The Cheshire house that looks like something discovered by Hansel and Gretel

YOU could be forgiven for believing the author of a child’s fairy tale dreamt the Old School House into being.

It certainly has that effect on those who see it.

“You want to snap off pieces from its ornate exterior and eat them as though they were made out of gingerbread,” concludes a short film promoting the Victorian property’s best bits.

“It looks like something that would be discovered by Hansel and Gretel.”

Generations of boys and girls who were pupils there when it was a school may have felt similar awe had they been told it would be transformed into a million-pound home more than a century later.

It still appears, from the outside at least, as they would remember it too given most of the original features remain intact.

A stunning octagonal clock tower has been retained, and there are Gothic highlights no matter where your eyes dart next.

“It is completely overwhelming,” says Steve Donnelly, who has lived with his partner, Louisa, at the address in the village of Spurstow for two years.

The couple are relocating to the south coast of England.

Together they have been responsible for a meticulous modernisation of the detached house which, together with beautifully landscaped gardens and adjoining woodland reserve with a lake – available to buy through a separate negotiation – went up for sale earlier this year.

It has been marketed by Storeys, from Davenham, since the summer.

“I love properties that inspire me,” says managing director Ian Storey.

“Whether that’s because of their appearance, or the character they possess, we’re always looking for an emotional impact.

“This place definitely has that; it looks so different, and the tower is certainly striking – it demands your attention.”

The sellers definitely agree.

And, like with every good narrative, theirs had a plot twist.

Steve explains: “I’d lived in a 300-year-old Grade II-listed cottage previously and wanted something a bit easier to look after this time.

“Then we saw this place, and that changed.

“Its history intrigued me, as did the building itself because it had kept so many of the quirks that make it special to look at.”

Persuaded by its potential, he oversaw an extensive overhaul that took the best part of a year to finish.

At the heart of the Old School House is the former hall, complete with original parquet flooring, which is now a drawing room with staircase to the first floor.

It is there that Steve and Louisa have created a bespoke cinema space, with surround sound, which has seats from a theatre that have been carefully reconditioned and attached to the walls.

A screen lowers from within the wooden beams of an ornate ceiling.

There are four double bedrooms, and as many bathrooms, accessed separately from different halves of the property.

An open-plan kitchen has been brought up to date with a large, central island – perfect for entertaining guests tantalised by views of the garden outside.

Also on the ground floor is a cosy snug and study.

“It’s been a labour of love,” added Steve.

“I think it has to be if you live with builders for nine months!

“But we threw ourselves into it and, fittingly given it used to be a school, we learned plenty.

“Lots of things appeared that we didn’t expect to crop up, which of course you should always be wary of in an older building.

“However, it means whoever lives here next has only to think about putting their own spin on it – and that’s a nice position to be in.”

Designed in the Gothic Revival style by architect Thomas Bower, who was based nearby in Nantwich, the former Crewe Estate school was built in 1872 with red and blue brick, and had tiles that formed stripes in the same colours.

A bell to signal the end of classes tolled for the last time in 1983 when it became a private home.

By then the population of Spurstow had swelled, and children went instead to a larger school in neighbouring Bunbury.

Following its initial conversion, the Old School House remained relatively unchanged for the next three decades.

Steve says: “It was surprising how many of the original functions, for example the plumbing in the outside toilet block, still worked as they should.

“That meant our focus could be on refurbishing, or replacing, rather than planning issues.”

Pushed to pick his favourite features, he opts first for the impressive drawing room.

An open fire during the winter months makes it a preferred spot to relax with visiting family.

Second, he turns attention outside.

A walled rear courtyard, paved with Indian sandstone, is surrounded by outbuildings including the toilet block, utility room and separate log store.

Beyond mature formal gardens, divided into several parts including a herb garden, is the attractive woodland reserve with pond, bridge, and island.

Lullington Lodge, at the far end, comes complete with accommodation and hot tub – perfect for entertaining friends on warm summer evenings.

However, the addition of a log burner makes the space a desirable place to spend time all year round.

“We’ve spent so much time there,” says Steve, who installed peripheral lighting to illuminate the route from the main house.

You can tell that he’s reluctant to leave so soon.

However, circumstances dictate otherwise.

“If I’m honest, we’re really sad about that,” he adds.

“We didn’t buy it as a project, and our intention was to stay and make it a family home for the next 20 years.”

Instead, the end of their chapter will mark the start of somebody else’s.

01606 339922
storeyestates.co.uk

Photographs by Adrian Little

A village with history

Spurstow, near Bunbury, Haughton and Peckforton, is mentioned in the Doomsday book as ‘Spurstone’.

According to the Parish Council’s website most of the land is now owned by the Peckforton Estate and the parish consists of 152 houses and 335 residents.

Spurstow is split in two with the main settlement to the west of neighbouring Bunbury and, with the exception of isolated houses, the southerly part is 2.5 miles away and wraps itself around the village of Haughton, the gap being filled with open countryside.