14 minute read
WELCOME HOME A Country estate in Ketton on the market for £4m.
A COUNTRY ESTATE in KETTON
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Kilthorpe Grange has just come to the property market as a really unique Kilthorpe Grange has just come to the property market as a really unique prospect for its next owners. It’s a Georgian manor house style property prospect for its next owners. It’s a Georgian manor house style property set in 30-acres of medieval grounds, with four cottages or converted barns set in 30-acres of medieval grounds, with four cottages or converted barns within its curtilage, equestrian accommodation and fishing lakes... within its curtilage, equestrian accommodation and fishing lakes...
Words: Rob Davis. Images: Dean Fisher. Words: Rob Davis. Images: Dean Fisher.
IT’S A COMPLETE COUNTRY ESTATE with bags of potential and a truly unique prospect for the right buyer. Safe to say that this month’s featured property is truly unique. For a start, it’s not so much a single country home but rather a country estate with three additional stone barns and an additional two bedroom stone cottage. And secondly, there’s around 30 acres of land in and around the main Georgian property itself, with potential for creating a new home, running a business, keeping horses, or founding a business such as a livery yard or an artisan food or farming operation.
Main/Right: Kilthorpe Estate dates back to medieval period, still retaining ancient stone barns and monastic carp ponds. The Manor House is Georgian in provenance, Grade II listed.
It’s also located in an incredibly pretty place, equidistant between Ketton in the north and Collyweston in the south, moreorless in the middle of Oakham, Uppingham, Stamford and Peterborough, with all of the above easily accessible and the A1, A47 and A43 each within a stone’s throw.
The property’s date stone suggests the property was completed in 1754 and the initials FW are thought to relate to the Francis Wootton, who sold the estate to Sir Gilbert Heathcote (Lord Aveland) who owned the estate until the early C20th.
The 1911 census records George Henry Whattoff as the new owner of the estate – minus its manorial rights – and the property remained in the Whattoff family up until 2001, when the death of George’s Great grand-nephew Joseph Peasgood Whattoff
led to its eventual sale. From that point Lady Isabel King – daughter of the 8th Viscount and widow of British Airways’ Lord King of Wartnaby – lived there until 2010. Our thanks go to the Ketton Village History website for recording the estate’s history. More recently the estate’s new owners have completed a full renovation of the property itself and offered it as a boutique hotel and private hire venue, using Red Kite Barn Long Barn, Goose Barn and The Cottage on the estate as additional accommodation for holidaymakers. In a slightly elevated position, the very attractive, late 17th century, Grade II listed, Stamford stone house, with its Collyweston slate roof and wisteria clad facade, overlooks well-manicured formal gardens with far reaching views towards the lakes and hills beyond. With particularly high ceilings, original internal Georgian features abound such as timber panelling, sash windows, archways, shutters, window seats, panelled doors and inglenook fireplaces. The stunning, triple aspect kitchen is fitted with bespoke, classical-style units topped with granite and incorporating a four oven Aga. It has a southwest aspect with French doors leading onto an alfresco dining area.
>> Four sizeable reception rooms are positioned along the front and include a completely panelled sitting room with a large bay window and flagstone floor, another panelled dual aspect room, and a dining room with quarry tiled floor and impressive inglenook fireplace. Beyond a fourth reception room with an equally splendid inglenook fireplace and several utility rooms, a single-storey wing to the west has a double bedroom and very spacious triple aspect living room with French doors onto the courtyard opposite the kitchen. A ‘buttery’ with internal exposed stone walls has a quirky contemporary feature: a partially glazed ceiling to the bay of the bathroom upstairs.
Left: The property’s most recent use has been as a holiday let and boutique hotel, let out as a venue for private functions.
Accordingly, all the en suites are well appointed, fully tiled, generous in size and ultra-modern. The commodious, dual aspect master bedroom enjoys both an en suite and a separate dressing room, whilst the expansive attic bedroom suite exudes character and originality. Naturally the 30 acres of grounds provides plenty of scope too, with post and rail paddocks for horses, a stable block with five loose boxes plus, woodland, four lakes – well stocked with a variety of fish – and garaging. With much of the hard work done in renovating the buildings, Kilthorpe Grange’s next owners only need to put their own mark on the estate and will doubtless have plans for all that space and all that potential. A medieval estate coming onto the property market is a rare proposition – not least one in such an idyllic location. But even rarer is the versatility, scope and overall excellent condition of what constitutes an entire country estate. It’s a unique offering indeed and we’ll watch with keen interest what happens to the estate in the future! n
KILTHORPE GRANGE, KETTON, STAMFORD
Location: Stamford 4 miles; Oakham/Uppingham 10 miles. Style: Country estate with 30 acres, three rental barns, a cottage, stables, spinney, four lakes and paddocks.
