Full address: Broadway Farmhouse, Luddington Hill, Utkinton, Tarporley, CW6 9DW

Escape into your own corner of the Cheshire countryside at Broadway Farmhouse, an idyllic haven set over four acres of lovingly cultivated gardens with tennis court, nature-filled pond and a view from every window, only a short walk from Tarporley town centre.

OWNER QUOTE: “What attracted us was the cottagey character – and the opportunity to live somewhere completely unique.”

Hidden haven

Tucked just out of view, leave the main road and sweep down the driveway, where, beyond a sea of spring bulbs, hellebores, fritillaria and primulas, Broadway Farmhouse comes into view beyond the cloud of magnolia blossoms.

Parking is plentiful, complemented by a detached quadruple garage, finished with a polished concrete floor and fitted with mechanic’s units along one wall, offering space for tools. A car lift is already in place, making it particularly well suited to those with an interest in classic cars or hands-on restoration.

Character living for the modern era

Dating back to the 1830s, Broadway Farmhouse has evolved from a modest cottage to a spacious modern home, retaining its original sandstone character at its core.

Extended and refurbished by its current owners, whose custodianship began almost 30 years ago, the original sandstone farmhouse is now enveloped by an extension that keeps the exposed stone at its heart, demonstrably displayed in the entrance hall together with quarry tiled floors and exposed wooden beams.

However, alongside its beautifully retained character, Broadway Farmhouse offers the best of both worlds, embodying the warmth and cosiness of a modern home, updated using high quality natural materials from oak doors to limestone floors, to balance contemporary living with cottage comfort.

The entrance hall captures this essence, with its exposed sandstone, tiled flooring and stained-glass window alongside a traditional style radiator. Hang your coats in the handy cupboard before stepping through into an inner hallway, off which steps descend into the modern heart of the home, the light-filled dining kitchen.

Feast your eyes

Effortlessly balancing character with light-filled, liveable ease, the limestone flooring of the kitchen is warmed by underfloor heating, while solid wood Tegla cabinetry, bespoke made in Wales and fitted as part of the extension in 2008, provides ample storage and preparation space.

Sociable and spacious, there is storage and room to gather at the duck egg blue central island-breakfast bar, which contains an inset sink with space for a Range-style cooker within the run of units to the side. Currently housing a Bosch dishwasher, and a freestanding American-style fridge freezer, there is plenty of space for appliances.

Extending in an L-shape, the kitchen opens up into a large living area, heated by a log-burning stove, where spectacular 180-degree views await down over the garden and countryside, while light streams in through the Velux windows in the vaulted ceiling above,and through the vast apex of windows, bifolding doors and picture windows which surround.

OWNER QUOTE: “People always end up in the kitchen – we’re in here all day. It’s so open and light and fabulous for entertaining with views of the garden.”

Running laterally from the kitchen, wooden flooring, warmed by underfloor heating continues through into the dining area, nestled beneath a high, sloping ceiling with exposed oak beams and large Velux windows. To the side, two sets of French doors open invitingly out to the elevated patio with its sublime views.

Tucked off the dining area, the utility room offers more storage and plumbing for a washing machine and dryer, also with access out to the garden through a stable door.

Character and comfort

Step up from the kitchen into an inner hallway, where the original sandstone wall to the right reveals the home’s original footprint. Within this, the lounge, on the right, retains traits of its 1800s heritage: a cosy, warm room with exposed stone surrounding the log-burning stove. Lovely and light in the mornings, take your morning coffee outside, with a door opening to the front garden. Snug and inviting on a winter’s evening with the curtains drawn, settle on the sofa and sense the solidity and strength of the surrounding walls.

OWNER QUOTE: “When it’s darker, in the evenings, we tend to retreat to the older parts of the home, the cosy cottage rooms. The balance of open, light-filled spaces and more intimate rooms allows for both togetherness and quiet moments apart.”

