Langdale Hall

“This isn’t a posh house. I was taught that you should make people feel welcome wherever you live and that’s what we always try to do.”

 

It’s a philosophy which explains why Langdale Hall is not only a family home to John Pratt, his wife Karen and their two daughters, but has also hosted the village church fete, pony club camp, hunter trials, cross country and social events for clients and staff.

 

John is managing partner and Karen a partner in BHP Law, one of the region’s biggest law firms. The solicitors have combined senior roles in the firm with running their 70-acre estate at Melsonby, near Richmond, for the last 17 years.

 

But the link between their professional and domestic lives lies much deeper than hosting social or charity functions in the beautiful landscaped gardens. BHP Law may not have been the respected regional law firm it is today if not for Langdale.

John explains: “It was really through Langdale that BHP came about. When we bought it it was quite a complicated sale because some of the farmland was being bought by other people.

 

“Peter Blackett was acting for the farmers. I knew him but not well. We got on well and Peter offered to sort out our side for me. Six weeks later we’d decided to merge our firms, and the rest is history.”

 

At the time John was a partner at Burt Hart & Pratt, a Durham law firm with an office in Cockerton, Darlington. Peter Blackett and his wife Teresa were partners at Steavensons, Plant and Park in the town centre. In 1993 the two firms merged to form Blackett Hart & Pratt, now known as BHP Law.

 

“We’ve been friends and colleagues ever since. Teresa is godmother to our younger daughter Stephanie,” explains Karen. “That family feel carries over into the firm. As well as major businesses and organisations, we represent many families across the region.”

 

For the Pratts, buying Langdale was an exciting challenge in the early years of their marriage, but it wasn’t a case of becoming Lord and Lady of the Manor.

 

“We had no children, not even a dog, and my mother thought we were crazy. She’d say ‘why do you need a house with five bathrooms?’,” says John.

 

“The village sports day organisers did ask us to judge the fancy dress competition. I was more nervous about that than anything I’ve ever done in my life.”

 

The couple’s first home together was in nearby Piercebridge. Karen explains: “It had stables and a little paddock and we were very happy there. We heard about Langdale and John went to have a look. He came back saying it was full of old boot rooms with old fashioned sinks.

 

“So when I saw it and found all these beautiful reception rooms I couldn’t believe it. It needed work but it was something exciting.”

John adds: “We loved the grounds and the views are fantastic.”

After taking the plunge in 1993 they have added more land to the estate, taking it to 75 acres with woodland and a lake, transformed the gardens, added a tennis court and improved the internal layout. Most recently they have extended the hall to add a luxury 25m heated indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi and sauna, and only this year created a new kitchen with Aga and orangery style breakfast room, all with direct access to the gardens.

 

The six-bedroom hall is actually an early 20^th century extension to an original farmhouse but little is known about its early ownership. Original Adams fireplaces and other interior fittings came from nearby Stanwick Hall estate, of which Langdale was originally part. A palladian country house rebuilt by the 1^st Duke of Northumberland of Alnwick Castle, Stanwick Hall was sold to cover death duties in 1922 and demolished a year later.

 

In more recent times Martyn Wane ran a racing yard adjacent to the hall but when he retired and left, John and Karen acquired the yard and then ran a livery business from the facilities. Until very recently, there were always horses and ponies around for the Pratts’ daughters Stephanie, 14, and her sister Rachel, 15.

 

In 2007, with the help of Niven Architects of Darlington, they decided to convert and extend an old granary and stables to create three luxury family homes, retaining the character of their rustic origins but adding contemporary features. The properties have been let out but are now for sale.

 

John, the son of a Durham police superintendent and a district nurse, says running an estate of Langdale’s size cannot be done without help. “There is separate accommodation in the house and in the past we’ve had a couple live in with the lady working as housekeeper and her husband as gardener. We’ve always had help with the garden. That’s the challenge of a house this size, you couldn’t do it all on your own,” he explains.

 

Especially when combining it with high profile, senior roles in the firm, keeping up with the lives of two busy teenage daughters and enjoying a keen interest in horse racing.

 

Every summer Langdale welcomes local villagers for the Melsonby church garden fete, which raises around £3,000 for church funds. For clients, Sunday lunch at Langdale is a popular invitation, and the summer barbecue for BHP’s 150 staff from Newcastle, Darlington, Teesside, Durham and Halifax is a highlight of the calendar.

 

But even with its busy social life, the hall and estate is more space than the Pratts need and they are looking to move on.

Then the next chapter in the history of this relatively young Yorkshire country estate can begin.  

 

For more information on Langdale, contact Toby Milbank at Strutt & Parker on (01423) 561274; for BHP Law, visit www.bhplaw.co.uk