Convenient location. Hillcrest House is on the outskirts of the popular village of Desford and is in an elevated position amongst other period properties along Peckleton Lane. Originally built in 1911, it retains many Edwardian features –sash box windows, chimney stack, panelling and high ceilings, decorated with picture rails and cornicing – that merge tastefully with renovations and extensions applied by previous owners. Amongst the most recent, a damp proof procedure and a new roof – fitted in February 2024 and under guarantee – coupled with graphite grey replacement windows and white rendered walls that give Hillcrest a distinctly contemporary appearance. The detached house is amidst a wraparound garden and its generous plot has been planted and landscaped to provide privacy and interest. Hillcrest has an established quality echoing its original structural characteristics but a freshness that reflects current trends. From the front and on two further sides, the house is boarded by deep hedges. Shrubbery and a lawn edge the generously proportioned gravel drive turning off the Lane. It is large enough for several parked vehicles and is shaped for ease of access and turning. The drive leads to a separate double garage and workshop - adjacent to the main house - with paths leading to the sides and recessed front door. Beyond the ornate wrought iron gates, the drive continues between the garage and house to a further dry standing area surrounded by outbuildings. These consist of a coal house and equestrian facilities: stable and tack room. The house has a traditional hall, with doors opening into two similar sized reception rooms. The first is possibly better suited to being the lounge, with the second positioned closer to the kitchen and therefore easily serving as a dining room, snug or informal living room. A combination fitted kitchen and utility, was completed in autumn 2024 and with a ground floor cloakroom and a generous provision for storage, completes the ground floor. On the first floor, there are four bedrooms and a contemporary family bathroom. The tour begins. Through a recessed doorway, the house opens into a hall. Here there is a herringboned blocked wooden floor, where the open tread, white painted staircase can be seen ascending to the first floor. It has a matching wallpaper motif on the stair tread continuing to the landing, with an open space beneath for coats and shoes. From first glance, the wall panelling, cornicing and multi glass panes in the front door, provide an elegant reminder of the period in which this house was first constructed. There are several doors opening from the hall downstairs and the first on the right, is the lounge. Like its sister room next door, both reception rooms have canted bay windows, original panelled interior doors and door furniture, and are carpeted. The lounge is particularly well lit, possessing two windows, high ceilings with a picture rail and chimney breast housing a log burner upon a bare brick hearth, with tiles and oak mantel. Once more into the hall and through to the living room, this room provides access to the kitchen and a very generous storage room to the left. Benefitting from all the charming period features found in the lounge, including a second log burner, this room provides space and versatility of function. It could easily serve as a playroom, as the opened adjoining door would permit monitoring of younger family members from the neighbouring kitchen. A brand new kitchen The Kitchen is large, utilitarian and stylish, providing a contemporary and practical arrangement of storage and work top spaces with coordinating wall and floor cupboards. Integrated appliances are arranged on three sides – oven range with extractor fan, fridge freezer, dishwasher and washing machine - with a sink under one of the two windows. Designed using a neutral palette of wall tiles, cabinetry and surfaces, the room is fitted to surround a space that easily holds a large table with chairs: this has been purposefully designed to be the hub of the house and ticks all those boxes. A central opaque glass panelled interior door at the furthest end of the kitchen, opens into a separate lobby. Directly opposite is the back door and on the right a store room, to the left the downstairs cloakroom. The cloak room is fitted with a white toilet and basin. The first floor beckons. There are four bedrooms accessible from the landing featuring the dormer window at the top of the stairs. They are distinctive and well maintained, with views to different aspects of the surrounding gardens and beyond. The primary bedroom overlooks the front of the property towards the drive and lane. There is a family bathroom and like the downstairs separate cloak room and has white fittings. In particular, it is fitted with tiled areas, a heated towel rail, toilet, basin and bath, with shower over the bath. The bathing facilities share similar design features and provide consistency throughout the property. Into the garden The surrounding gardens have hedges, shrubbery, established trees and plants for all seasons. There are lawns and a partitioned patio area, with various places to position garden furniture to gain sun or shade. Desford LE9 Desford is a village situated in the south-west of Leicestershire, benefitting from all the merits of its countryside location while also being close to motorway and rail networks that crisscross this east Midlands region. It is only seven miles west from Leicester’s city centre, with its multi-cultural restaurants, theatres, museums, galleries, rich retail selection and attractions such as the King Richard III exhibition. From Desford, the closest motorway links are the M1 and M69 toward Enderby. There are train stations at Rugby for links to Birmingham and Narborough for links to Leicester, with trains running regularly from there to London St Pancras International. East Midlands Airport (EMB) and Birmingham Airport (BHX) are the closest airports. Desford or ‘Deor’s Ford’ was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 but is possibly of Anglo-Saxon origin, being based on a significant hill 400 feet above sea level. St Martin’s parish church dates from the late thirteenth century and the village centre has a selection of Grade II listed buildings including a timber framed manor house and service buildings from the 1600’s. The Baptist Church on Chapel Lane was constructed in 1866. All combine to mark the centuries that have passed in Desford, including the present development of homes. The original settlement was based around the open fields system of agriculture predating the Norman Conquest. In 1767 the Enclosure Act forced the predominantly farming community to become invested with industrial economics, namely framework knitting. Then, with the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, came the railway. A railway station was built linking established lines to larger towns and cities. It was closed to passengers in 1964 but continued to be used for freight including the transportation of coal from the Desford Pit until it too closed in 1984. Members of the Desford Historical Society have erected a half winding wheel on Lindridge Lane as a permanent reminder of the era and today Caterpillar Inc. are a significant employer in the area, having repurposed the old Desford aerodrome. Today, the bustling village is part of the Harborough district of Leicestershire and is within a half hour drive of Enderby, Kirby Muxloe, Market Bosworth and Kirkby Mallory. Although it has existed for centuries, this large village continues to appeal to the community through a wide selection of sport, (Sport in Desford Clubhouse with new Scout hut and tennis courts) education and leisure amenities. There are an array of shops, a library, cafes, a pharmacy and a surgery, with several parks and a reputation for equestrian pursuits. Public houses include The Lancaster close to the old railway station and the Bluebell Inn in the village centre. For more details this site may help: https:// ... />For those requiring primary schools, Desford has its own: Desford Primary School. Wider afield secondary education can be found in Market Bosworth, Countesthorpe, and Lutterworth or at Leicester Grammar. The Office for Standards in Education - OFSTED – is best researched to provide a comprehensive review of currently rated standards of practice for all educational providers in the vicinity. Additional Information: Council Tax Band - E Local Authority - Hinckley & Bosworth EPC - D Broadband Speed - 1130Mb Features: - Garage - Garden
