5 bedroom cottage for sale

STONE FAMILY HOME WITH AMAZING GARDENS, FIELD VIEWS, ANNEXE - AND MUCH MORE

An exciting, unlisted, 4-bedroom, stone and clay-tiled cottage, with separate annexe which currently includes cinema room and gym and could, as an alternative, be fully self-contained for grandparents or Airbnb. An entertainment terrace, with superb, aluminium pergola and hot tub, forms part of fabulous, landscaped gardens approaching two thirds of an acre, with fields beyond a brook that gave the village its name. Space for numerous cars is out of sight, with plans in place for double garage. Orchard Cottage in the conservation area of the prime North Bedfordshire, riverside village of Sharnbrook is quite a find for all the family.

The village is just 8 miles from the County town of Bedford, with its world-renowned Harpur Trust private schools and fast trains which reach London in under 40 minutes. Yet there’s so much going on in Sharnbrook itself.

You might have passed Orchard Cottage without ever realising it were there, attached as it is to the lovely former farmhouse that’s end on to Sharnbrook’s historic High Street. Further along are numerous other stone cottages, some thatched, many listed, happily mixing with coffee shop and deli, Co-op, popular pub, newsagent and stores, and the local primary school. Walk a little further to the surgery, Indian restaurant and the wonderful Mill theatre. Keen golfers have Colmworth Golf Club on the doorstep.

A couple of hundred yards away from your new home are the playing fields, village hall and tennis club, and a scout hut that transforms into a youth club and Man Cave at different times. Long-standing ladies’ clubs meet in the village too. Beyond the heritage site and nature reserve on the other side of the recreation ground is the magnificent Norman Church of St Peter and the secondary school and sixth form, not to mention the Paula Radcliffe Community Sports Centre named after the school’s famous alumna.

Your dog, too, will love Orchard Cottage, not only for its own land but for the wonderful countryside walks alongside the beautiful River Great Ouse. Young or old, two legs or four, there’s something for each member of the family here.

MORE ABOUT THE PROPERTY

Buzzed in from the dedicated parking area, follow the porcelain path to a family home that challenges assumptions. It’s all the more interesting for that. Each floor has different levels. The main staircase between them effortlessly combines exposed stone with painted timber panelling, glass and steel. Decoration is kept bright, enhanced by natural light streaming into every room, making the oak beams even more striking. Downstairs, porcelain slate is underfoot throughout – no matter if muddy dogs and children escape your clutches after that long winter walk.

Fittings and lighting have been chosen with care and attention to detail. Most radiators are traditional style, some are ultra-modern, all are beautiful. Huge showers are preferred to baths, leaving space for double vanity bowls set on marble tops and with concrete-style tiles adding to the stylish result. Quartz-topped kitchen furniture is at an ergonomic height and interiors pull out for ease. The kitchen, with its striking sloping ceiling, is designed so it’s just a pace between top of the range appliances. And clutter can be out of sight at mealtimes.

French doors extend the dining room to amazing outdoor living and entertaining space. Cook and eat al fresco, the pergola’s sun and wind blinds pulled down if you wish, louvered roof open or closed. Wallow in the hot tub with glass of something, the cares of the day melting away.

How lovely, though, to curl up on the sofa in your beamed sitting room on winter evenings, window blind closing at the touch of a button, superb eco woodburner aglow in the gorgeous, old inglenook fireplace – one can almost smell the bread that was once baked there. Sleep in beautiful bedrooms, with wonderful views to wake up to, the current children’s rooms being quite something.

Don’t be surprised if schoolfriends seem to live here too. The garden, with its huge undulating lawn, wooded area for camping and climbing, and brook to splash in, is a children’s paradise. The only quandary is whether to keep the lovely stone and weatherboarded annexe as a cinema and gym, or, perhaps, to earn an income from Airbnb (it has its own beautifully planted garden too) – be sure to decide on your best option, though, before you show any elderly parent around. They might have their own ideas.