* Freehold
* Period detached village home
* Six bedrooms
* Five reception rooms
* Garaging and ample parking
* Extensive gardens
* Five Bathrooms
Netherfield House is a dwelling of quality, elegance and historical charm.
This stunning property has been carefully nurtured through hundreds of years
and retains elements of its Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian past. With a
delightful mixture of original and bespoke features, this is a house that can
truly boast of being a home that is going to impress from the outset.
This property is located in the village of Claybrooke Magna, in the charming
southernmost part of Leicestershire, near to the Warwickshire border. The
house is part of the historical narrative of the village and sits back from
the roadside on Main Street. Originally constructed during the 1790s, it has
the gracious proportions of a classical building, with an understated elegance
and pleasing symmetry. Interior design and decorative arts also flourished
during this time and within, the present day interior will not fail to
disappoint with its charming observance of classical patterns, colours and
textures.
Netherfield House has had several extensions and additions, as previous owners
have tastefully enhanced the original structure to create a large six
bedroomed house of four thousand square feet. Four of the bedrooms have en -
suites. There are three reception rooms, a study/office, garden room,
extensive kitchen with pantry and utility, and an integral garage and store
area. The common thread of these accumulative improvements is a home of
quality that is lavished with period detail while primarily being enjoyed for
its versatility, space and convenience. Here, there is a rare opportunity to
invest in a house in a delightful village setting that offers privacy and
style, whilst being only a short walk away from open countryside.
First appearances
From the roadside, the front of the house is bordered by a low brick wall
surmounted with a black wrought iron fence, archway and gates. Larger, double
gates also open to the side of the property that leads along a sheltered drive
to the garage and store. There is ample space at the top of the drive for
turning or parking several vehicles.
Hedges and plants compliment the front of the white rendered property,
including rambling roses supported by further ironmongery and with the
characterful windows, name plate and doorbell pull, the initial impression is
warmly inviting. A tri coloured path made from Victorian quarry tiles set in a
distinctive chequered formation leads to the front door. Here, the solid
wooden door is half panelled and half glazed, with multiple shapes of stained
glass creating a distinctive feature from the outside and a myriad of colour
from the inside. This is continued on the patterned side panes of glass too.
The porch leads into the original airy Georgian hallway. Floored with solid
red brick and tiles, it is worth considering who and how many have trodden
this path, as they have entered this lovely old house over the years.
The ground floor tour
Netherfield House benefits from having been owned by people who have preserved
its original characteristics and made additions that complement the style and
integrity of the building. The hallway is the central channel from which all
of the reception rooms can be accessed: Sitting room, study, lounge,
cloakroom, dining room and then through to the kitchen and sunroom.
The hall sets the standard for the interior design elements and period
accessories that will feature throughout the house. Here, original solid
panelled interior doors, wooden architrave, a cast iron radiator and brass
dolly light switches contribute to the feeling of a grand period home. The
staircase is Georgian and has stair rods securing a carpet runner, oak newel
post and handrail. Beneath the staircase there is a panelled under stairs
cupboard and immediately to the right, the sitting room.
Victorian additions to Netherfield include the porch, bay windows and French
doors. Originally, the house would have been flat fronted but these permit
space and sunlight from the south facing aspect to flood into the house. The
French doors in the sitting room open on to a York stoned patio area, which is
landscaped and bordered by flowering plants. The focal point of the room is
the polished cast iron, fully working, Victorian fire place. It has tiled
panels and a cast iron over mantel. The walls have dado and picture rails, and
these also feature in the lounge which is across the hall.
The lounge is an equally beautiful space. It benefits from a large bay window
overlooking the front garden providing generous amounts of sunlight to flood
the room. A Georgian style fully working cast iron fireplace, with elegant
wooden surround, similarly forms the focal point. This room has its original
suspended wooden floor and skirting boards.
As we leave the lounge, the cloakroom is next door. This is a spacious, highly
original room furnished with a genuine Edwardian Barbers Shop suite of wash
basins, mirrors and cupboards. Within a dramatic interior there is a cast iron
radiator and an attractive quarry tiled floor. Further down the hall on the
right, the study is entered through a Victorian door panelled at the bottom
but with an upper section glazed in Edwardian/Victorian reeded glass. This
room has dual aspect windows, one of which is an original sash to the south
and an original quarry tiled floor. It also boasts an Edwardian fully working
cast iron stove. This room has a panelled door leading out into the garden
room.
