4 bed detached house for sale in Nutbank Lane, Manchester, M9 6 (ref: 735699)

Pond House, 4 Nutbank Lane, Manchester, M9 6BH

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An Award Winning Architectural Home Hidden Amongst Nature

Pond House is an individual architect-designed home set within approximately two acres of established grounds on a small gated development off Nutbank Lane, close to the boundary between Blackley and Alkrington, with Heaton Park and Prestwich both only a few miles away. Recognised by Manchester City Council with a Building Design and Quality Award, this remarkable home has been created around its natural setting, with walls of glass framing views across its own private lake, mature woodland and the neighbouring Alkrington Nature Reserve.

There is a wonderful sense of connection with the outdoors here. Soaring vaulted ceilings and expansive glazing fill the principal living spaces with natural light, while doors open onto an extensive elevated balcony where there is space to dine, entertain or simply sit overlooking the water. At garden level, bedrooms open directly onto terraces and decking, bringing the lake and woodland into view from the moment you wake.

The sense of escape continues throughout the house. Four en-suite bedrooms, together with additional flexible accommodation offering the potential for a fifth bedroom, provide generous family and guest accommodation, while two substantial reception rooms and an expansive kitchen, dining and family space offer plenty of room to come together. The indoor leisure suite brings another dimension to everyday life, with a swimming pool overlooking the lake, together with a jacuzzi, steam room, gym and showering facility. A large double garage and workshop and separate studio provide further space for working, hobbies and creative pursuits.

Outside, the grounds are as much a part of the home as the architecture itself. Woodland paths, waterside decking, places to sit and dine and the private lake create an ever-changing backdrop of wildlife and seasons, giving outdoor life as much importance as the spaces within.

Perhaps most striking is the contrast between this setting and its location. Behind the gates, Pond House feels cocooned by water, woodland and nature, yet Manchester city centre, everyday amenities and major motorway connections remain readily accessible. It is a home that offers the space and freedom of a countryside retreat without leaving Greater Manchester behind.

Welcome Home

The sense of seclusion begins before you reach the house. Pond House is approached along a private lane serving a small collection of individual homes, with access to the development controlled by electric gates. The property then sits behind its own substantial wrought-iron electric gates, opening onto a sweeping block-paved driveway with generous parking for multiple vehicles.

Mature trees and established planting surround the approach, immediately creating a feeling of privacy and separation from the world beyond. Despite the property's convenient Manchester location, there is very little here to suggest how close you are to the city, with the neighbouring nature reserve and established grounds giving the arrival an altogether more secluded character.

A sheltered terrace runs along the front of the house, providing a welcoming transition from the driveway to the entrance. From here, the individuality of Pond House begins to reveal itself, with its architecture, changing levels and glimpses of the landscape beyond offering the first indication of what lies within.

Living & Entertaining

Stepping inside, the entrance hall immediately establishes the architectural character of the home. A dramatic vaulted ceiling rises above, while full-height glazing draws the eye towards the woodland and lake beyond, creating an immediate connection with the landscape that shapes so much of the house.

Bespoke open timber staircases with glass balustrades connect the different levels, with glazed sections set into the floors allowing natural light to filter through to the accommodation below. Hardwood flooring flows through much of the interior, complemented by underfloor heating throughout.

Large pocket doors lead into the principal reception room, where the scale and architecture create an impressive setting for both everyday living and entertaining. A timber-lined vaulted ceiling with exposed beams brings warmth to the space, complemented by an integrated gas fire that provides a contemporary focal point. Rooflights and extensive glazing introduce natural light from several directions, while bi-fold doors open directly onto the elevated balcony, extending the living space outside with the surrounding trees and gardens forming the backdrop.

Substantial antique Indian timber doors provide a striking transition into the second reception room, where the character changes again. Here, a lighter vaulted ceiling is punctuated by a series of rooflights, with extensive glazing framing the woodland beyond. Doors open across two sides onto the wraparound balcony, with electric blinds providing privacy when required, while a contemporary log-burning stove creates a focal point and makes this an inviting room throughout the seasons.

Together, the two reception rooms offer distinct spaces for relaxing and entertaining, each with its own character yet sharing the same strong relationship with the surrounding landscape.

Integrated ceiling speakers extend through the principal living spaces and bedrooms and into the outdoor areas, while louvre blinds feature throughout the home and automated rooflights add further convenience within the principal living spaces. A guest WC completes the accommodation on this level.

At the Heart of the Home

This is a space designed around the rhythm of everyday life. Generous and open, yet with distinct places to cook, dine and unwind, the kitchen and dining area works just as naturally for quiet mornings as it does for evenings spent around the table with family and friends.

At its centre, the contemporary kitchen is arranged around a substantial island with breakfast seating and an integrated wine cooler, creating an informal gathering point for everything from morning coffee to drinks while dinner is being prepared. Handleless cabinetry, antique bronze detailing, bronzed mirrored splashbacks and integrated lighting give the space a confident, individual finish.

