4 bedroom detached house

Features and description

Rooms

About the House cont'd
This rural tranquillity is combined with the convenience of being only a few minutes’ drive from amenities in North Crawley village and within 10 minutes’ drive of Milton Keynes which has a wide range of amenities including one of the largest covered shopping centres in Europe as well as a theatre, cinemas, indoor skiing and other attractions, and commuter trains to Euston in just 32 minutes.

History and Specification
The property is a freehold converted former granary situated in the grounds of Crawley Grange, an Idyllic and unique setting surrounded by paddock land. It is Grade II listed as part of the curtilage of Crawley Grange which was built in 1526 for Cardinal Wolsey, is believed to have hosted Queen Elizabeth I, and was featured in Pevsner’s 'Buildings of England”. The property includes the carp pond which supplied the Grange and which dates from the 1880s, and also has a tower which was a former folly built circa 1900 and the granary which was rebuilt circa 1930. The property was converted into residential use in 1970 and was extended at this time to add the current dining room.

History cont'd
The vendors have owned the property since 2005 and have undertaken a comprehensive programme of refurbishment including replacing most of the windows with hardwood framed double glazed units, replacing all the sanitaryware, and installing new plumbing and electrics, as well as a newly installed septic tank. They also added an open plan kitchen/breakfast/family room and a detached brick built double garage. The frontage of the property was also redone and oak cladding replaced the previous painted render for a low maintenance finish. The property conversion won a finalist award in the LABC awards in 2008 in the one off extension category.

Ground Floor
The entrance door opens into a spacious hall which is partly tiled and partly carpeted. There is a bespoke staircase with oak balustrades, a deep understairs storage cupboard, a coats cupboard, and a cloakroom which has built-in cupboards, inset shelving, understairs storage space, a WC, and a vanity washbasin.

Kitchen/Breakfast/Family Room
This light and airy open plan room has a part vaulted ceiling and dual aspect windows including a feature arched gable end window with double doors to a paved patio in the garden. The bespoke kitchen has a range of full height, wall and base units including a double larder cupboard, deep storage drawers, and wine storage. Granite work surfaces incorporate a one and a half bowl sink. The central island has additional storage including pan drawers and a bin drawer, as well as a raised breakfast bar. There is an integrated fridge, a dual fuel range cooker with two electric ovens, a storage drawer and a six ring gas hob with an extractor over. There is also space and plumbing for a dishwasher. There is also space for a breakfast table and chairs and the Italian tiled flooring with underfloor heating continues into the family area which has a calor gas log effect stove and space for a seating area with views over the garden and paddock beyond.

Utility Room
The utility room has a range of units, a one and a half bowl sink and drainer, and space and plumbing for a washing machine, tumble dryer, fridge, and freezer.

Sitting Room/Orangery
The sitting room has a window overlooking the front garden, and a bespoke stone fireplace with a brick hearth which houses a multi fuel stove. It is open plan to the Orangery which was added by the vendors to replace a previous lean to and has triple aspect hardwood windows with views over the carp pond and across the gardens towards Crawley Grange. There is engineered oak flooring with underfloor heating and double doors to a block paved terrace in the garden which includes a sheltered seating area overlooking the pond. There is also a raised paved patio for outside dining and entertaining.

Other Reception Rooms/Potential Annexe
There are two further reception rooms on the ground floor. The studio is on the ground floor of the tower and is currently used as a hobby/music room. It has a door to the block paved area around the pond and a window overlooking the garden. There is a connecting door to the dual aspect dining room which has double doors to the garden. There is potential to create a self contained annexe in these rooms if desired, subject to planning permission, by adding a kitchenette and converting the cloakroom into a shower room.

Home Office
The top floor of the tower is currently used as an office and has windows all round with spectacular views over the surrounding countryside.

First Floor
The stairs lead to a triple aspect galleried landing which has stairs to the second floor and access, via a hatch with a pull down ladder, to an insulated, fully boarded loft space for storage.

Principal Bedroom Suite
The principal bedroom is triple aspect including glazed double doors to a Juliet balcony overlooking the garden. There is a vaulted ceiling with an exposed A frame, and a walk-in wardrobe with a range of fitted wardrobes. The fully tiled en suite has a shower, a WC, a vanity washbasin, and a towel radiator.

Other Bedrooms and Bathrooms
Bedroom two has dual aspect windows, a built-in cupboard, a built-in wardrobe, and access to a loft storage area. There is an en suite shower room which has a concealed cistern WC and a vanity washbasin. There two other double bedrooms, one with eaves storage and built-in cupboards. These rooms share a family bathroom which has a Bette bath with a shower attachment, a vanity washbasin, a concealed cistern WC, and a towel radiator. Plumbing is also in place to add a shower cubicle if desired and there is a built-in cupboard which houses the water tank.

Gardens and Grounds
The property has a parking area for three cars on the drive as well as an extensive gravel parking area leading to the detached double garage. Behind the garage there is a storage area housing the oil tank for the central heating, and calor gas tanks for the hob and stove. The gardens wraparound the property allowing residents to follow the sun throughout the day. The kitchen/breakfast/family room faces almost due east with the patio outside benefitting from the morning sun while the paved patio and block paved terrace by the pond face south and west for the afternoon and evening sunshine. The rest of the garden is lawned with established beds and borders with plants and trees including an ornamental pear, a buddleia, wisteria, crocosmia, and roses on the pond wall. Outside the doors from the utility and dining rooms there is an area of garden which has a Cedar greenhouse and vegetable beds.

Paddocks
Post and rail fencing separates the garden from the paddock land which is surrounded by farmland and is bordered on one side by a brook and on the other by mature hedgerow. The paddocks have numerous mature trees including walnut, oak and chestnuts and the vendors have also planted additional oak trees. The paddocks have been used for sheep and horses in the past, and one of the paddocks used to have a barn which has been removed but the footprint remains and there is scope to add a stable block in this area if desired and subject to planning permission.

Outbuildings
In addition to the detached garage, the property also has a brick built outbuilding on the drive which is currently used as a workshop/potting shed. There is also a large log store, and a wooden shed which is currently used for storage but has the potential to be used as a gym or games room.

Locality
The property is within a few minutes’ drive of amenities in the village of North Crawley which include a village shop, a village hall, a church, two public houses, cricket and bowls clubs, and circular walks. The village has an active community with many events throughout the year including a village BBQ, horticultural show, and numerous clubs and societies. There is also a primary school in the village which is rated outstanding by Ofsted and for secondary schooling the property is in catchment for Ousedale school in Newport Pagnell which is approximately 4 miles away, or the Bedford Harpur Trust schools are approximately 10 miles away. For a wider range of amenities, the property is just 10 minutes’ drive from Newport Pagnell and only 15 minutes’ drive from Milton Keynes which has one of Europe’s largest covered shopping centres as well as a theatre, cinemas, indoor skiing, and other attractions.

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• Particulars