Guide Price: £4,000,000 (OIEO)
Find Out More: Fine & Country, aton Grange Barn Offices, Grange Lane, Seaton, LE15 9HT. Call 01780 750200 or see www.fineandcountry.com.
CONFIDENCE with COLOUR
From plum to puce, lemon to blue, confidence From plum to puce, lemon to blue, confidence in colour can help you to achieve the look in colour can help you to achieve the look you’re seeking for your home... you’re seeking for your home...
This Page: Sanderson Elysium Geese on green, £100m/fabric, This Page: Sanderson Elysium Geese on green, £100m/fabric, wallpaper £78/roll. Cushion in Samphrey check fig, £96/metre. wallpaper £78/roll. Cushion in Samphrey check fig, £96/metre.
Above: Clarke and Clarke Botanist wallpaper and fabric, Avium in raspberry, £28/metre fabric. Curtains in Monarch, Summer colourway, £41/metre. Opposite Page, Top Left: Colefax & Fowler Hector fabric in pale pink, gold/ivory, £100/metre. Opposite Page, Top Right: Colefax & Fowler, chair and curtains in Yasamin red/green, £60/metre, rug Guinevere. Opposite Page, Bottom Left: Flannery from Sanderson Elysium fabric, £52/metre. Opposite Page, Bottom Right: GP&J Baker chair in Keswick, £110/metre, curtains Oriental Bird, £86/metre.
Elysium from Sanderson, £65/roll.
Stamford & Rutland Interiors: Delcor Interiors: Stamford, 01780 762579, www.delcor.co.uk. H Works: 01780 754605, www.hworksdesign.co.uk. Sarah Harding Interiors: Uppingham, 01572 823389, sarahhardinginteriors.co.uk. Simply Stamford: St Mary’s Street, Stamford, 01780 481852, www.simplystamford.co.uk.
Open the door to low carbon living
New windows and doors can contribute to reducing your annual energy bills to meet the needs of a low carbon economy…
The high demand for double glazing sales, in the late 1970s and through the 80s, was driven by poorly maintained windows and doors that were installed in the post-war building boom. The motivation for a purchase was usually driven by the increase in home ownership and the deterioration of the existing windows, which were single-glazed wood or steel framed, drafty and kept little heat in the house. ‘Keeping up with the neighbours’ was also a significant driver, with little thought other than the added insulation from double glazing was evident. Aluminium was the first material used for frames by double glazing firms and drove sales prior to uPVC, which by the end of the last century was the dominant material. Latterly, improvements in the development of engineered timber components have made wood a more suitable material for the frame, providing greater life expectancy; a 65-years life cycle, according to analysis. Other key benefits of installing timber windows include greater security, thermal and sound insulation qualities, and the ability to meet conservation requirements. Today, the world has moved on and we now must face up to the changing climate, cost and replacement of fossil fuels and the need to conserve energy. We are being told every day how to insulate our houses, reduce our energy bills and prepare for the future by recognising the changes being made in the Building Regulations and Codes of Practice documents. We are already striving to meet the challenges of a zero-carbon economy. On the back of this awareness, global warming means reducing our carbon footprint is all important. For housing the goal had been determined by the Government under the ‘Code for Sustainable Homes’ (CSH) that by 2016 all new housing being built will be Zero Carbon, this means that any energy consumed in the process and the ongoing running must be offset by carbon gains and renewable energy resources. There was doubt that this was ever achieved given the decision by the government to drop adherence to the Code and Green Deals. Most manufacturers of building products have been working on new product areas and development to tap into this growing demand. It’s not surprising then, that the leading quality brands in the window and door market, offered by the New Window Company, are at the forefront of this technology. Flush cottage-style and lipped storm-proof casements, sliding sashes for contemporary and heritage houses plus a full range of performance doorsets are available, to suit all the styles our customers seek. A deposit guarantee scheme is available and a fully-trained competent team of fitters will install your new windows and doors and take away the old ones for recycling. All designs are available from the New Window Company Ltd., with large showrooms at Frieston Heath near Grantham. Today’s windows have been tested and assessed by the BFRC (British Fenestration Energy Rating Council) and have an energy rated label, just like a fridge. Windows and doors in all materials are offered by The New Window Company and are rated from C to A+. The windows are also tested to the very latest security performance standards to the latest building regulations ‘Part Q’ and will gain extra credit for even better performance. One thing for certain; you can get modern windows and doors now that are built to satisfy the future energy efficiency standards. So, not only will you be helping to keep your energy costs down, but you will also add considerably to the value of your property. n
When Should You DOWNSIZE?
