This conversion of an old gin gang and granary into a spectacular holiday let with exceptional rural views is one of the best you’ll ever see

His barn conversion was so good that when he came to sell it, a premier league footballer snapped it up. By this time, Alistair had met his wife-to-be Jo and the couple decided to buy a home together.

In 2006, fate led them to a semi-derelict farmstead set in the idyllic rural hamlet of Whorlton. The mile long drive up there from the pretty village of Swainby, near Stokesley, had them at “hello”. It is like stepping back in time and the views are breathtaking, as is the ruined medieval Whorlton castle.

When Alistair saw the hill farm with its farmhouse and historic farm buildings, it was love at first sight.

He says: “No-one was living there at the time and nature had taken over so there were thistles at shoulder height and thistle down everywhere but I knew I had to buy it.

“It’s such a rare and beautiful place at the foot of the Cleveland hills with incredible views over the escarpment to the North York Moors.”

Fortunately, Jo agreed, knowing that the property’s transformation was going to be a marathon not a sprint. The project is still ongoing almost 20 years after the Wrights got the keys to this piece of paradise but much has been achieved and all of it has been done with great attention to detail over countless weekends and evenings.

The farmhouse, which dates to 1766, was the priority as it is the Wright’s home. “It was a wreck and unliveable in, plus it had been 1970’d so there were old uPVC windows and the exterior had been rendered in concrete,” says Alistair, who removed the concrete with a chipping gun to reveal the original stone underneath, which he cleaned by hand.

They moved into the house in 2009 and the next big project was the conversion of a shippon to create a home for Jo’s parents.

Renewable energy was also a must and so the farmstead now has a ground source heat pump and a wind turbine.

The latest and most spectacular project is the Gin Gang, an old wheelhouse and adjacent granary which have been re-purposed into a fabulous holiday let.

Gin gang is the old name for a wheelhouse where horse power once helped drive the wheels to crush the grain.

This space is now a fabulous living kitchen with magnificent long range views and plenty of historic features. There’s also a utility room while the adjacent old granary is an enormous living area with a mezzanine bedroom above.

There are two more bedrooms with a Jack and Jill bathroom in an adjacent converted barn and the old dairy that is now linked to the granary.

All the properties on site are is full of reclaimed materials from stone to cobbles and flagstones to repurposed Victorian floorboards and finding them brings Andrew great joy. “I am a materials geek. The flagstones in our farmhouse are from Scarborough seafront and were covered in chewing gum when I got them,” he says.

The heritage bricks he has used were reclaimed from Northallerton prison when it was demolished and he goes weak at the knees when given the chance to buy old roof pantiles.

Building and renovating using the old ways is what Alistair loves to do and so following the North York Moors National Park rules when converting the Gin Gang was second nature. “Using wood windows and lime mortar is their policy but I would’ve done it anyway,” he says.

When taking the gin gang apart then putting it back together, he had to commission some vital new elements including roof trusses supplied by Yorkshire Oak Frames, which replaced the original rotten ones.

The interiors are beautifully styled and full of historic items relevant to the building including a cog, now hung on the kitchen wall, that helped drive the millstone. The kitchen was made by Yorkshire Vale Kitchens in York. The island is granite and copper and the lights are from Industville.

Much of the furniture is vintage and reclaimed via eBay and Tennants auction house.

“We didn’t want to raid Ikea. We wanted solid pieces with character,” says Jo, who is also hands on and tiled the bathroom herself.

The sitting area features oak beams and trusses in larch and is warmed by a multi fuel stove. The sofas are Tetrad and the lamps are from Barker and Stonehouse and Decor in Harrogate while the throws are from Northallerton market. The Union Jack flag is from eBay. Art works also include paintings by Jo’s sister Ginny McDermott, which are for sale.

With guests rightly blown away by The Gin Gang, Alistair and Jo have already begun the next project, a barn conversion that will be a second holiday let.

He says: “I didn’t realise what was involved when I took this place on but I have learned a lot and I have realised that if you take your time and you use quality, reclaimed, honest materials and the older the better, it makes all the difference.”

Those visiting The Gin Gang will see what he means when they can tear themselves away from that view.

For details on The Gin Gang and how to book it. Visit Beautiful Escapes. www.beautifulescapes.co.uk/property/the-gin-gang/