For those who enjoy cooking and entertaining, the specification is particularly comprehensive. An extensive suite of NEFF appliances includes four ovens, one of which is a steam oven, alongside a microwave, warming/proving drawer, integrated coffee machine, wide induction hob, two dishwashers and a large fridge freezer. A Quooker boiling-water tap and two sculptural Elica Interstellar extraction lights complete the arrangement.

The dining area sits alongside wide bi-fold doors opening onto the elevated balcony, allowing meals and gatherings to spill outside when the weather allows, with the mature grounds providing a leafy backdrop. It is this connection with the outdoors that gives the room much of its character, with glazing framing the greenery from several points within the space.

Away from the main dining table, more intimate corners give the room a different pace. A seating and reading area beside the log-burning stove offers somewhere to settle with a book or enjoy a coffee, while a further informal seating or breakfast area looks directly onto the garden. Together, these smaller spaces give the room a versatility that works just as well for quieter moments as it does for entertaining on a larger scale.

A separate utility/kitchen provides a valuable second working space, with integrated NEFF cooking appliances, sink, laundry facilities and a freestanding American-style fridge freezer. It is particularly useful when entertaining, providing additional room for preparation and cooking while allowing the main kitchen to remain part of the occasion.

Cole & Son wallcoverings and Farrow & Ball paint finishes feature throughout areas of the interior, bringing colour, warmth and personality to the home's contemporary architecture.

Rest & Retreat

The bedroom accommodation has a noticeably different character from the home's more sociable spaces, with a quieter relationship to the gardens, woodland and water. Much of it sits at garden level, where wide glazed doors open directly onto terraces and decking, giving the bedrooms their own connection with the grounds.

The principal suite makes particularly good use of this setting. Generously proportioned and finished with rich timber flooring, it opens directly onto the waterside terrace, bringing views of the lake and woodland into the room and offering somewhere to step outside at the beginning or end of the day. Electric blinds provide privacy at the touch of a button, while an integrated gas fire adds warmth and atmosphere. A walk-in wardrobe with bespoke cabinetry and a generous en-suite bathroom complete the suite.

An adjoining room adds further flexibility to the principal suite, offering versatile space for a private office, dressing room, nursery or additional sleeping accommodation.

Two further bedrooms occupy this level, both with their own en-suite facilities and fitted wardrobes, offering generous accommodation in their own right. Glazed doors provide direct access outside, opening the rooms onto the garden-level terraces.

Set apart from the other bedrooms, the fourth bedroom occupies the uppermost floor and has a character all of its own. A vaulted ceiling with exposed timber beams gives the room architectural interest, while its private balcony provides an intimate place to sit outside and enjoy the outlook across the mature grounds. Together with its en-suite shower room, it works particularly well as a guest suite or a more independent bedroom away from the rest of the accommodation.

A Private Pool & Wellness Suite

One of the defining features of Pond House is its indoor pool and wellness suite, creating a space for exercise, relaxation and time spent together without ever having to leave home.

The substantial swimming pool has an impressive connection with its surroundings. Full-height glazing and doors open the room towards the gardens and lake beyond, allowing the outlook to become part of the experience whether swimming, relaxing by the water or simply enjoying the space. Alongside the pool, a jacuzzi provides a place to unwind, complemented by a steam room and dedicated shower room.

A separate gym adds another element to the home's leisure offering, providing a dedicated space for exercise and training and allowing fitness to become an easy part of everyday life. The room's proportions also give it the flexibility to accommodate a variety of alternative uses in the future.

Behind the scenes, considerable investment has been made in the pool area, including a replacement specialist ceiling and lighting. The plant has also been extensively maintained and upgraded, with replacement pumps, filtration components and controls supporting both the swimming pool and jacuzzi.

A dedicated boiler allows the pool to operate independently from the main house heating system, with both this and the home's principal boiler replaced within the past two years.

Flexible Space

The scale of the property extends beyond its main living and bedroom accommodation.

The generous double garage has an electrically operated door and has been arranged as a practical workshop, with workbenches, extensive power provision and a ventilated working area suitable for activities such as model making and 3D printing.

Above is a substantial additional room currently used as an office and art studio, complete with a WC. Its proportions make it suitable for a variety of purposes, from a large home office or creative studio to games or hobby space. Subject to any necessary consents and alterations, it may also offer potential for more independent accommodation.

The substantial ceiling heights above the principal reception rooms may provide further scope for a future owner to explore the creation of additional accommodation. Any such alteration would, of course, be subject to structural assessment and the relevant planning and building regulation approvals.

Beyond the house itself, the scale of the approximately two-acre plot may offer further potential for a purchaser wishing to explore the possibility of additional development within the grounds. No planning permission is implied and any proposals would be entirely subject to the necessary planning permissions, access requirements and other relevant consents.

