A proud new owner has snapped up a Grade II-listed converted Victorian boat house, which numbers among the most photographed buildings on the River Lune.
Originally constructed as a boat house for the neighbouring estate, it was later expanded into an impressive two-bedroomed riverfront home. The dining room hangs over the water, while the archway below provides shelter for a boat or passing otters.
Nestled on the serene banks of the River Lune, the Boat House in Church Brow, Halton, Lancaster, was first registered with Historic England in November 1983. It was first constructed in the early to mid-19th century and extended to the north-east in the early 20th century and converted into a house using material from Halton Hall, the grand English country seat which stood in various incarnations for several centuries on the right-hand riverbank before being demolished in the 1930s.
The converted boathouse remained, with Historic England noting its “squared sandstone with rock-faced blocks used for dressings and for the west wall, with slate roof.” On two storeys, at the time of its listing status being granted, the ground floor of the original building was still being used to store boats.
“West wall has wide boathouse entrance with pointed arch, with a canted stone oriel window above and a one-light chamfered window under the apex,” the listing reads. “The gable has shaped bargeboards with finial and pendants. North wall has the present front door with plain stone surround with rock-faced rustication and triangular head. To the right is a two-light mullioned window with double hollow chamfer, pointed heads to lights, and hood mould.” For these architectural reasons and its historical significance, the home has remained Grade II-listed ever since.
The property was on the market for offers above £650,000.
