In the Lincolnshire Cliff, conservation village of Leadenham, an attractive stone house dating to around 1860, stands in the high street and has been completely renovated to a very high specification and now presents as a fabulous 3 bedroom property with large bathroom, an open plan kitchen dining room with adjoining utility areas, a separate living room and sunny rear garden.

The village lies on the A607 which runs from the A17, just to the south, all the way to Lincoln about 14 miles north providing excellent road links, whilst Grantham is around 11 miles south where fast trains to London, and elsewhere, offering frequent services for a commuter.

“We jumped at the rare opportunity to purchase the house when Leadenham Estates were selling off some of their properties. It was in a very sorry state and needed a complete restoration – there were weeds growing through the bathroom floor downstairs! It originally had a fourth bedroom upstairs but we decided to create a lovely big bathroom up there instead.”

“It has all been lovingly restored by us in a sympathetic way and has been a lot of work. We and our team of skilled builders pretty much gutted the place, taking a wall down to open up the kitchen and dining area as well as stripping all the doors, beams and some of the woodwork. All the windows have been replaced with a really good brand – they aren’t timber but look like timber windows; the house has all been re-wired, re-plumbed, re-plastered and fitted with top brand appliances and bathrooms; the heating system has also been totally renewed with a new boiler, radiators and underfloor heating in the kitchen, utility and cloakroom.”

“We bought the property pre-lockdown and had just ripped out the old kitchen when the first lockdown occurred. We found ourselves with no running water, no kitchen, no bathroom and just a portaloo! Then of course it became hard to get hold of materials, so it was quite a trying time!”

“The garden is quite private, sunny and sheltered with a stone wall on two sides but was also very neglected and overgrown. We removed an old pond and cleared it so it is now a blank canvas for someone to do whatever they want; we have some architectural drawings that give some ideas of what might be achieved!”

Location

Leadenham is a very attractive, sought-after, conservation village located along the southern edge of the beautiful and picturesque Lincolnshire Cliff lying on the A607 just north of the A17. It is approximately 11 miles north of the market town of Grantham, 14 miles south of the city of Lincoln and about 9 miles equidistant between Sleaford to the southeast and Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire to the northwest. Commuters are well served by Grantham’s high speed rail network to London King’s Cross (around one hour journey time), and the A1 can be picked up here for the South and at Newark for the North.

Despite a plethora of listed buildings in the village, 32 High Street is, perhaps thankfully, not amongst them. The house, like so much of the village, was originally owned by Leadenham Estates; in fact the very attractive settlement with fine stone properties grew up around the stunning Georgian mansion, Leadenham House. The country house was built in 1790 for William Reeve surrounded by 3,000 acres of farmland and is now available as a wedding and events venue. Leadenham’s 13th century church is dedicated to St. Swithun, and the village post office and Leadenham Teahouse won a Rural Oscar with the Countryside Alliance awards a few years ago for the Best Post Office and Village Shop in the East of England. There is also a village hall, a Spar convenience store and a farm shop, a tennis club, a hockey club, as well as being home to Leadenham Polo Club.

Slightly further afield, just north of Grantham in Belton, The National Trust’s Belton House has gardens, parkland and an adventure playground whilst Belton Woods 4- star Hotel and Spa has two golf courses.

Schools

Leadenham C of E Primary School is within walking distance and rated Good by Ofsted whilst the state secondary school, Sir William Robertson Academy is a few minutes up the road towards Welbourn and is also rated Good. Other options are in Sleaford, Grantham and Newark. There are excellent grammar schools in the area with Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School and The King’s School (for boys), both rated Outstanding by Ofsted, 11 miles south in Grantham. Sleaford, 9 miles southeast, has Carre’s Grammar School, Kesteven & Sleaford High School (for Girls), and St. George’s Academy, all rated Good by Ofsted. Very good independent schools, such as the Lincoln Minster Schools (prep and senior), are in Lincoln, with others in Grantham and Newark.

Services: Mains electricity, water and drainage; oil fired central heating (some underfloor heating downstairs)
Local Authority: North Kesteven District Council
Council Tax Band: C
Epc Rating: D
Tenure: Freehold