WELCOME HOME This month’s

THE DETAILS Post Office Cottage, Hambleton, Rutland

Location: Oakham 2.9 miles, Stamford 12.3 miles. Provenance: Grade II listed cottage dating back to 1898 adjacent to former Post Office. Rooms: Two reception rooms currently arranged as sitting room and dining room. Two bedrooms plus studio in separate building.

Guide Price: £625,000.

Find Out More: Savills, High Street, St Martins, Stamford PE9 2LF. Call 01780 484 695, see www.savills.co.uk. n LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION... it’s the quality that can add hundreds of thousands to the value of your home, and if you were to cherry pick the best village to live in across Rutland, chances are Hambleton would be foremost in your mind. Such is the desirability of property on the village’s Ketton Road it has earned the soubriquet Millionaire’s Row, so a property that’s pretty much equidistant from The Finch’s Arms Pub and Hambleton Hall and right in the centre of the village, is definitely a compelling prospect. Its enviable village location isn’t the only thing that this month’s featured property has going for it, either. Number Two, Post Office Cottages was built in 1898 adjacent to the postal and telegraph office. Today it carries a Grade II listing and it remained in operation until the 1950s or 1960s. The place was fully renovated by its owners 10 years ago, and about five years ago, Mark moved in. “I actually lived in the village before, having previously built an oakframed house before moving on. I’ve family in the area too and I’ve

lived in Stamford since being a youngster, schooled locally and enjoying the countryside. There’s something especially nice about Hambleton, perhaps because it’s on the peninsular; it’s so quiet and picturesque.” “I was keen to move back into the village and when I came across this place I was really excited. I’ve lived in Georgian and Victorian properties, and converted barns, but Arts & Crafts properties are comparatively rare, which really appealed.” “The previous owners had completed a full refurbishment of the property, which included all the nasty jobs like rewiring and replumbing, so all I had to do was move in and decorate.”

“It had been used as a holiday home, but as I split my time between Rutland and Dorset it was the perfect bolthole to enable me to keep one foot in Rutland, and it was somewhere to work remotely too, a really nice place to retreat to.”

“Considering it’s located right in the middle of the village it’s actually really private. And in terms of its scale it’s ideal. With two bedrooms you can still have family or friends to stay, and with two reception rooms there’s a dedicated dining room and a really cosy living room with a wood burning stove.”

“The kitchen has a decent amount of storage and a separate larder with blue slate slab to keep food cool, as well as space for mod cons like the washing machine and a dishwasher. I enjoy cooking on the Rayburn too and the fact that there’s a butler’s sink, it’s a kitchen that’s quite large for a cottage, and has all of the storage and space you need, not to mention nice views out of over the garden.” >>

>> The sitting room has a cast iron fireplace and there’s a fireplace in the master bedroom above, too. Other period features include beams, parquet flooring to the sitting room, stripped pine floors in the dining room and stone mullion windows. The garden is south-facing and it’s about 8m x 16m, so not a bad size, but certainly not troubling in terms of its upkeep. At the bottom of the garden is a separate studio which – despite its quaint appearance – is kitted out with the latest 700Mbps broadband, making it an ideal place to work. There’s also a log store and shed, too. “Dorset is an absolutely lovely place to live, no doubt about it,” says Mark. “But its architecture and its buildings are comparatively dull compared to Rutland. It’s a super looking place at every time of the year but actually autumn and winter are my favourite seasons, because with fewer leaves on the trees you can see the reservoir from the rear of the property, and because it’s such a temperate home, it remains cool in the summer but nice and cosy in the winter, especially when you light the fire.” “Spending more time in Dorset means I’m not here enough to enjoy it, so I’ve put it on the market. It’s a phenomenally pretty, practical and very romantic cottage, so I’m really going to miss it!” n

Guide Pride: £325,000

A delightful bijou home full of character situated in the heart of the conservation village of Barrowden. This stone cottage has two bedrooms, a large but cosy sitting room, a kitchen breakfast room, utility and a sheltered, private back garden.

www.fineandcountry.com

n Chapel Lane, North Luffenham

Guide Price: £280,000

Charming Grade II listed terraced cottage, offering characterful accommodation and a pretty South-West facing garden, nestled into the heart of North Luffenham. Two bedrooms, kitchen and living room with wood burner.

www.jamessellicks.com n Churchgate Court, Braunston

Guide Price: £645,000

Delightful three bedroom character property set on a select development of seven Mews Style houses. Three bedrooms, en suite, sitting room and conservatory, open-plan shaker-style kitchen, rear garden, garage and parking.