Harrogate has 2,850 listed buildings and these are three that you could own

Listed buildings – so called because they are included on a list compiled by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport – are buildings of architectural or historic interest, and they range from monuments to milestones, castles to phone kiosks.

Demolishing or changing the character of a listed building by altering it without authorisation is a criminal offence punishable by an unlimited fine and/or up to 12 months’ imprisonment.

The good news is that routine maintenance doesn’t need listed building consent, so long as appropriate materials are used, and the cost of approved alterations may be zero-rated for VAT.

What’s more, potential sources of heritage grant funding can be found in the Heritage Funding Directory (www.heritagefundingdirectoryuk.org), which is managed by The Heritage Alliance and the Architectural Heritage Fund.

The duty of stewardship, which requires owners to care for their buildings and pass them on to future generations in good order, is the price buyers must bear for being entrusted with a piece of the nation’s built heritage. Then again, most would also agree it’s a price worth paying.

There are about 2,850 listed buildings in the Harrogate district. Of these, only 49 have Grade I status, and 115 have Grade II* listing. The rest have Grade II status, and include two of the three following properties, which are all currently for sale. The third, also Grade II listed, is in the City of Leeds area.

Hedley House in Harrogate is one of a pair of twin Victorian villas on Queen Parade, listed since 1975 due to their distinctive cast-iron verandahs. Close to both the town centre and the Stray, the main house has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, kitchen, utility room, study, snug, two good-sized reception rooms, and a large games room and store-rooms on the lower-ground floor.

There is also a detached coach house with two bedrooms, snug, kitchen and shower room, as well as an integral single garage. Outside, there is also off-street parking and gardens.

Boston Cottage, on Boston Spa High Street, is a Georgian gardener’s cottage dating from 1807. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen, utility room, conservatory, three reception rooms, and an adjoining single garage. In the basement there’s a cinema room and outside there are front and back gardens with seating areas and two outbuildings that could provide a studio, exercise room or office.

Finally, 1 North Road is a beautiful end-row Victorian townhouse that is currently split into four flats but could be converted back into a single family home. There is a three-bedroom flat on the second floor, one- and two-bedroom flats on the first floor, and a three-bedroom flat on the ground floor, which also has stores and a pantry. Outside, there’s a garden to the front and a further garden and private courtyard to the rear, plus a single garage and parking for several cars.