Moorlands Farm, Winder Lane, Forton, Preston, PR3 0AX

The result is a period property that exudes character and charisma and whilst rooted in the past it is very much a house for modern day living with timeless fittings and interior design choices that effortlessly marry comfort, convenience and technology to create a house that is not only deeply pleasing from an aesthetical point of view, but also easy to run, maintain and best of all, occupy and enjoy.

With two separate reception rooms and a wonderful open plan breakfast kitchen/ dining room and family room, Moorlands Farm has a great balance between living space and the bedroom accommodation. The bedroom to bathroom ratio is also ideal with five bedrooms and four bath or shower rooms. Furthermore, the interior and exterior are well balanced with neatly kept and well stocked gardens immediately surrounding the house which offer great amenity value with lawns, seating and dining areas, sheltered hot tub and contemporary garden studio, a four car garage and extensive gated parking provision. It’s a great family house but would also be perfect for a couple looking to host friends and family, work from home or simply spread out and embrace the space.

For many country residences this would be more than enough, but the icing on the cake is the adjoining level field measuring c.1.09 acres and the large purpose built outbuilding (9m x 5.2m) which will no doubt widen the appeal of the property to those with aspiring smallholding interests, retiring farmers looking to keep a hand in, or buyers with dogs or energetic children looking for space for a great run around. In total, the property amounts to c.1.42 acres.

The setting is rural but exceptionally easy to find off the main A6 road, making it ideal for those wishing to strike a balance between busy working lives and a quiet and peaceful backdrop for home life. Handy for Garstang and Lancaster, the wider road and rail network, this is a super compromise. Rural life without remoteness.

Vendor Insight

The thing we’ve enjoyed most about living here is being away from it all, and the sense of the freedom the gardens and land have brought us. Coming home after a busy day, turning off the A6 and then turning onto Winder Lane, it’s instant relaxation.

Location
Moorlands Farm is set in an idyllic rural position, surrounded by countryside with some good open views. Offering peace and quiet, the location is far from remote and remains surprisingly accessible for local amenities in the impressive and historic city of Lancaster, the attractive market town of Garstang and the pretty Conservation Area village of Scorton.

Scorton (1.75 miles distance) is a popular destination for walkers and cyclists alike. The charming village has a Spar shop, an active local community, primary school, children’s play park, church and village hall. There is a delightful garden centre with café, gift shop and several other places to enjoy a bite to eat or a drink.

For day-to-day essentials, Garstang (3.73 miles away) is probably the first choice as it has branches of Booths, Sainsburys and Aldi as well as a busy high street with a great range of independent retailers, a traditional weekly market and a large selection of restaurants, cafes and public houses.

Lancaster (6.81 miles to the north) offers a full range of commercial and recreational facilities including a wide selection of restaurants serving cuisine from around the world, a great shopping experience with most of the town centre being pedestrianized, a choice of theatres and cinemas and an established cultural and music scene with festivals and events throughout the year. There are also two universities and both private and NHS hospitals.

If you appreciate having ready access to stunning, unspoiled countryside then easy to reach is the Forest of Bowland offering endless rolling hills, a plethora of walking routes and fascinating wildlife, it’s easy to see why it has been given the title of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

If you are moving with children, then the proximity of good schools will be a vital consideration. Forton has its own primary school and there are a few others within easy reach. Secondary schools are in Garstang and Lancaster.

Winder Lane is also ideal if you are looking to commute further afield as access to the M6 is eminently convenient at J33 and there is a train station in Lancaster on the main west coastline meaning that whether travelling for business or pleasure you remain well connected.

Vendor Insight

We have really enjoyed the peace and quiet that this location has brought to our lives. We’re surrounded by fields, there’s no light pollution so we get wonderful dark and starry nights with wonderful big moons. With farms and land all around us we feel a far greater appreciation of the changing seasons; we’ve seen deer in the field and buzzards’ nest locally. At night we often hear a pair of barn owls calling to one another and we’ve seen them hunting in the fields first thing in the morning.