Next door, the study, previously used as a playroom, is also part of the cosy cottage origins of Broadway Farmhouse, with whitewashed beams above and views out over the garden. From here, an arched, glazed door leads deeper into the home, with a touch of Hobbiton warmth, where beyond, the family room opens up.

Broad bow windows to either end draw in an abundance of light, while the oak flooring underfoot, exposed beams above, and exposed sandstone to one wall capture the unique character of the home. Another log-burning stove infuses warmth in this spacious and sociable room.

A room made for entertaining, this room makes the perfect formal dining room, with French doors opening out to the garden - where there is space for a marquee when hosting larger, summer celebrations.

OWNER QUOTE: “The first six months here, it felt like being on permanent holiday.”

And so to bed…

Reconnect with the inner hallway, passing the downstairs WC, before ascending the stairs, where a large window draws the eye outward. From here, admire the clear view down through the garden to the pond beyond.

With storage available both under the stairs and on the landing, step through into the master bedroom, where windows to the front and side draw in the blossom, the flowers and flitting birds. A peaceful, pleasant room, with exposed beams above and a soft, neutral palette, built-in wardrobes provide plenty of storage. Lie in bed, with a steaming cup of cocoa and admire the sun set views as the geese glide across the sky.

OWNER QUOTE: “Looking out at the view of the pond you can see that the geese have taken up residence; there’s always something lovely to look at, any time of year, whatever the weather.”

A spacious en suite bathroom offers plenty of space to pamper, soak and revive in the roll top, claw foot bath, with a separate shower also available.

Along the landing, arrive at a neighbouring bedroom, again furnished with built-in wardrobes and space for a double bed. Across the landing further along, the family shower room beckons, while next door, with blissful views to two aspects of the garden, another amply sized double bedroom awaits.

Slightly set back along an inner landing, a fourth double bedroom offers peace and privacy for guests, again bathed in light from windows to two sides.

Enchanting gardens

Set almost centrally within its plot, the garden undulates around Broadway Farmhouse on all sides, ensuring every room enjoys its own unique view.

From the bulb carpeted lawns to the front, to the right, specimen trees and shrubs whose branches stir with blossom in springtime, rise up amid the lawn, while to the left, another green and lawned area draws the eye onward, leading down to the full-size tennis court, ready for a relaxed knockabout and enclosed by well-maintained fencing, overseen by a handful of ancient oak trees, whose towering presence provides shade and a sense of history.

OWNER QUOTE: “I love the feeling that we’re not the first people those trees have lived with - they’ve seen the history of the home. You feel like you’re living somewhere that has a history.”

Closer to the home, the planting becomes more structured: box hedging frames softer borders. Follow the path to the left, where a feature gate invites passage through and a circular step leads down to the terrace, where herbaceous perennials, shrubs and bulbs gather in looser arrangements. Afternoon shade settles here, tempered by pockets of sun filtering through carefully placed trees.

From this terrace, a sloping bed of planting unfolds, threaded with a pathway that leads onward to double gates and the open field beyond. Alternatively, a gate set into the hedge opens into the kitchen garden. Here, the air carries the fresh, green scent of growth; of freshly picked rhubarb, raspberry canes and beds shaped in soft curves, planted with peas, beans and more. An octagonal greenhouse stands here accompanied by a large storage shed and space for a ride-on mower.

Pass through the gate beside the shed to reach the rear of the tennis court, then turn and follow the land as it opens into a broader, more expansive garden. To one side, a stable block - part-converted - now serves as a versatile studio or summer house, its windows framing views back across the grounds. Continue onward beneath cherry trees, their blossom drifting lightly in season, while underfoot, snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells emerge in succession through the springtime.

The path leads gently down to the pond, the wilder edge of the garden, where nature is given space to settle and thrive. Listen to the birdsong, while ducks, coots and geese move across the water. Frogs and newts find their place here too, and in summer, wild lovage rises through the undergrowth. An eco-hive, hidden among the trees, supports visiting bees.

