Property description
An impressive and tastefully extended detached former rectory in a popular village.
Situation and Description
Skillington is a popular village in attractive undulating countryside close to the Leicestershire and Rutland borders. The village is situated some 8 miles south of Grantham and also offers convenient access to Stamford (18 miles) Melton Mowbray (13 miles) and Oakham (15 miles). The cities of Leicester Peterborough and Nottingham are also accessible, each about 32 miles distant. This quarter of south west Lincolnshire offers excellent commuting possibilities via Grantham with access to London Kings Cross with a journey time from around 70 minutes. The nearby A1 also provides rapid north-south road communications. The village is home to around 280 registered voters and contains a pleasant blend of older period homes and a smaller number of more recently constructed properties. Amenities include the Parish Church, dedicated to St. James, a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, two public houses (The Cross Swords and The Blue Horse) as well as an active modern Village Hall. Excellent primary schools are available at Buckminster, Great Ponton and Colsterworth, each approximately two miles away. There are well known public schools at Witham on the Hill, Oakham and Stamford and opportunities for secondary education also include The Kings School and Kesteven and Grantham Girls School at Grantham. Leisure facilities include Rutland Water with a variety of outdoor activities and there is golf at nearby Stoke Rochford.Church Street is a quiet village lane lined with chestnut trees and linking two village greens with the picturesque village church beyond. Old Rectory is set well back from the road in a private elevated position opposite an open paddock and is of attractive appearance with red brick elevations beneath a hipped tiled roof. The house is approached by a gently sloping driveway leading over a south facing formal garden with a full width stone terrace to a generous parking area and a double garage.A delightful well-stocked sunken garden provides a lovely private retreat where there is a summerhouse and deck over reaching a central pond. The property was comprehensively restored and extended in a matching style on behalf of the present owners in 2011 to offer light and spacious accommodation with fixtures and fittings of a high modern standard and is entered from the rear via a stone portico leading to central and inner halls. There is an appealing open plan kitchen/dining room with French doors opening to the south facing terrace and a separate utility room and cloakroom adjacent. A separate dining room also overlooks the terrace and links the kitchen through to the sitting room which is a twin aspect room also with French doors to the terrace and includes a fireplace with an Aarrow wood burning stove. A good sized study also enjoys twin aspects. There is generous use of wooden flooring throughout the ground floor which benefits from under-floor heating. The first floor accommodation is ideally suited to family needs and comprises a central landing and five bedrooms, three of which benefit from pristine en-suite facilities. There is a further family bathroom fitted to a similar standard.The overall impression the property creates is one of quality accommodation within an appealing and very English village offering peace, quiet and privacy.
Entrance Hall
A fully glazed door with glazed side panels opens from the portico. Mat well, oak flooring, staircase to first floor, under stairs storage cupboard, uplighters and coving.
Cloakroom
Containing a white suite of a low level WC. and wash basin. Tiled floor, coving and extractor fan.
Study
A good sized study with twin aspects, coving and uplighters.
Sitting Room
With twin aspects and French doors to the south facing terrace. Fireplace with Aarrow stove, slate hearth and mantle shelf. Oak flooring, coving and wall light points. Open arch to dining room.
Dining Room
Also enjoying a southerly aspect over the terrace. Oak flooring, coving and wall light points. Open arch to kitchen/dining room.
Kitchen/Dining Room
An appealing modern open plan arrangement with aspect to rear and two sets of French doors opening to the terrace. Comprehensively fitted with a range of painted base cupboards, granite work surfaces and matching wall cupboards to include glazed display units. Separate dresser also with glazed display cabinets over and a central island with an oak top and cupboards and basket drawers below. One and a half bowl sink with mixer tap. Rangemaster stainless steel range cooker with double ovens and seven ring hob comprising two induction plates, five gas burners (LPG) and a griddle plate. Smoked glass splash back and extractor chimney over. Integrated dishwasher. Tiled floor, coving and spotlights. Glazed door to covered rear porch.
Utility Room
Stainless steel sink unit, fitted base cupboards, wall cupboards and shelves. Tapworks water softener, tiled floor, coving and spotlights.
First Floor Landing
Landing and inner landing with built in double linen cupboard and additional cupboard containing hot water cylinder with electric immersion heater. Two radiators, uplighters and coving. Loft hatch with folding ladder to roof space.
Bedroom
Windows to south and east elevations. Built in wardrobe cupboard, wall light point, radiator and coving.
Bedroom
Windows to the north and east. Built in double wardrobe, radiator and coving.
Family Bathroom
Fitted with a white suite comprising a panelled bath with shower and curved screen over, low level WC. with concealed cistern and vanity unit comprising wide basin with cupboards and drawers below. Tiled floor and half tiled walls, shaver point, heated towel rail and spotlighting.
Bedroom
Middle bedroom with window to the south. Coving and radiator.
En Suite Shower Room
Large tiled shower with glazed door, white low level WC and wash basin with Kohler mixer tap and cupboard below. Tiled floor and half tiled walls, shaver point, coving and spotlighting. Chromed heated towel rail.
Bedroom
Also with window to the south. Built in wardrobe cupboard, radiator, coving and wall light point.
En Suite Shower Room
Tiled shower with glazed door, white low level WC and wash basin with Kohler mixer tap and cupboard below. Tiled floor and half tiled walls, shaver point, coving and spotlighting. Chromed heated towel rail.
Bedroom
Window to rear elevation, radiator, coving and wall light point.
En Suite Shower Room
Tiled shower with glazed door, white low level WC and wash basin with Kohler mixer tap and cupboard below. Tiled floor and half tiled walls, shaver point, coving and spotlighting. Chromed heated towel rail.
Double Garage
A detached double garage with a pitched tile roof and twin up and over doors. Grant oil fired boiler. Personal door to side. Light and power connected.
Gardens
A gently sloping tarmac drive leads through double five bar electric wooden gates with a further side pedestrian gate to a large gravelled parking/turning area with the double garage beyond. Concealed storage area to the rear of the garage. Outside lighting.A full width stone terrace with brick walling looks over a formal front garden and enjoys a lovely south facing aspect and provides an ideal outside dining space. There are external power points, a garden tap and outside lighting. The front garden is laid to lawn with gravelled paths, a lavender bed and laurel hedging and post and rail fencing to the front garden. Wisteria to the front elevation. To the side of the house there is a mature lime tree (subject to a preservation order) and a concealed oil storage tank with timber garden shed and further garden tap adjacent. At this level there is also a vegetable garden comprising raised beds, gravelled paths and border. Steps down to a lower level and greenhouse with nearby tap and composting area.The sunken garden is a true oasis and has been cleverly designed to create a lovely private retreat, unseen from the house. Gravelled steps lead down to a large central fish pond with a large timber summerhouse with veranda, light and power, and a deck extending over the water's edge. Pathways lead around the circumference and there are wide borders that are stocked with a wide variety of individual plants and shrubs. Filtration/oxygenation system for pond. The outside lighting throughout the garden makes it perfect for evening entertaining.
Property Features :
- Renovated and extended in 2011
- Generous well appointed family accommodation
- Private elevated position
- Grounds of over a third of an acre
- Three reception rooms