STOP PRESS - latest news: Conservation architect Tim Ellis has bought Sleddale Hall. This is great news for the farmhouse and we look forward to seeing Tim's work in action. (Article in Architects Journal and on BBC News)
Sleddale Hall was thought to have been sold by owner, United Utilities, to a local pub landlord for £250,000 in February this year when the building was put up for auction. He hoped to restore the building and allow fans to visit.
Sleddale Hall stands in a poor state. It is rather surprising to note that the house is not listed, despite international fame as Uncle Monty’s country house from the film Withnail and I. Yet also the house is of architectural merit, shows a mature rugged beauty and sits in perfect harmony with the extensive countryside around it.
United Utilities re-roofed the property but having been vacant for the best part of the 20th-century its future has at times appeared a little precarious and Sleddale Hall certainly needs a new, loving, conservation-savvy owner who will bring life and certainty back into its walls.
Sleddale Hall is situated in a stunning location alongside Wet Sleddale reservoir and amidst field after field of good British countryside. It is astonishing that Sleddale Hall, loved by millions of Withnail and I fans from around the globe, survives in a state of dereliction.
We have little doubt that as before there will be great interest in this property. Whilst it is our feeling that it could be a resounding success as a holiday let we understand that the recent sale fell through as a result of a covenant written to keep the building as a single private residential dwelling which is apparently to protect the nearby reservoir. However Sleddale Hall would surely attract a constant stream of interest from eager film lovers, particularly as the cottage is reported to retain features from the film set.
Also see this report on the BBC 'Farmhouse from cult film for sale'
The house was previously auctioned by Savills.