This is great countryside for walking and cycling with the family and dogs. From the footpath we can get onto the canal’s towpath and from there go to Cockerham, Garstang or even into Lancaster. If we cross the A6 there are paths leading up to Nicky Nook which we enjoy, stopping off on the return at the Applestore cafe for tea and cake.

Moving into the village we were stuck by how friendly everyone was, of the locals having all lived here a long time and were very welcoming to us ‘incomers’. There’s a great sense of community.

Step inside
This is a prime example of a successful renovation of a period home.

Starting in 2018 the renovation of Moorlands Farm has been extensive and meticulous – everything from the very basics to the finest finishing touches. The services have been renewed; wiring and plumbing, central heating system (with many radiators being modern ‘period style’ as well as some areas of under floor heating), two new Yeoman multi fuel stoves (one in the sitting room, the other in the living room), new solar panels with 10 kilowatts of batteries (which also can heat the water on sunny days all year round), a replacement water treatment plant (located in the field), security alarms and CCTV.

The comprehensive work has been meticulous; walls and ceilings have been replastered, the cellar room was water bonded to prevent damp ingress and now provides a great dry storage space. New sandstone flag floors (with underfloor heating) were laid in the kitchen, adjoining family and shower rooms. New African Utile hardwood framed double glazed sash windows have been installed on the front elevation along with a new solid wood front door, rear door and French doors in the family room.

Transformative, an extension was built over the garage to create a deluxe principal bedroom suite with vast bedroom (the proportions are extraordinary), beautifully fitted dressing room (by Matthew Marsden Furniture) and a luxuriously appointed ensuite shower room. A part glazed porch was built on the rear elevation providing internal access from the house to the garage; so useful in wet weather or when carrying sleeping children in at the end of a long day.

Keen to reflect and complement the period of the architecture, new kitchen and utility room fittings were chosen with a timeless quality; the bespoke hand-crafted cabinets have cream painted solid wooden doors with quartz worktops and matching upstands. A stunning antiqued mirror splash back adds a glamorous touch behind the range cooker and complements the white metro tiling and open oak shelving.

The shower and bathrooms have also been refitted with high end sanitary ware and appointments. Successfully blending old and new, the house bathroom is sophisticated with a freestanding statement copper bath, contemporary marble topped washstand with inset basin, separate shower and loo. The principal ensuite shower room embraces a contemporary aesthetic, the second bedroom’s ensuite shower room is more traditional in styling as is the ground floor shower room. Although incorporating elements of the past, all look like they firmly belong in the present.

To top it all, the house has been tastefully decorated from top to bottom with a calm consistent canvas that flows effortlessly from room to room. A treat for bare feet, plush carpets have been fitted upstairs, a smart runner with rods laid to the staircase and great thought has been given to lighting design and selection.

Original Victorian period have been retained wherever possible; there’s original cornicing, archways and corbuls around the house, Victorian pine panel internal doors (the doors have been stripped and overhauled), original flag floors in the inner hall and utility room (these were taken up and re-laid). In the main staircase hall an original tiled floor and a coloured glass internal panel, in the sitting room, a painted fire surround with original slated hearth. Stone steps lead down to the cellar which still has the original stone table, keeping shelves and meat hooks. The external walls to the property have been completely insulated and waterproofed internally before replastering. All skirtings and architraves have been re-manufactured to replicate those in the original property as it was.

The front of the house faces due south ensuring that this is a wonderfully light and bright house. The first of the sun is through the gable window in the principal bedroom which commands a view out over farmland to Nicky Nook, rising behind the village of Forton over to the east. On the opposite west facing elevation, the family room and kitchen attract the last sun of the day as do the seating and dining areas laid out in the garden.

The well-proportioned sitting and living rooms are refined and elegant, the kitchen and connected dining/family room are sociable with a family friendly layout, the dream come true principal bedroom has a huge ‘wow’ factor with the remaining four bedrooms all being stylish and comfortable.

Vendor Insight

We’ve loved living here but it’s time to move on. Both the house itself, and then out in the garden and field, have been great for having family and friends over.

