Netherfield House is a dwelling of quality, elegance and historical charm. This stunning property has been carefully nurtured through hundreds of years and retains elements of its Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian past. With a delightful mixture of original and bespoke features, this is a house that can truly boast of being a home that is going to impress from the outset. This property is located in the village of Claybrooke Magna, in the charming southernmost part of Leicestershire, near to the Warwickshire border. The house is part of the historical narrative of the village and sits back from the roadside on Main Street. Originally constructed during the 1790s, it has the gracious proportions of a classical building, with an understated elegance and pleasing symmetry. Interior design and decorative arts also flourished during this time and within, the present day interior will not fail to disappoint with its charming observance of classical patterns, colours and textures. Netherfield House has had several extensions and additions, as previous owners have tastefully enhanced the original structure to create a large six bedroomed house of four thousand square feet. Four of the bedrooms have en-suites. There are three reception rooms, a study/office, garden room, extensive kitchen with pantry and utility, and an integral garage and store area. The common thread of these accumulative improvements is a home of quality that is lavished with period detail while primarily being enjoyed for its versatility, space and convenience. Here, there is a rare opportunity to invest in a house in a delightful village setting that offers privacy and style, whilst being only a short walk away from open countryside. First appearances From the roadside, the front of the house is bordered by a low brick wall surmounted with a black wrought iron fence, archway and gates. Larger, double gates also open to the side of the property that leads along a sheltered drive to the garage and store. There is ample space at the top of the drive for turning or parking several vehicles. Hedges and plants compliment the front of the white rendered property, including rambling roses supported by further ironmongery and with the characterful windows, name plate and doorbell pull, the initial impression is warmly inviting. A tri coloured path made from Victorian quarry tiles set in a distinctive chequered formation leads to the front door. Here, the solid wooden door is half panelled and half glazed, with multiple shapes of stained glass creating a distinctive feature from the outside and a myriad of colour from the inside. This is continued on the patterned side panes of glass too. The porch leads into the original airy Georgian hallway. Floored with solid red brick and tiles, it is worth considering who and how many have trodden this path, as they have entered this lovely old house over the years. The ground floor tour Netherfield House benefits from having been owned by people who have preserved its original characteristics and made additions that complement the style and integrity of the building. The hallway is the central channel from which all of the reception rooms can be accessed: sitting room, study, lounge, cloakroom, dining room and then through to the kitchen and sunroom. The hall sets the standard for the interior design elements and period accessories that will feature throughout the house. Here, original solid panelled interior doors, wooden architrave, a cast iron radiator and brass dolly light switches contribute to the feeling of a grand period home. The staircase is Georgian and has stair rods securing a carpet runner, oak newel post and handrail. Beneath the staircase there is a panelled under stairs cupboard and immediately to the right, the sitting room. Victorian additions to Netherfield include the porch, bay windows and French doors. Originally, the house would have been flat fronted but these permit space and sunlight from the south facing aspect to flood into the house. The French doors in the sitting room open on to a York stoned patio area, which is landscaped and bordered by flowering plants. The focal point of the room is the polished cast iron, fully working, Victorian fire place. It has tiled panels and a cast iron over mantel. The walls have dado and picture rails, and these also feature in the lounge which is across the hall. The lounge is an equally beautiful space. It benefits from a large bay window overlooking the front garden providing generous amounts of sunlight to flood the room. A Georgian style fully working cast iron fireplace, with elegant wooden surround, similarly forms the focal point. This room has its original suspended wooden floor and skirting boards. As we leave the lounge, the cloakroom is next door. This is a spacious, highly original room furnished with a genuine Edwardian Barbers Shop suite of wash basins, mirrors and cupboards. Within a dramatic interior there is a cast iron radiator and an attractive quarry tiled floor. Further down the hall on the right, the study is entered through a Victorian door panelled at the bottom but with an upper section glazed in Edwardian/Victorian reeded glass. This room has dual aspect windows, one of which is an original sash to the south and an original quarry tiled floor. It also boasts an Edwardian fully working cast iron stove. This room has a panelled door leading out into the garden room. Kitchens, both old and new The remaining reception room is the dining room and this was Netherfield’s first kitchen until forty years ago. The room has echoes of its past purpose with half panelled walls, an original window opening into the garden room and a Victorian, fully functional, black cast iron cooking stove and oven. The floor is made from Georgian/Victorian brick and quarry tiles, polished and worn by thousands of footsteps over two hundred years. It is a charming space and while seated at a dining room table, warmed by heat from the cast iron radiator, the ‘new kitchen’ can be seen, converted from the original scullery, wash room and dairy room. An open entrance from the dining room leads down three steps into the kitchen, which has a traditional industrial feel but with contemporary elements. Designed by the owners who were professional cooks with their own restaurant, this is a specialised, practical space where attention has been given to every detail. There are handmade, Shaker style, solid wooden units painted in Farrow and Ball French Grey, with black granite work tops and a butler style sink. The kitchen is fitted with a Falcon gas range with double ovens and a Panasonic combination electric steam oven. With a separate area specifically for dishwashing and clearance, an integral fridge, dishwasher, waste bins, additional sink and a dresser for crockery and cutlery, the kitchen has undoubtedly been designed by experts. It has a generous amount of classic, antique style electrical sockets, a practical floor of quarry tiles, and cast iron radiators. In addition, a large utility room off the kitchen, has ample space for all laundry requirements, including a separate sink and a pulley operated clothes airer. The garage can be accessed through the utility room. Originally in Edwardian times, this was the carriage room. It has its own fireplace and is presently used as a gym. Next door is the large room used as a workshop and store – originally the Edwardian stable - accessible from outside and by the staircase leading from the large bedroom, above. A door from the kitchen opens into the Victorian garden room, which contains an original Well in its centre. It provides a beautiful retreat from which to enjoy the views into the garden in all weathers. Being large enough to provide access from the study and kitchen, it links the spaces and allows great versatility when entertaining. At the back of the kitchen is the second staircase leading up to the rear landing. Next to the staircase is the walk-in pantry with a solid brick floor: an essential convenience for any serious cook. Off the clearance area of the kitchen is the boiler room. This contains a Worcester gas boiler and mains pressure hot water tank. Together, they heat the whole house and supply all the showers throughout the property. These were fitted in January 2022. Three staircases and the potential for an annexe From the main staircase the first floor opens up into a generous landing area which leads to a long corridor with three double bedrooms – each with en-suite - a single bedroom and the family bathroom branching off to the right and left. Then, through a solid panelled wooden door at the end of the long corridor, there is a further back landing above the kitchen. The staircase from this landing leads down into the kitchen. This landing has a cast iron radiator and an original sash window overlooking the garden. All of the hall and landing areas are furnished with antique style brass light switches. Of the six bedrooms, five are double sized or beyond. Four of them have en-suites with the prime bedroom having an eagle claw bathtub, with walk-in shower, basin and toilet. It overlooks the front of the property above the sitting room and has a tiled Victorian fireplace. All of the bedrooms are elegantly decorated and contain features repeated throughout the house, maintaining quality and characteristics pertaining to a property of age. Dolly light switches, exposed wooden floors, high ceilings, original fireplaces, cast iron radiators and sash windows are evident here. They provide individually styled rooms with a complimentary theme. Likewise, all of the washing and bathing facilities within Netherfield have been fitted and maintained to the highest standard a...
