Former religious retreat overlooking Ilkley Moor hits the market

A former religious retreat overlooking Ilkley Moor is being sold for redevelopment.

Myddelton Grange, which is being marketed by commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), is located just off Langbar Road, one mile north of Ilkley town centre.

The premises, which is owned by the Diocese of Leeds, was previously used as a destination for visiting groups of Catholic school children.

Set within 3.87 acres, overlooking protected parkland and the Wharfedale Valley to Ilkley Moor, the site first opened as a religious retreat in 1923 and was redeveloped in 2002.

The current 15,000 sq. ft building operated as a 24-bedroom retreat until June 2016. A separate 2,500 sq. ft staff house contains a further six bedrooms. There is also parking for up to 16 cars.

Kevin Anderson, property administrator at the Diocese of Leeds, said: “The spectacular rural location of Myddelton Grange made it popular with Catholic Schools across North and West Yorkshire.

“Visiting children learned about the Catholic faith while enjoying games, countryside walks and team-building activities.

“Rather than providing these one-off retreats, the intention is now for the Diocese to develop and extend its Youth Services programme directly into schools, offering equal opportunities to all children.”

Richard Corby, Director at LSH, added: “Ilkley is a highly sought after area and development opportunities such as this, within the Green Belt just outside the town, are very rare.

“Myddleton Grange offers a superb opportunity for a potential purchaser to create a truly unique development in a stunning location within the Yorkshire countryside, for which there are two clear options.

“The buildings could be converted, for example into a care facility, training or conference centre, subject to formal planning consent being obtained. Alternatively, there is the chance to redevelop the premises into a stunning home or small residential development.”

LSH is inviting offers for the property on a conditional or unconditional basis.