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 and equipped with quality fitments, accessories, tiles and furniture that provide rooms of characterful, individualistic decoration. This is true of the family bathroom which is further along the corridor.



The family bathroom is part of the Victorian/Edwardian extension and is a large room with a high ceiling. It has an original sash window above the bath, a fitted double cupboard, a cast iron radiator and bath, toilet and generous Edwardian sink. Leaving the bathroom, there is an internal door on the left. This opens into another landing area with a door to the fifth bedroom on the left and the staircase from the kitchen immediately ahead. It has glazed French windows opening out above the garden and a large storeroom that opens into the fifth bedroom. Presently used as an office, it contains a Victorian, delft tiled, cast iron fireplace, original floorboards and cupboards, with roof light frames made of cast iron.



From this landing, the furthest point of the house is entered. This consists of the sixth bedroom, en-suite and third staircase. The sixth bedroom is a very large double bedroom with a vaulted ceiling. As this is directly above the present workshop – originally the Edwardian stables – it has an Edwardian concrete floor laid on top of slate, which was typical of the time when hay was stored above stables. This large bedroom has an en-suite shower room comprising of a toilet, wash basin and walk-in stainless-steel shower. There is the potential here to further develop this wing of the house and create an annexe, as the third staircase provides private access to the kitchen and grounds without needing to enter the main property.



Shall we wander outside?



As with the house, the garden at Netherfield is full of delights. It is a generous, landscaped plot with several secluded seating areas, full of character and filled to the brim with plants of all varieties. Containing mature shrubs, fruit trees, perennials and native trees, it has been years in the growing and provides a lush, private haven of areas with specific themes and points of architectural interest. There is a pond with a fountain and waterfall running down a rockery, a quiet area for lounging and creating barbecues and a summer house with raised decking. Two storage sheds give secure provision for garden tools and machinery. Beyond the main garden is a wild wooded area for escaping into and simply … wandering. Bliss!



Claybrooke Magna is a linear shaped village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire. This is in central England, a region referred to as the East Midlands. The Midlands are well catered for with transport links across the country close by, primarily the M1 and M69. Claybrooke Magna is close to the A5 trunk road and located between junctions 20 and 21 of the M1, towards Leicester Forest East. There are railway stations in Leicester, Rugby and Narborough, where the Midland Main Railway Line runs trains to London – Leicester to St Pancras - regularly. There are normally seventy trains running daily to London, the fastest taking approximately an hour. Birmingham airport and East Midlands Airport, approximately twenty five miles away.



The village is dissected with access roads linking it to nearby villages: Frolesworth Lane, High Cross Road and Main Street. It is close to old Roman roads known as Fosse Way and Watling Street. At that time the settlement was known as ‘Vemonae’ and then as today, is in a north-westerly direction from Leicester, a primary Roman town of its time.



Claybrooke Magna was mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book and was identified as Great Claybrooke, a name which essentially means a brook with clayey soil. Originally ruled by a subordinate of Robert de Beaumont, the first earl of Leicester, it grew in population and expanded its territory to include Little Claybrooke. In the late 1800s ‘little’ eventually became Claybrooke Parva and ‘great’ Claybrooke Magna.



Today, remnants from ages past remain in the form of seven grade II listed buildings within the village including a seventeenth century dairy farmhouse and stable, the village hall and the 1763 watermill. It is believed that milling happened on the site well before this existing building was built but today it continues as a commercial operation and produces over forty varieties of flour, which can be purchased from local outlets.



Claybrooke Magna’s village hall is a traditionally built Victorian building on Main Street and is the village hub with regards to local social events such as fetes, seasonal and national holidays. It also houses many groups catering for a wide range of the community: Pilates, yoga and WI coffee mornings to name but a few. The children’s playground, close by, was refurbished in 2022 and has picnic areas. There is a village green and various footpaths maintained by the parish council.



The village has one pub ‘The Pig in Muck’ and the Pig Pub Brewery produces cask conditioned beers. As Claybrooke Magna is centrally located and within easy reach of other villages and major towns, the amenities on offer are extensive in places such as Rugby, Lutterworth and Market Harborough. They offer edge of town super stores and uniquely bespoke shops, restaurants, sports venues, public houses, cafes and parks. For an even greater variety of entertainment including theatres, art galleries and museums, the cosmopolitan city of Leicester is only eleven miles away. For a comprehensive understanding of the local services in the area or for information about the city itself, it is advisable to visit

www.claybrookemagnaparishcouncil.gov.uk or www.visitleicester.info



Claybrooke Magna’s post code is LE17 and dialling code is 01455. Within the locality, there are many schools offering educational provision across the whole age range; nursery, primary, secondary, including private establishments offering bordering facilities. The Office for Standards in Education - OFSTED – is best researched to provide a comprehensive review of currently rated standards of practice.



Disclaimer:

Important Information:

Property Particulars: Although we endeavor to ensure the accuracy of property details we have not tested any services, equipment or fixtures and fittings. We give no guarantees that they are connected, in working order or fit for purpose.

Floor Plans: Please note a floor plan is intended to show the relationship between rooms and does not reflect exact dimensions. Floor plans are produced for guidance only and are not to scale.