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IF THIS ISN’T one of the prettiest properties you’ve ever seen, we’d be surprised. For anyone seeking a beautiful rural property it’s holding all the cards; a rural location in a sleepy hamlet between Grantham and Stamford, it’s adjacent to the Church of St Peter, gracefully presented, with a Grade II listing and a couple of acres of mature, verdant grounds. Built of limestone with a Collyweston slate roof, it was built circa 1750. The Victorian front provides wonderful views to the west and was added in 1850, with an imposing gothic look, with stone mullion windows and gargoyles that complement the church. Further additions were added through the twentieth century to create a very substantial property indeed.

For all its modern appeal though, The Old Rectory is also ideal for modern living, not least because of its annex, refurbished in 2004. It has been equipped with all the mod cons for home-workers, such as a studio room with fast broadband. If you’re seeking to escape a regular commute into London, there’s probably no better place to work than this leafy peace of heavenly England.

The property’s transformation into its Pugin-esque Victorian gothic style has yielded dramatic architecture, and inside there is a beautiful mix of Georgian and Victorian features.

There are five reception rooms too, currently arranged as a sitting room, a reception room adjoining the music room and library, plus a garden room and formal dining room as well as a spacious living

“It’s all beautifully rustic, and a proper country kitchen in which committed cooks can create a Sunday lunch...”

kitchen, one of those all purpose spaces in which a family can cook, dine, socialise and supervise children as they labour over their homework. The kitchen features bespoke cabinetry and freestanding units, with a large refectory table and a cream Aga, as well as a Butler sink, timber work surfaces and stripped pine floors. It’s all beautifully rustic, and constitutes a proper country kitchen for committed cooks keen to, for instance, make the most of the orchard’s apples to create an apple crumble, rounding off a nice Sunday lunch. Older properties have glorious amounts of storage space too, and The Old Rectory is no exception, with its two cellars, utility room and pantry as well as a housekeeper’s cupboard next to the cloakroom. Most of the rooms are spread over two floors, downstairs these are well proportioned, possessing high ceilings and original features such as working fireplaces, tall sash windows with internal shutters and window seats, picture rails and stone and timber floors. The property also exudes warmth and a homeliness, indeed it has been a truly wonderful family home for the owners for the last twenty seven years. The house has been well maintained and it should be noted the slate roof has been completely overhauled and is in exceptionally good order. >>

>> On the first floor and second floors, the storage continues with seven bedroom and three bathrooms plus dressing rooms and built-in wardrobes. Hidden away, The Old Rectory is approached up a no-through lane that leads to the church behind, and it’s a wonderfully private location that affords peace and quiet when you’re enjoying the beautiful garden that gently dips down the hillside. It provides glorious views of the surrounding countryside and the garden is a delightful mix of formality with a simple, naturalistic flavour, having been almost entirely created by the current owners. Neatly clipped yew hedges are topped with carefully sculpted topiary contrasting beautifully with mown paths that attract abundant birds and butterflies.

The crystal-clear waters of the natural swimming pond have been enjoyed by the family not only in summer but by hardy members throughout winter too! All the flower beds and many indigenous trees were planted by the current owners, and are now well established and mature.

Elsewhere the property features a vegetable garden, orchard, tennis court and there are a further 13 acres available too, available to rent from the adjacent Grimsthorpe Estate, should you wish to keep horses or pursue your own smallholding, for example. The look and feel of the property is phenomenal, but with just over two acres of gardens and with a versatile layout, The Old Rectory will also afford its next owners the chance to adapt the house to suit their own lifestyle. No doubt though, it’ll remain one of the most desirable and beautifully presented properties in the area. n

THE OLD RECTORY, CREETON, BOURNE

Location: Creeton; Stamford eight miles, Bourne five miles. Style: Substantial stone-built Grade II listed former rectory with five reception rooms and seven bedrooms. Swimming pond, tennis courts, 2.1 acres of grounds.

Guide Price: £1,650,000.

Find Out More: Fine & Country Seaton Grange Barn Offices, Grange Lane, Seaton, Uppingham LE15 9HT. Call 01780 750200 or see www.fineandcountry.com. n