the personal views of the current owner and are included as an insight into life at the property. They have not been independently verified, should not be relied on without verification and do not necessarily reflect the views of the agent. Printed 19.10.2016

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