Staploe, St. Neots, Bedfordshire, PE19

About the House cont'd

The rest of the land has been designed and planted by one of the vendors who is RHS trained and has created a tranquil haven of separate areas of carefully selected planting linked by winding paths. The property is set well back from the lane in a rural area and yet is only 12 minutes’ drive from amenities in St Neots including commuter trains to London in 47 minutes.

History and Heritage

The oldest part of the house dates back to the 1820s and 1830s and was originally the farmhouse for Falls Farm. When separated from the farm the owners selected the new name, based on a small waterfall on the property. The vendors purchased the property in 2000 and have undertaken a comprehensive extension and refurbishment programme over the years to create the current versatile property. An extension to the main building in 2000 added the kitchen/breakfast room, family room, utility room and boot room on the ground floor with additional bedrooms and bathrooms above. The roof of the old house was redone during the pandemic, and the property has double glazed windows throughout, and has been replumbed and rewired throughout with 3 phase electricity and fibre broadband. The 3 phase electricity allowed the installation of two high speed 22kw electric car chargers.

History cont'd

The vendors have also replaced a dilapidated old barn with a new oak framed building which comprises garages and carports and a self-contained two bedroom annexe which has been completed to a high specification and has never been lived in. Former farm buildings have been refurbished and reinsulated and converted into ancillary accommodation including a home office and gym, a cinema/golf room, and garden stores.

Main House

Ground Floor

The front door is in the Georgian section of the property, and has stained glass panels and wing windows. It opens to a hall which has a black and white tiled floor and the original staircase which has balustrades and a continuous oak banister rail. The space under the stairs has Neville Johnson fitted cupboards with auto lights. The cloakroom has a two piece suite with a Thomas Crapper high level cistern WC and a washbasin.

Reception Rooms

The drawing and dining rooms are both in the older part of the property and both have deep coving and ornate ceiling roses. The drawing room has a bay and sash window to the front as well as original 2mm reed glass windows looking into the kitchen/breakfast room. There is a feature stone fireplace with a log burning stove. The dining room has a bay window to the front and a sash window to the rear. There are built-in cupboards with lit arched display alcoves. The family room is part of the extension in 2000. It is accessed via glazed double doors from the kitchen/breakfast room and has feature exposed brickwork, and dual aspect windows overlooking the garden.

Kitchen/Breakfast Room

The kitchen is fitted in a comprehensive range of bespoke solid Ash units including glazed display cabinets, display shelving, pan drawers, and a central island with a breakfast bar. A recess houses a four oven Aga with electric hot plates, and other appliances by Miele include an induction hob with a downdraft extractor, a dishwasher, and two ovens, one combi and one steam with one and a half warming drawers. There are granite work surfaces, a Quooker boiling water tap over the sink, and space and plumbing for an American style fridge/freezer. The breakfast area has a vaulted roof, space for a table to seat at least eight, and glazed double doors to a terrace in the garden for al fresco dining and entertaining.

Utility Room and Boot Room

Karndean flooring continues into the adjoining utility room which is fitted with a range of the same units as the kitchen including several larder cupboards and a pull out larder unit. The granite worksurfaces incorporate a Belfast sink under a window overlooking the garden and there is an integrated wine cooler. The boot room has a cupboard housing the boiler, and space for coat and shoe storage.

First Floor

The stairs lead to a first floor landing which has a double cupboard with a new water tank and shelved storage. A further cupboard has a washing machine and tumble dryer, shelved storage and an extractor fan.

Principal Bedroom Suite

The principal bedroom is accessed via a dressing room which has a range of fitted furniture including wardrobes and a shoe cupboard. The bedroom is dual aspect and has doors with fitted shutters and blackout blinds to a balcony with space for seating overlooking the garden. The bedroom has a range of built-in wardrobes spanning one wall and an en suite shower room with a double shower cubicle with a rainwater shower head, a concealed cistern WC, and a vanity washbasin. There is built-in storage and a dual fuel towel radiator.

Other First Floor Bedrooms and Bathrooms

The guest bedroom has dual aspect windows to the side, built-in wardrobes, and a contemporary en suite shower room with a walk-in shower with a rainwater showerhead, inset shelves, a vanity washbasin, and a WC. Bedroom three has a bay window to the front, two windows to the rear and a range of built-in wardrobes by Neville Johnson with interior drawers. The fourth bedroom is a small double or a generous sized single room and has a window to the front. The two bedrooms share a four piece family bathroom which has a claw footed bath with a shower attachment, a separate shower cubicle, a washbasin, a WC, Karndean flooring and a Thomas Crapper towel radiator.

Second Floor

The second floor landing has a door to a boarded loft storage area as well as a loft hatch to the roof space. The landing has a window to the front, a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, and space for a seating or study area. There are two further double bedrooms on this floor, both with triple aspect windows. One bedroom has a range of Neville Johnson built-in cabinets and dressing table, and the other has built-in furniture by Hammonds. These bedrooms share a bathroom which is fitted with a Roca bath and washbasin, a shower cubicle, and a WC. There is a Velux window and built-in drawers.

Self Contained Annexe

The vendors replaced an original black barn which had fallen into disrepair with a brick and oak framed L-shaped building which has two double garages, two car ports and a two storey annexe which has an electric boiler and a mix of electric and water radiators. An oak door opens to a tiled entrance hall with oak stairs to the first floor and access to an open plan kitchen/dining/sitting room. The sitting area has three windows overlooking the drive and front garden and there is space for seating as well as a dining table and chairs. The kitchen is by Howdens and has a range of wall and base units, including glazed display cabinets and an island unit, with complementary work surfaces incorporating a ceramic sink. Appliances include a Zanussi induction hob and oven, and a fridge/freezer and there is space and plumbing for a dishwasher or washing machine.

