A family home overlooking its own lake is currently on the market in Greater Manchester, and we can probably all agree it’s a real stunner.
The only thing is, you’ll just need the small matter of £1.6 million before you can call it yours.
It goes without saying that the vast majority of people reading this article won’t have £1.6 million just sitting in their bank account right now, and that properties of this stature are likely not the kind we’ll get to call home, so the next best thing we can do is just snoop around on good old Rightmove and have a nosey at all the jaw-dropping pictures instead.
Like us, if you’ve got no shame in admitting that one of your favourite internet pastimes is looking up houses you can’t afford in places you’ll probably never live, then let us introduce you to this gem over in Bolton.
We’re talking a beautifully-modern lake house that estate agents have called “truly unique” and “striking”, kind of a ‘gem’.
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This is The Lake House.
The Lake House is currently on the market in an unassuming Greater Manchester town / Credit: Newton & Co
Described as being one of the Greater Manchester town’s “best kept secrets”, this four-bedroom detached residence is located in the suburb of Lostock – which is known for being one of the borough’s most affluent and sought-after neighbourhoods that’s conveniently close to a wide range of amenities, excellent local schools, and transport links across the region and beyond – and it has so much to offer prospective buyers.
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Hidden in plain sight, but overlooking a Victorian formal pond of lake-size proportions, the property sits behind private gates amid its own expansive grounds at the end of what, you’d have to say, is a pretty run-of-the-mill residential street.
But this is far from being a run-of-the-mill house.
The four-bedroom detached family home is “truly unique” and packed with impressive features throughout / Credit: Newton & Co
The Lake House was actually built in 2010 in the garden of a traditional 1870s home, and back in the day, it was formerly owned by a local inventor who built a model railway in the gardens for local children to ride on.
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Estate agents say the property is so “unique”, in fact, that the current owners have even been approached by filmmakers in their time, who were eager to capture the location on the big screen.
As well as boasting several light and spacious reception rooms, a bespoke kitchen kitted-out with a range of modern fixtures, appliances, and a stunning AGA, four large bedrooms, and both family bathrooms and en-suites, the property also has countless other impressive hand-crafted features to its name behind the grand front doors.
Just a couple of these features include timber spiral staircases, some snazzy modern lighting fixtures throughout, a truly jaw-dropping coved glass ceiling feature, and a master bedroom with its own luxury dressing room.
It’ll set you back a whopping £1.6 million to call it yours / Credit: Newton & Co
The star of the show, though, has to be the elevated terrace that wraps around three sides of the property, making it the perfect place to relax all year round.
And, of course, the outside of the property is just as impressive as the inside… in fact, you could argue even more impressive, as the formal surrounding gardens not only include the lake and all its little quirks, like a range of different bridges, boating houses, and a clocktower, but they’ve also been maintained to the highest of standards, making them a massive credit to the current owners.
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The property also comes with a large double garage in its grounds – which houses its own workshop, a large office, and a bathroom – and there’s also the potential to create a separate annexe too.
The Lake House is currently on the market with Bolton-based independent estate agents, Newton & Co, for a whopping £1.6 million, and if you fancy taking a closer look, then you can contact the property company to arrange a viewing.
Or you could just take the cheaper route instead and have a nosey at the Rightmove link here.
Featured Image – Newton & Co
Property
More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
Featured Image – James Feaver (via Unsplash)
Property
Two Greater Manchester towns have been named in The Sunday Times’ best places to live
Thomas Melia
Esteemed UK newspaper The Sunday Times’ has published its list of the ‘Best places to live in the UK 2025’, and it features two Greater Manchester boroughs.
Us Mancs didn’t need anymore clarification to know that where we live is incredible but we’ll always take it, especially when the compliment is coming from none other than The Sunday Times.
The publication revealed its annual guide of ‘Best places to live 2025’ which featured more than 70 different locations throughout the nation.
Although we may have been pipped to the top spot, Greater Manchester is featured not once, but twice, which is pretty impressive.
Claiming the victory this year is the market town with a name as pretty as its surroundings, Saffron Walden, which is only 15 miles from Cambridge.
The locations were ranked through a number of key categories including transport, house prices, broadband, schools and a new addition, mobile signal.
All the contributors to the full list acknowledge the obvious missing puzzle piece,food, and we know if this was factored in a few more Greater Manchester locations may have nabbed the ‘Best places to live’ honour.
The first Greater Manchester based entry is The Heatons, a hotspot nestled between the city centreand the city of Stockport, which is actually four neighbourhoods – Heaton Chapel, Mersey, Moor and Norris.
These areas are home to living history in the form of the iconic century old Savoy Cinema and lots of open green spaces.
Food may have been missed off The Sunday Times’ list but it certainly didn’t go a miss on ours.
Mossley has been named on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list. Credit: Instagram, @ariadneexploresThe Heatons also made the list. Credit: Instagram, @fourtheheatons
The second spot which managed to grab the title of ‘Best places to live 2025’ is Mossley, a town packed to the brim with cosy cottages, blissful walks and a close-knit friendly community.
It’s not too far from Dovestone Reservoir and the Peak District National Park – when you’ve got all this greenery on your doorstep you’re bound to be in a good mood.
Our friends over in Leeds at The Hoothave lots to cheer about as Ilkley, Hebden Bridge, Easingwold and Ripon all got a mention.
You can find out the full rundown on all the spots up and down the country that have been selected as part of ‘The Sunday Times’ Best places to live for 2025′ HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
19th June 2024 