Kitchens, both old and new
The remaining reception room is the dining room and this was Netherfield’s
first kitchen until forty years ago. The room has echoes of its past purpose
with half panelled walls, an original window opening into the garden room and
a Victorian, fully functional, black cast iron cooking stove and oven. The
floor is made from Georgian/Victorian brick and quarry tiles, polished and
worn by thousands of footsteps over two hundred years. It is a charming space
and while seated at a dining room table, warmed by heat from the cast iron
radiator, the ‘new kitchen’ can be seen, converted from the original scullery,
wash room and dairy room.
An open entrance from the dining room leads down three steps into the kitchen,
which has a traditional industrial feel but with contemporary elements.
Designed by the owners who were professional cooks with their own restaurant,
this is a specialised, practical space where attention has been given to every
detail. There are handmade, Shaker style, solid wooden units painted in Farrow
and Ball French Grey, with black granite work tops and a butler style sink.
The kitchen is fitted with a Falcon gas range with double ovens and a
Panasonic combination electric steam oven. With a separate area specifically
for dishwashing and clearance, an integral fridge, dishwasher, waste bins,
additional sink and a dresser for crockery and cutlery, the kitchen has
undoubtedly been designed by experts. It has a generous amount of classic,
antique style electrical sockets, a practical floor of quarry tiles, and cast
iron radiators. In addition, a large utility room off the kitchen, has ample
space for all laundry requirements, including a separate sink and a pulley
operated clothes airer.
The garage can be accessed through the utility room. Originally in Edwardian
times, this was the carriage room. It has its own fireplace and is presently
used as a gym. Next door is the large room used as a workshop and store –
originally the Edwardian stable - accessible from outside and by the staircase
leading from the large bedroom, above.
A door from the kitchen opens into the Victorian garden room, which contains
an original Well in its centre. It provides a beautiful retreat from which to
enjoy the views into the garden in all weathers. Being large enough to provide
access from the study and kitchen, it links the spaces and allows great
versatility when entertaining.
At the back of the kitchen is the second staircase leading up to the rear
landing. Next to the staircase is the walk - in pantry with a solid brick floor:
An essential convenience for any serious cook. Off the clearance area of the
kitchen is the boiler room. This contains a Worcester gas boiler and mains
pressure hot water tank. Together, they heat the whole house and supply all
the showers throughout the property. These were fitted in January 2022.
Three staircases and the potential for an annexe
From the main staircase the first floor opens up into a generous landing area
which leads to a long corridor with three double bedrooms – each with en - suite
- a single bedroom and the family bathroom branching off to the right and
left. Then, through a solid panelled wooden door at the end of the long
corridor, there is a further back landing above the kitchen. The staircase
from this landing leads down into the kitchen. This landing has a cast iron
radiator and an original sash window overlooking the garden. All of the hall
and landing areas are furnished with antique style brass light switches.
Of the six bedrooms, five are double sized or beyond. Four of them have en -
suites with the prime bedroom having an eagle claw bathtub, with walk - in
shower, basin and toilet. It overlooks the front of the property above the
sitting room and has a tiled Victorian fireplace. All of the bedrooms are
elegantly decorated and contain features repeated throughout the house,
maintaining quality and characteristics pertaining to a property of age. Dolly
light switches, exposed wooden floors, high ceilings, original fireplaces,
cast iron radiators and sash windows are evident here. They provide
individually styled rooms with a complimentary theme. Likewise, all of the
washing and bathing facilities within Netherfield have been fitted and
maintained to the highest standard and equipped with quality fitments,
accessories, tiles and furniture that provide rooms of characterful,
individualistic decoration. This is true of the family bathroom which is
further along the corridor.
The family bathroom is part of the Victorian/Edwardian extension and is a
large room with a high ceiling. It has an original sash window above the bath,
a fitted double cupboard, a cast iron radiator and bath, toilet and generous
Edwardian sink. Leaving the bathroom, there is an internal door on the left.
This opens into another landing area with a door to the fifth bedroom on the
left and the staircase from the kitchen immediately ahead. It has glazed
French windows opening out above the garden and a large storeroom that opens
into the fifth bedroom. Presently used as an office, it contains a Victorian,
delft tiled, cast iron fireplace, original floorboards and cupboards, with
roof light frames made of cast iron.