Annexe cont'd

The stairs lead to a first floor landing which has exposed beams and trusses and space for a study or seating area. The main bedroom has a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, a window and Velux window, and an en suite with a walk-in shower, a washbasin, and a concealed cistern WC. The other bedroom has dual aspect windows to the front and side and uses a bathroom which has a bath with a shower over, a concealed cistern WC and a washbasin.

Planning Permission

The planning permission obtained for the annexe and garage outbuilding, also included plans for additions to the main house with access via the sash window in the dining room to a new kitchen, boot room and entrance hall which would connect with a new swimming pool with associated changing and plant rooms, a sauna, steam room, new fitness suite and Orangery. Full details can be seen on the Bedford Borough council website under ref: 22 01384 FUL.

Detached Garage

In addition to the garages and carports in the new building, there is also a detached double garage which has up and over remote controlled doors. Double gates next to this garage lead to the farm courtyard over which the property has a right of way. A screened area behind the garage houses 1,500 litre capacity oil tanks as well as wheelie bins.

Converted Outbuildings

Home Office and Gym

The original stables have been refurbished by the vendors with a new roof, windows and doors and have been converted into a home office and gym. A door from the courtyard between the main house and outbuildings opens into a hall which has a gardener’s WC, a store cupboard and doors to the office and gym. The office has a window overlooking the courtyard and a door to a wine room which has a Eurocave temperature and humidity controller and French oak racking with space for at least 600 bottles of wine. The gym has two windows to the rear and space for four machines as well as floor exercises. A sliding door leads to a shower room with a walk-in shower, a vanity washbasin, and a WC. This room could be converted into a sauna if preferred.

Cinema/Golf Room

Further along the same range of outbuildings, stone steps lead up to a room which has been converted into a golf room. It has a Zen Green Stage moving floor with Smart2Move ground reaction force plates. Specialist lighting and a screen also allows the room to be used as a cinema room. There is extensive sound proofing on the walls and ceiling, built-in storage cupboards for golf equipment, and space for sofas for golf spectators or film watchers. There is a built-in drinks fridge and the room is wired for surround sound.

Garden Stores

The original piggeries have been converted into storage for garden machinery and equipment.

Equestrian Facilities

The property has a stable block which comprises three stables and a hay barn. Behind the stable block there is a manège which has become overgrown but could be resurfaced if required. Five bar gates lead to approximately 0.85 acres of paddocks. A public footpath at the side of the woodland area over the road leads to a 9 acres paddock which would be available to rent if additional paddock land is required.

Gardens and Grounds

The gardens and grounds are a particular feature of the property and have been designed and planted by the vendor who has transformed the original tarmac farmyard into several separate gardens divided by hedges and connected by a network of paths. The garden is opened to visitors as part of the National open garden scheme. Electric double gates open from the lane to a resin driveway which provides extensive parking and access to the main house, the annexe, and the garaging. A feature arch with wrought iron gate leads from the drive to a courtyard garden between the house and the L-shaped outbuildings. The area outside the garden stores is sheltered by a pergola with a wisteria growing over it, there is a trellis supporting a Virginia creeper and an extensive paved area for al fresco entertaining.

Gardens cont'd

There are raised herb beds, fruit trees including plum, pear and cherry, and several raised mixed beds with blackcurrants, gooseberry, rhubarb, horseradish, strawberries and raspberries. A path connects with the paved seating area outside the breakfast room. Steps up from the pergola lead to a rose garden, and a gravel path leads past a former chicken run to a flat lawned area. There is a five bar gate leading to the farm, and the path continues to the stable block with manège and paddocks beyond. Other paths lead to the other garden areas which include a Japanese style garden with cherry trees and a bridge over a dry pond, an antipodean garden, a grass garden, and a cherry tree walk which is separated from the lane by a triple hedge. There is also a series of three ponds, and an arboretum which has a swing seat and a wide variety of trees including Araucaria, Pawlonia, Davidia and Catalpa.

Front Garden and Woodland Area

There is a blue wisteria over the front of the house and the bed in the front garden follows an original 100 year old planting plan with several plants which are no longer commercially available. There are several red listed trees in the gardens including three Californian Redwoods. The separate area on the other side of the lane measures about 0.35 acres and has been planted with assorted trees and left as a wildlife sanctuary. It is bordered by a stream and small waterfall and has views over the adjoining paddock land.

Locality

The hamlet of Staploe is situated in Bedfordshire just on the border of Cambridgeshire. The house is 2 miles from the A1, and 2.8 miles from Eaton Socon which has a number of local amenities including a convenience store and a number of pubs and restaurants. More comprehensive facilities are about 12 minutes’ drive in the attractive market town of St Neots which has a cinema, a Waitrose supermarket, Marks & Spencer and other shops for everyday needs. For the commuter there are fast and regular train services from St Neots station into London’s King’s Cross, taking about 47 minutes. The town centre also has a GP surgery. There are state primary schools in Wilden and Eaton Socon, and secondary schools in St Neots and Sandy. Independent schools include Bedford Harpur Trust schools (11.5 miles away), Kimbolton School (9 miles away, school bus provided) and schools in Cambridge (22 miles away).