OWNER QUOTE: “I can’t believe how lucky we are, it’s like visiting a garden but it’s yourgarden. You can take 20 minutes walking and you’ve just done a lap of the garden.”

Continue around the pond and consider the possibilities: a jetty stretching into the pond, a quiet seating area at the water’s edge, or a summer house in which to sit with a glass of wine in hand as evenings draw in.

Returning towards the house, the garden opens once more into wide, uninterrupted lawn, ideal for a game of cricket or football. Passing back through the double gates into the more formal setting, follow the slope to the left, where a small copse of silver birch and ornamental trees provides shelter for birds and a natural screen from the road.

With space for socialising, entertaining, meandering and moments of quiet contemplation, the gardens at Broadway Farmhouse envelop the home in its own oasis of calm.

Studio annexe

Lending further flexibility to life at Broadway Farmhouse, the studio annexe is accessed above the quadruple garage and offers scope to evolve alongside changing lifestyle needs. The design allows for the easy removal of the garage car lift set up below, with provision already made to reinstate the floor above and expand the upper floor.

Upstairs, the studio itself is expansive and filled with light, currently used as an art space but equally suited to a games room, workspace, or creative studio, with far reaching views from the balcony. Its independence from the main house opens up a wide range of possibilities, from hosting gatherings to running a business from home or even accommodating older family members – perhaps those returning from university. Furnished with a WC, further plumbing upstairs is ready for conversion into a shower room.

Out and about

Step straight out and into the Cheshire countryside. The Sandstone Trail is within easy reach, weaving along the ridge through Beeston, Peckforton and beyond, with far-reaching views across the plains.

Delamere Forest offers a change of pace, with shaded tracks, cycling routes and well-trodden paths, while Little Budworth Common and Primrose Woods bring a softer, heathland landscape. For longer days out, the North Wales coastline is easily reached.

Families are well placed for schooling, with a highly regarded primary school in the village and a strong choice of secondary options nearby. Tarporley is home to well-regarded schools, alongside a selection of respected independent schools within comfortable reach.

Tarporley itself lies around a 20-minute walk away, its historic high street alive with independent shops, cafés and restaurants. From everyday essentials to boutique clothing, this town offers a strong sense of community and a calendar of local activity.

Closer to home, The Alvanley Arms is just a short stroll away, offering a relaxed setting for dining, while the nearby farm shop provides a café, post office and fresh local produce.

Day-to-day amenities are well covered, with doctors, dentists and a range of practical services available in Tarporley, alongside supermarkets, petrol stations and other essentials.

For travel further afield, Broadway Farmhouse remains accessible. Chester is around ten miles away, while the surrounding road links connect easily to the motorway network with Manchester Airport reachable in around 40 minutes.

A warm, welcoming family home, capable of adapting itself to literally any lifestyle, Broadway Farmhouse is as suitable to a young family and those with older children as it is to a couple seeking to immerse themselves in the pleasure and privacy of their own beautiful garden oasis.

Versatile at its core, with a spacious studio annexe ready to adapt to any need, and an established and enchanting garden overflowing with potential to tweak to your taste,

Broadway Farmhouse is the epitome of duality: spacious, yet not vast; open and flowing, with cosy pockets of privacy; characterful yet contemporary. With a sense of solitariness served by the land that envelops it, and rural, while far from remote, let the wider world melt away, and retreat into your own sanctuary, at Broadway Farmhouse.

Disclaimer

The information Storeys of Cheshire has provided is for general informational purposes only and does not form part of any offer or contract. The agent has not tested any equipment or services and cannot verify their working order or suitability. Buyers should consult their solicitor or surveyor for verification. Photographs shown are for illustration purposes only and may not reflect the items included in the property sale. Please note that lifestyle descriptions are provided as a general indication. Regarding planning and building consents, buyers should conduct their own enquiries with the relevant authorities. All measurements are approximate. Properties are offered subject to contract, and neither Storeys of Cheshire nor its employees or associated partners have the authority to provide any representations or warranties.