Farming family harvest two new homes in Lancashire

Parents Colin and Verity downsized to a four-bedroom home at Lawrence Gardens in Barton, while son Will has moved into a home in the same style at Cross Fields in Catterall. Both properties were built by Anwyl Homes.

“We owned a 137-acre farm which we had farmed for 22 years, but decided it was time to scale down and retire. We wanted something for ourselves with a couple of acres of land and a building, but houses like that are so hard to find,” Verity explained.

“We had a completion date for the farm and so needed to buy a home quickly that wasn’t going to cause us problems with repairs and renovation. We looked at a number of new housing developments and found that Anwyl seemed to have a lot of open space across the development. Inside the houses, the rooms seemed bigger and more spacious and well laid out.”

Their four-bedroom Hartford style property overlooks the public open space, a key factor given that Colin and Verity are used to looking out over open fields having lived on a farm previously.

“We were one of the first to move in and have taken pictures every day of the different stages of the houses being built. We’ve seen first-hand the amount of work and detail that’s gone into them. We know that they’re exceptionally well built,” Verity said.

“The idea was that we would leave Will living here, when we found somewhere with land around it and moved on. We’d not yet found anywhere and are happy here as the location is excellent for travelling, and there is everything we need close by so started looking for a house for Will.”

By this point Debbie, the homes advisor Colin and Verity bought their home from, and site manager Ian, who’d overseen its construction, had both moved on to Cross Fields in Catterall.

“We kept coming back to the fact that our home had the best layout. Plus, we know the standards Ian works to,” Verity added.

“If you have someone you trust, it’s better than going into something with someone new so the ideal thing was for Will to have one too. It’s future proofed him and hopefully he will be there for quite a while.”

Verity and Colin are still looking for a house with land attached and will consider renting out one of the Anwyl properties if that comes to fruition.

“I’m loathe to part with either of them as they’re in such a good position and the layout is brilliant,” Verity said.

She hasn’t ruled out buying a third Anwyl home for daughter Becky.

“We have every confidence in buying another home from Anwyl without question. Nothing was too much trouble, excellent customer service and their work ethic is great,” Verity added.

Like his parents’ house, Will’s home at Cross Fields also looks out over green open space.

“Moving from a stone farmhouse built in 1696, to Lawrence Gardens with my parents helped me appreciate the benefits of a more modern home before moving into my own home,” he said.

“The way energy prices and other living costs are going up, the efficiency of a new build home makes a real difference. I liked that Anwyl are forward-thinking and provide an electric vehicle charging point, although I don’t have an electric car yet.”

Will, 29, who works as a chef, added: “The kitchen is well equipped and well-thought out. I use the whole space all of the time when I’m cooking at home. I like that there’s a peninsular unit – it’s very practical.”

While he currently lives alone, Will recognises the potential his home offers.

“I like to think well ahead and it’s a perfect house for a future family as there’s so much space and schools nearby,” he said.

Anwyl is down to the final home at Lawrence Gardens in Barton, where Colin and Verity live. It’s a four-bedroom detached Lancaster style home, priced from £421,995. To be in with a chance of owning this home, see https://www.anwylhomes.co.uk/our-developments/lawrence-gardens-barton.

At Cross Fields, Anwyl has a choice of three and four-bedroom homes available, priced from £225,995. A four-bedroom Hartford, in the same style as the two bought by the Gravners, is available from £359,995. For more information see https://www.anwylhomes.co.uk/our-developments/crossfields.