Many couples will at some point face the dilemma of ‘should I stay, or should I go?’ When should you downsize, free up capital, and make life easier or when should you stay in a larger property? Having wrangled with the same question, Kate Vincent offers some experience...
AFTER NEARLY 10 YEARS of living in a listed tithe barn surrounded by countryside, last September my husband and I made the momentous decision to sell the family home and downside to a two bedroom cottage in the heart of Oundle.
To put this in context, my husband and I had reached our ‘middle years’, the last of our three children had just left home and whilst we loved our house, I soon discovered that weeks had gone by since I’d set foot in some of the bedrooms.
To move or not to move? Having made this seemingly major decision, it has been fascinating to hear the reactions of our similarly aged friends. Clearly, most have discussed the possibility of downsizing but it appears that the outcome of the debates creates two distinct camps. On one side, there is the group that look on enviously at our reduced maintenance workload, bills and time committed to running a substantial family home and plan to follow suit in due course. And, on the other side there are those who are determined stay put in anticipation of family reunions and future grandchildren visits. Clearly, there is no right or wrong answer here but if you are hovering over joining the movers’ group, the following is a bit of advice from one who has not only made the jump but also know a bit about property and Stamford & Rutland.
When to downsize? Moving to a new house is always hard work and stressful but take it from one who knows, downsizing is even harder. Deciding what to take and what to keep (and will fit in) requires a lot of thought and co-ordination. Then, there is the challenge of working out what to do with the excess. There are many options including storage for future generations (will they want it? What will it cost to store? Can you get hold of a container as there is currently high demand for storage units?). Alternatively, you could give the items away through sites such as Facebook Marketplace or sell through channels such as Ebay. If this option is appealing, a useful tip is to persuade a trustworthy youngster to handle the communications relating to these transactions as they are often much faster on their phones and are happily welded to the source of endless chat and questions. Personally, I would advise that you don’t leave it too late to downsize; it is a major palaver so the older you get, the harder it is going to feel. Where to move to? Aside from a few years in our twenties when we lived in London, my husband and I have always lived in the countryside, however, we decided that it would be quite fun to try living in a town. Once again, this is a personal decision but given most downsizers are usually in the older generation, it would be prudent to find a village with a few amenities or a town with a broader selection that can be accessed on foot or via regular public transport. Popular market towns are Stamford, Oakham, Uppingham, Oundle and Market Harborough. Larger villages with additional amenities downsizers may wish to consider include Empingham, Barrowden, Elton, Bottesford, Kings Cliffe, Corby Glen, Long Clawson and Billesdon to name but a few.
Help is on Hand For a seasoned property professional such as myself, finding and purchasing our next property was the easiest part of our downsizing journey but most people don’t have my professional experience to rely upon.
A typical homeowner only buys a handful of properties in their lifetime and the usual protracted timescale between each purchase inevitably means that the process and system has slightly changed since the last time.
Add to this the possibility of moving to a new area or a change in market conditions then the prospect of buying well can appear very daunting indeed.
Having a professional property finder and buyer on your side can help to reduce the stress and time involved in finding and purchasing a property.
A buying agent will help you clarify what and where you wish to buy and then source potential properties which match that criteria.
Thereafter, they will negotiate the deal on your behalf, oversee the diligence and conveyancing process through to completion and then support you during the early weeks of making a house into a home. Meanwhile, you are freed up to sort through your belongings! n