Step outside
The upgrading work outside the former farmhouse has been as equally painstaking as that undertake inside. Turn off Winder Lane and the gated entrance opens to a generous tarmac parking area. From here it’s straight ahead into the field, left into the large new outbuilding or right, through substantial solid hardwood sapele gates set between stone pillars into the inner garden. Set into the established hedge, there’s a matching sapele pedestrian gate from the front garden onto Winder Lane.

The purpose built outbuilding is steel framed with concrete panels elevations at lower level, timber boarding above, all under a sheeted roof. Measuring 9m x 5.2m internally it has a cushioned floor (designed for use in garages as it is grease resistant). The building has consent for use ancillary to the residential property so would be ideal for any recreational activity on a non-commercial basis; workshop, vehicle restoration or storage, hobbies and the like.

Gardens surrounding the house are fully enclosed to offer peace of mind for those with small children or dogs. These have been newly landscaped having paths and seating terraces laid with sandstone flags edged in dressed stone for a smarter, defined finish. A newly laid circular lawn complete with new drainage lies in front of the house with established planting around the edges. The private side garden is mainly hedged for increased privacy and features new split level seating areas having room to accommodate ample outdoor furniture for both dining and reclining. There are two raised beds constructed of sleepers if you fancied growing your own herbs and vegetables – the beds are purposefully sited to be handy for the kitchen. Sitting under an oak and shingle pergola is a hot tub, all included in the sale.

In front of the garage is an extensive parking area, laid with gravel. The outer parking area has been resurfaced with tarmac and stone sets. If you have several vehicles, require the capacity for frequent visitors or want to store a motorhome, camper or boat, these outside spaces will be just the thing you’re looking for.

The rear courtyard makes a great place to dry washing out of sight, it houses a small stone and slated garden store, the oil tank, a water butt and the bins as there is a handy pedestrian gate giving access to Winder Lane. There is also a stone walled water well which predates the house with a toughened glass cover for safety; a pump allowing water to be used for the garden. The rear outdoor area is paved with original York stone flags.

The attached garage has room for four cars to be double parked and has an electric door, pot sink and cushioned floor. The contemporary garden studio is fully insulated, pine clad internally with a wooden clad Hardwood Timber exterior with a shingle roof, there are bi-folding doors along the front which open to a wide overhang. It would make a super home office (it has a dedicated phone line), gym or dedicated hobbies space.

Around the garden, lights and power points have been wired in.

The field measures 1.09 acres and has consent for agricultural use. In early spring, wildflowers line up under the hedgerows and orchard trees offer a supply of apples, pears, damsons and plums in the autumn.

Vendor Insight

The field was a dumping ground when we came here. The land was firstly cleared, new drains installed to carry all rainwater away from the house and then ploughed, rotavated, seeded and mowed. It’s given us lots of enjoyment as a family, it’s proved to be a great area for our children and their friends to play; we’ve had bouncy castles and marques on it for parties, it’s lovely for a picnic and camping, we’ve a bench there, sitting and watching the sun set with a drink is a very relaxing way to end a day.

Please note

A public footpath crosses the outer parking area and then continues, fenced in, down the side of the field and off the property.

Directions

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Use Sat Nav PR3 0AX with reference to the directions below:
Exit the M6 at J33 and drive south on the A6 towards Preston. After a couple of miles, turn right onto School Lane and then left into Winder Lane. Moorlands Farm is the third property on the right; the entrance is after the house.

Services

Mains electricity, gas and water (metered). Central heating and hot water from an oil-fired Worcester boiler a Gledhill stainless steel hot water storage tank which utilises either the solar pv battery storage or oil to heat, both located in the boiler room and controllable remotely via NEST. Oil underfloor heating in the principal bedroom, dressing room and ensuite. Electric underfloor heating in the kitchen, family room and shower room. Drainage to a newly installed private Matrix treatment plant located within the owners’ field. Solar panels with a feed in tariff for sale back to the grid as well as storage batteries for use at the property. External CCTV and EV charging point. The house and outbuilding are independently fitted with security alarms. Garden studio – power and light, electric heater, dedicated telephone line. Attached garage and outbuilding, both with power, light and water.

Wyre Borough Council
Council Tax band G

Tenure - Freehold