5 bedroom house

A delightful 5 bedroom Victorian former school set in an idyllic plot with lake and 8.49 acres of land, located in the pretty village of Knightley, close to Eccleshall.

Situation
Located within the village of Knightley, The Old School is nestled within the heart of the West Staffordshire countryside yet close to modern day conveniences and amenities. The village of Knightley previously formed part of Lord Lichfield’s Ranton Estate and is a short drive or walk from the larger centre of Woodseaves which offers a wide range of village amenities including a primary school, village store, post office and pub / restaurant. There is also a regular bus service running through both Knightley and Woodseaves.

Further afield is the larger market town of Eccleshall which benefits from an excellent independent offering including award winning butchers, bakery, cafes, takeaways, doctors, dentist, pharmacy, several public houses and restaurants as well as two supermarkets whilst the market town has been voted a top 10 UK village to live in several times over recent years. The county town of Stafford is within a 20 minute drive and offers a wider range of facilities including a selection of supermarkets, shopping centre, library, theatre, leisure centre and a cinema.

The Old School is well placed for access to the regional road network with the M6 J14 being within a 15 minute drive and offer speedy access to both Manchester and Birmingham as well as the M1 and M40. Regular train services run from Stafford station to London in 1 hour and 20 minutes as well as Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool. Manchester, Birmingham and East Midlands airport are all within easy reach of The Old School.

There is an excellent range of schooling within the area including Stafford Grammar, Denstone College, Yarlet School and Newcastle-under-Lyme School which all provide regular bus services within close proximity to The Old School.

Description
Dating back to 1874, The Old School was once the school for the village of Knightley, located adjacent to Christ Church with the former headmasters house being the other side of the church. The village of Knightley is noted in the Domesday Book of 1086 with the ‘de knightley’ family acquiring Knightley Manor after the Norman Conquest of 1066. More recently, the village formed part of Lord Lichfield’s former Ranton Estate which amounted to thousands of acres across West Staffordshire. The Old School was sold by the Estate during the 1960’s and converted in the late 1970’s into the inviting family home it is today.

Entering via a wide entrance door, a pretty porch offers an inviting welcome with a further door leading to the large entrance hall. The entrance hall is a superb central hub which offers access to the majority of the ground floor accommodation, with most rooms benefitting from an original polished Canadian maple wood floor. An arched doorway leads through to the dual aspect dining room which is an excellent entertaining space which features a fireplace and double doors to the garden. Another arched doorway leads through to the vast sitting room which is filled with light via the large bay window overlooking the garden. The sitting room is another fantastic entertaining space that retains its period charm. A door leads off the sitting room to the cosy snug which also enjoys views across the garden via a bay window. The kitchen breakfast room leads off the entrance hall and is an excellent space ideally suited for modern day needs. There is a range of bespoke polished yew wall and floor units by Clive Christian, set under a solid quartz work surface. There is a range of integrated appliances by brands such as Neff, Gaggenau and Miele including dishwasher, oven / grill, hob, microwave, dishwasher and fridge whilst a cream enamelled Aga offers a characterful centre piece to the kitchen. There is a useful pantry at one end of the kitchen which provides plentiful storage as well as space for a large American style fridge freezer. An opening leads from the kitchen to the P shaped conservatory which enjoys outstanding views across the gardens, paddocks and lake that form the grounds of The Old School. A further doorway leads off the kitchen to the rear hallway which provides access to the garden and guest WC.

The first floor is accessed via a turned staircase from the entrance hall, which leads to a spacious and bright landing area with exposed original school beams. The master bedroom is an excellent size and benefits from fitted wardrobes and an ensuite shower room, as well as views across the paddocks. The guest bedroom is also a good size, and is completed with fitted wardrobes and an ensuite shower room, whilst there is a further three bedrooms, one currently being set up as a dressing room with a range of fitted wardrobes. The family bathroom completes the first floor accommodation, which all benefits from exposed original beams in every bedroom.

Accessed either via the snug or via an external door is a former annex which has been converted into a laundry room and downstairs shower room with guest WC. A staircases leads to a vast first floor area which is currently used as a study. This section of the house could easily be converted back into a separate annex or indeed a large home office as required (subject to the necessary consents).

Outside
A pair of wrought iron gates opens to a large block paved driveway which passes through the gardens to a courtyard style parking area. The driveway leads to the detached double garage which also houses the oil tank. A pedestrian gate leads to the rear terrace and garden area which is elevated, and provides superb views across the rest of the grounds towards the lake. The balance of the garden itself is mainly laid to lawn, and is interspersed with a variety of herbaceous beds and specimen trees.

A further gate to the side of the garage leads down to the rest of the outbuildings which are in excellent order and comprises of three large loose boxes, lockable tack room and two large barns. The agricultural land is separated into two large paddocks, with a fourth area housing the stunning lake which is surrounded by mature trees. The lake offers an idyllic setting with a summer house being positioned close by to make the most of this outstanding feature. The total plot measures approximately 8.49 acres all in all.


Marketed by: Fisher German, Stafford