Life Around the Water

The grounds are an integral part of life at Pond House, with the house, gardens and water so closely connected that the setting is experienced from almost every part of the home.

Set within approximately two acres of mature gardens and woodland, the property is approached through its own electric gates, with established trees and planting providing a considerable degree of screening from the private lane. Beyond, the grounds open into a wonderfully varied landscape of expansive lawns, mature woodland, waterside terraces and more informal areas to explore, with Alkrington Nature Reserve directly bordering the grounds.

At the centre of it all is the private lake. More than simply an outlook, it forms part of everyday life here, whether sitting beside the water, taking out one of the two rowing boats or crossing the timber walkway to the small island. A rock waterfall provides aeration, while ducks and other birdlife are regular visitors to the water and the surrounding woodland attracts bats, owls and hedgehogs, with deer also occasionally passing through.

Around the house, a collection of terraces and decks creates different places to enjoy the grounds throughout the day. There are spaces for outdoor dining beside the water, quieter corners amongst the trees, a dedicated fishing and picnic deck and a fire-pit area tucked beneath the canopy – equally suited to family afternoons, summer entertaining or evenings gathered around the fire.

At first-floor level, the extensive main balcony wraps around the principal living accommodation. With direct access from the kitchen and reception spaces, it effectively becomes another living and dining area in warmer weather, overlooking the lake and surrounding woodland. A second private balcony accompanies the upper bedroom suite, while garden-level terraces bring other areas of the house directly into the landscape.

Away from the water, the broad lawn introduces another dimension to the grounds, providing a generous open space framed by mature trees and woodland. Together with the more intimate waterside areas, it gives the gardens a sense of variety that makes the two acres feel as much about how they can be enjoyed as their scale.

Recent investment has included replacement composite decking and supporting structures, renewed sections of perimeter fencing and extensive improvements to exterior lighting and electrical infrastructure.

A Hidden Setting

Pond House forms part of a small gated development of just seven individual homes, approached along a private lane close to the boundary between Blackley and Alkrington. It is a setting that offers an unusual balance: woodland and water immediately at home, yet with some of north Manchester's most popular places to eat, shop and spend time all within easy reach.

Alkrington Woods Nature Reserve borders the grounds, its mature woodland providing a natural extension to the property's own landscape and an established habitat for local wildlife. For longer walks, family days out or time outdoors, Heaton Park offers extensive parkland with walking and running routes, a boating lake, golf course, animal centre, cafés and a varied calendar of events throughout the year.

The wider location considerably broadens the choice. Prestwich is within easy reach and has developed a particularly strong independent scene, with local restaurants, bars, cafés and shops giving the village a lively social feel. Whitefield offers another popular option for eating out and meeting friends, with a growing collection of independent restaurants, cafés and bars centred around Bury New Road and its surrounding neighbourhoods.

Manchester city centre adds another dimension altogether, placing its restaurants, theatres, music venues, shopping and cultural attractions within reach while allowing home life to remain firmly centred around the privacy, greenery and waterside setting of Pond House.

Families are also well served by education across the surrounding area, with primary schools including St Peter's RC Primary School, Alkrington Primary School, Alkrington Moss Primary School and St Clare's RC Primary School, alongside a wider choice of secondary education across north Manchester and the surrounding area. For those considering independent education, Manchester Grammar School is also within reach, together with a wider choice of highly regarded independent schools across Greater Manchester.

Getting Around

For a home with such an enclosed, natural setting, Pond House remains well positioned for getting around Greater Manchester and further afield.

Road connections provide straightforward access towards Middleton, Prestwich, Whitefield and Manchester city centre. Prestwich and Whitefield both have Metrolink stops, providing another option for travelling into Manchester and across the wider network.

Regular bus services operate along the surrounding main roads, including connections towards Manchester city centre, while Manchester Victoria provides national rail services and links with the wider city-centre transport network.

For journeys further afield, the M60 provides access around Greater Manchester and connections with the wider motorway network, including the M62 and M66. Manchester Airport is also accessible via the motorway network, making the location practical for both regional travel and international connections.

Disclaimer

All descriptions, images, videos, plans and other marketing materials are provided for general guidance only and are intended to highlight the lifestyle and features a property may offer. They do not form part of any contract or warranty. Any plans shown, including boundary outlines, are for illustrative purposes only and should not be relied upon as a statement of fact. The extent of the property and its boundaries will be confirmed by the title plan and the purchaser’s legal adviser. Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, neither Burton James Estate Agents nor the seller accepts responsibility for any errors or omissions. Prospective purchasers should not rely on these details as statements of fact and are strongly advised to verify all information by inspection, searches and enquiries, and to seek confirmation from their conveyancer before proceeding with a purchase.