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It is a home full of happy memories for Jimmy Mulgrew, better known under his comedy name, Cricket, and wife, May.
For them, the property has been the perfect family home. It has provided space to bring up their four lively children, Dale, Frankie, Jamie and Katie, and functional workspace from which Jimmy organises gigs and stores his numerous comedy props.
Jimmy and May bought the property from new nine years ago and they’ve made it a real lived-in house, full of fun with a real home feel. The walls are covered with photos of their children and showbiz memorabilia, including, framed flyers from Jimmy’s pantomimes, and a cast of Jimmy’s famous R and L marked wellies still take pride of place by the fireside.
“We moved in just a couple of weeks before Christmas,” Jimmy remembers. “I was doing panto with the Krankies in Glasgow that year, so it was tricky getting everything sorted. I’d come home every Saturday night after the show and get up at 6am on Monday to go back to work.
“We’re not really DIY people but luckily when you move into a brand new property everything is all done for you.
“That appealed to us and we also really liked the style of the cul-de-sac – it looks very American. It reminded me of homes I’d visited in New Jersey.”
Being the first owners Jimmy and May were able to choose the fittings and make changes to the design, combining two bedrooms into one master suite, with sitting/dressing area and large en-suite bathroom. This has also made for a large, attractive landing area, which May turned into a study area while recently working on her degree.
“It would have had another door here,” May points out the area where the room could still be split into two. “I’ve always thought that this area could be adapted into a nursery – a space that is separate but within easy ear shot for when the child is in those first months.”
Spacious
All of the rooms are exceptionally spacious and the main bathroom has a double sink, set in a marble unit and a whirlpool bath.
Downstairs, there is a 26’11 x11’ 7 feature lounge, a dining room/fourth bedroom, kitchen diner and a large conservatory, which the couple have adapted into an office.
There are landscaped gardens to the front and rear, with parking for three cars and a double garage with electric up and over doors. The rear garden has a woodland feel with many mature trees.
“The land used to belong to a larger estate and one of the conditions for the builders was that they maintained the more mature trees,” May explains.
It gives the garden a variety not normally found on a suburban estate and there is a large patio and lawned area.
“It’s been a fantastic home for us in so many ways,” Jimmy smiles. “Now there is just the two of us we have decided to move somewhere smaller but it would be nice to think that someone else could be as happy here as we have been.”
And come ’ere there’s more…
The couple are leaving the carpets and curtains which were designed specifically for the rooms, as well as a family-size, Maytag American-style fridge freezer.
Jimmy and May’s home is for sale priced, £399,950 through Cowell-Norford Estate Agents, 106 Yorkshire Street, Rochdale, OL16 1JY. Tel: 01706 860760 or visit cowell-norford.co.uk
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