Green for light for ‘secret mansion’ to be turned into luxury home

A Derbyshire house which hit the headlines when planners discovered it had been built in secret and disguised as a humble cow shed is set to be transformed into a luxury family home.

Ashbourne-based Matthew Montague Architects has been granted planning permission to re-model and renovate Shedley Manor, a six-bedroom home complete with sweeping drive and countryside view on the edge of Yeaveley,

The work, which is expected to start later this year, will create a new entrance, porch and a double storey bay window at the front, with remodelling inside, new windows and bi-folding doors.

But it will also see the removal of the property’s most famous feature – the green metal cladding which ensured it looked like a cow shed, fooling council planners for years before its secret was discovered in 2016.

Shedley Manor was the tongue-in-cheek name given to the property by its owner, fraudulent businessman Alan Yeomans, who built it at the end of his mother’s garden, away from the prying eyes of neighbours and Derbyshire Dales District Council planners in 2002.

It was only when his illicit business dealings came to light – culminating in him being jailed for six years for drugs and money laundering offences 14 years in 2016 – that Shedley Manor was discovered, with the story hitting the national headlines.

The home, along with thousands of pounds of artwork, was seized and sold at auction and Matthew Montague Architects secured planning permission for the property to be knocked down and replaced.

However, although the building was renamed Carr Wood House, the plans were never realised.

Instead, it was sold to new owners last year who have decided to embrace its past and change the name back to Shedley Manor while instructing the firm to draw up plans to convert it into a more liveable and attractive property.

Matthew Montague, principal architect at Matthew Montague Architects, said: “Shedley Manor has one of the most colourful and unique histories of any home in Derbyshire and we’re delighted to be able to give it a new lease of life with the full approval of the council, of course.

“The fact that it had to double as a farm shed means that it has a few unusual features, including a hidden entrance and lack of windows down one wall, which our plans will rectify to give it the appearance of a house at long last.

“If every building tells a story, then Shedley Manor is a whole book-full of stories, and we’re looking forward to opening a new chapter. We’re very proud of our plans for this most unusual of properties and we have no doubt that it will become a much-loved family home.”