From this landing, the furthest point of the house is entered. This consists
of the sixth bedroom, en - suite and third staircase. The sixth bedroom is a
very large double bedroom with a vaulted ceiling. As this is directly above
the present workshop – originally the Edwardian stables – it has an Edwardian
concrete floor laid on top of slate, which was typical of the time when hay
was stored above stables. This large bedroom has an en - suite shower room
comprising of a toilet, wash basin and walk - in stainless - steel shower. There
is the potential here to further develop this wing of the house and create an
annexe, as the third staircase provides private access to the kitchen and
grounds without needing to enter the main property.
Shall we wander outside?
As with the house, the garden at Netherfield is full of delights. It is a
generous, landscaped plot with several secluded seating areas, full of
character and filled to the brim with plants of all varieties. Containing
mature shrubs, fruit trees, perennials and native trees, it has been years in
the growing and provides a lush, private haven of areas with specific themes
and points of architectural interest. There is a pond with a fountain and
waterfall running down a rockery, a quiet area for lounging and creating
barbecues and a summer house with raised decking. Two storage sheds give
secure provision for garden tools and machinery. Beyond the main garden is a
wild wooded area for escaping into and simply . . . Wandering. Bliss!
Claybrooke Magna is a linear shaped village and civil parish in the Harborough
district of Leicestershire. This is in central England, a region referred to
as the East Midlands. The Midlands are well catered for with transport links
across the country close by, primarily the M1 and M69. Claybrooke Magna is
close to the A5 trunk road and located between junctions 20 and 21 of the M1,
towards Leicester Forest East. There are railway stations in Leicester, Rugby
and Narborough, where the Midland Main Railway Line runs trains to London –
Leicester to St Pancras - regularly. There are normally seventy trains running
daily to London, the fastest taking approximately an hour. Birmingham airport
and East Midlands Airport, approximately twenty five miles away.
The village is dissected with access roads linking it to nearby villages:
Frolesworth Lane, High Cross Road and Main Street. It is close to old Roman
roads known as Fosse Way and Watling Street. At that time the settlement was
known as ‘Vemonae’ and then as today, is in a north - westerly direction from
Leicester, a primary Roman town of its time.
Claybrooke Magna was mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book and was identified as
Great Claybrooke, a name which essentially means a brook with clayey soil.
Originally ruled by a subordinate of Robert de Beaumont, the first earl of
Leicester, it grew in population and expanded its territory to include Little
Claybrooke. In the late 1800s ‘little’ eventually became Claybrooke Parva and
‘great’ Claybrooke Magna.
Today, remnants from ages past remain in the form of seven grade II listed
buildings within the village including a seventeenth century dairy farmhouse
and stable, the village hall and the 1763 watermill. It is believed that
milling happened on the site well before this existing building was built but
today it continues as a commercial operation and produces over forty varieties
of flour, which can be purchased from local outlets.
Claybrooke Magna’s village hall is a traditionally built Victorian building on
Main Street and is the village hub with regards to local social events such as
fetes, seasonal and national holidays. It also houses many groups catering for
a wide range of the community: Pilates, yoga and wi coffee mornings to name
but a few. The children’s playground, close by, was refurbished in 2022 and
has picnic areas. There is a village green and various footpaths maintained by
the parish council.
The village has one pub ‘The Pig in Muck’ and the Pig Pub Brewery produces
cask conditioned beers. As Claybrooke Magna is centrally located and within
easy reach of other villages and major towns, the amenities on offer are
extensive in places such as Rugby, Lutterworth and Market Harborough. They
offer edge of town super stores and uniquely bespoke shops, restaurants,
sports venues, public houses, cafes and parks. For an even greater variety of
entertainment including theatres, art galleries and museums, the cosmopolitan
city of Leicester is only eleven miles away. For a comprehensive understanding
of the local services in the area or for information about the city itself, it
is advisable to visit
or
Claybrooke Magna’s post code is LE17 and dialling code is 01455. Within the
locality, there are many schools offering educational provision across the
whole age range; nursery, primary, secondary, including private establishments
offering bordering facilities. The Office for Standards in Education - ofsted
– is best researched to provide a comprehensive review of currently rated
standards of practice
**Disclaimer**
Important Information:
Property Particulars: Although we endeavor to ensure the accuracy of property
details we have not tested any services, equipment or fixtures and fittings.
We give no guarantees that they are connected, in working order or fit for
purpose.
Floor Plans: Please note a floor plan is intended to show the relationship
between rooms and does not reflect exact dimensions. Floor plans are produced
for guidance only and are not to scale

Property location on the map: Use mouse double click to (Zoom IN: LEFT button; Zoom OUT: RIGHT button)

Similar properties: