The Old Rectory, Kirk Ireton

This substantial, elegant country residence has commanding views of the surrounding countryside and is set within beautiful gardens. Having been extended and significantly upgraded by the current owners, The Old Rectory retains many original features, whilst benefitting from a new open-plan living area with skylight and bifold doors, together with a new bay window in the sitting room, which maximises the wonderful views across Ecclesbourne Valley to the east.

Located at the end of Rectory Lane on the eastern fringe of this highly sought-after village, the home is also only 3 miles from Wirksworth, which has just been named by The Sunday Times as the best place to live in Derbyshire,

The wide driveway has space for 5+ vehicles to park comfortably (you could fit 10 cars on for big gatherings), together with two garages. The main garden wraps around the eastern and southern sides of the home, whilst the separate, adjacent garden on the western side has detailed and permanent planning consent and architect drawings (available on request) for a detached 3 bedroom cottage. There is also consent and architect drawings for an annexe to the main building.

On the ground floor, the entrance hallway leads through to the sitting room, dining room and a magnificent open-plan kitchen, living room, dining area and sun room. There is also a large utility room, pantry, shower room and stairs down to a cellar.

The grand oak staircase sweeps upwards to the first floor, with five double bedrooms, two bathrooms, shower room and WC.

Kirk Ireton is a pretty hill village in the Derbyshire Dales. The primary school has an Outstanding Ofsted rating. The famous Barley Mow public house welcomes locals, walkers and cyclists for real ales and weekend meals and there is a beautiful Norman church, a village shop and village hall. The village field includes a football pitch, boules rink and tennis court, whilst a separate children's playing field offers a playground and more outdoor space.

Front Of The Home - Situated at the end of a very quiet lane, a wide wooden gate with pillars on each side opens onto the gravel driveway. Yew bushes form the curving left-hand border and a tall dry stone wall marks the boundary beyond the double garage on the right. There is space for up to ten vehicles to park on the wide L-shaped driveway.

The impressive facade of The Old Rectory is enhanced by beautiful white climbing hydrangea, which adorns much of the front wall. A path on the right leads to the sheltered courtyard garden, with exterior wall-mounted lights, an outside tap and a flower bed packed with colourful plants and bushes. There are two separate entrances into the home here - into the utility room and the dining area beside the sun room. The path continues around the right-hand side of the home to the rear garden.

Returning to the front of the home, a path on the left leads into the long private lawn of the garden to the left (east) side of the home, where there is a dry stone wall, tall European beech tree and a yew tree. This lawn curves around and joins the rear garden, which we shall return to later.

Enter the home through a solid oak door with sturdy iron handle, knocker and letterbox - all set beneath a wonderful Romanesque tympanum (triangular decorative arch), with wall lights on each side.

Entrance Hallway - Indicative of the elegance and grandeur you will find throughout this home, the hallway has an original Victorian-era Minton tiled floor, high ceiling with two light fittings and a tall east-facing window. The hallway is wide enough for a console table and a piano. The grand oak staircase on the right leads up past a stained glass window to the first floor. Solid pine doors with knob handles open into the sitting room, dining room, open-plan kitchen-living area and a door on the right opens into a lobby and through to the ground floor shower room, storage cupboards and cellar.

Sitting Room - 6.45 x 4.45 (21'1" x 14'7") - This splendid dual aspect room has been extended by the current owners and now features a wide east-facing bay window. As a result, natural light pours into this huge room and you can spend hours gazing at the verdant views across the valley or out to the exquisite rear garden.

The focal point inside the room itself is the marble fireplace, which houses a log burner and flue, set upon a stone hearth. The high ceiling has a chandelier light fitting and the carpeted room also features pine skirting boards, ceiling coving, two radiators and lots of room for sofas, furniture, bookcases and more besides.

Dining Room - 4.85 x 4.5 (15'10" x 14'9") - This well-proportioned room oozes elegance and charm. The original fireplace has a decorative tiled surround, with cherry wood mantelpiece. Three tall south-facing windows have fitted blinds and look directly out to the rear garden. The high ceiling has coving and a chandelier light fitting. As you can see, there is plenty of space for an 8-seater dining table, sideboard and additional furniture. This carpeted room also has a radiator and skirting boards.

Kitchen-Living Room - 9.85 x 4.7 (32'3" x 15'5") - This first half of the huge open-plan living space is accessed from the entrance hallway through a half-glazed solid pine door. With a local Hopton Wood limestone floor - famous for the fossils clearly visible in the polished stone - the kitchen has a substantial island with granite worktop and inset 1.5 stainless steel sink with chrome mixer tap and waste disposal unit. There is a breakfast bar with space for two stools and - beside your feet - a radiator to keep you toasty-warm! There are lots of cabinets and drawers within the island.

On the right, the full-height cabinets include a pull-out pantry and integral full-height Bosch refrigerator. The unit also includes a Miele coffee machine and Gaggenau combination oven. Moving around the kitchen, beyond a vertical radiator and the part-glazed door to the utility room and pantry is another granite worktop. This has an integral ceramic induction hob with Gaggenau brushed chrome extractor fan above. On the right of that is a Gaggenau steam oven and a standard oven, whilst to the left is a Gaggenau worktop barbecue and pull-up vertical fan. The kitchen was installed by Dream Designs of Christchurch, Dorset.

The worktop continues around to the left, where a large inset stainless steel sink has a swan neck chrome mixer tap. There are a range of cabinets and deep pan drawers, with an integral dishwasher below. A sleek pull-up door reveals more shelves and there are then several more full-height display cabinets. We love the fully operational original servant bells mounted on the wall high above the kitchen island and this whole open-plan living space has zoned, controllable underfloor heating.

The Hopton Wood flooring flows seamlessly into the living room area, which was formerly the surgery (open to the public) when the rectory was operational. The focal point is the large original fireplace with iron grate, brick surround, tiled hearth and granite mantelpiece. Large sash windows look out to the rear garden and the high ceiling has a Lutron LED lighting system. The room has a radiator and wide open entrance into the dining area and sun room.

Dining Area And Sun Room - 8.5 x 7.1 (27'10" x 23'3") - With white walls, a huge skylight and light flooding in through the south-facing bifold doors, north-facing door to the courtyard garden and a large window on the left, this is a bright and uplifting space. The Hopton Wood flooring flows through and there is plenty of space here for a large dining table, sideboard, dresser and other furniture.

The sun room has four bifold doors with windows above those and to the sides - it's a wonderful spot from which to sit and admire the view to the garden. There is plenty of space for sofas and seating and the room has recessed ceiling spotlights above.

Utility Room - The Hopton Wood limestone floor flows seamlessly through to the utility room, which was previously the main kitchen for the home. There are three separate granite worktops - one of which has an enormous integral ceramic Butler's sink with chrome mixer tap. There is space and plumbing for a washing machine and tumble dryer plus a range of low level and full-height cabinets. The room has large windows facing north and west, an oil-fired boiler, recessed ceiling spotlights, a radiator and a recycling centre beneath the left-hand worktop.

The historic pump mounted on the wall is a wonderful feature. A door leads out to the adjacent courtyard garden and well.

Pantry - The large pantry has shelving, space and power for a freezer and a ceiling light fitting.

Inner Lobby - Off the entrance hallway, this area has a tiled floor and - on the left - a triple full-height cabinet housing the control panels for the underfloor heating and a Megaflo hot water cylinder. A door on the right leads down to the dry cellar, which consists of two rooms and built-in shelving. There are recessed ceiling spotlights and a door to the ground floor shower room.

Ground Floor Shower Room - The wide double shower cubicle has sliding glass doors and houses a mains-fed shower. The room has tiled flooring and there is a capsule Duravit ceramic WC. A ceramic Antonio Lupi bowl sink with chrome mixer tap sits atop a wide glass-topped vanity unit, with two drawers underneath.

This shower room has a tall north-facing window, chrome vertical heated towel rail, floor-to-ceiling tiled walls, recessed ceiling spotlights and an extractor fan.

Staircase To First Floor - The grand oak staircase has a runner carpet and wends it's way up to the first floor landing past a tall lead-lined window on the right. There is a chandelier light fitting and recessed ceiling spotlights overhead. At the first floor, the hallway has exposed pine floorboards and extends the full width of the home and then turns right. There are two radiators and a loft hatch.

Doors from the landing and hallway lead into five double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a shower room and a WC.

Bathroom One - 3.7 x 1.6 (12'1" x 5'2") - Formerly the Bishop's Bedroom, where visiting bishops would partake of a bed for the night, this room is located at the eastern end of the home. With a tall window, you have views beyond the yew tree outside across the valley. The room has a ceramic tiled floor and the large bath has a centrally-located mixer tap, meaning you can truly stretch out. The shower cubicle has a pivoting glass screen and the mains-fed shower has a rainforest shower head and separate hand held attachment. The sleek curved vanity unit has a substantial Duravit ceramic sink above, with chrome mixer tap and there is a ceramic WC with integral flush.

In the right-hand corner is the original iron fireplace, which is now decorative and painted white. The room also includes a radiator, recessed ceiling spotlights, chrome vertical heated towel rail, an extractor fan and a wall-mounted mirrored cabinet.

Bedroom One - 5.45 x 4.45 (17'10" x 14'7") - This very large dual aspect double bedroom has a tall east-facing window and two huge south-facing timber sash windows, with views over the rear garden and south-east to the verdant valley. The original fireplace has an iron grate, tiled surround and hearth, with mantelpiece over. The room is carpeted and has a radiator, ceiling light fitting, skirting boards and ceiling coving. There is plenty of space for flexible room layouts in this beautiful bedroom.

Bedroom Two - 4.9 x 4.45 (16'0" x 14'7") - Another very large double, this room also has two south-facing sash windows with views over the rear garden. The original iron fireplace is now used for display only and has a tiled surround. This carpeted room has a radiator, ceiling light fitting and - like all bedrooms here - skirting boards and coving.

Bedroom Three - 4.45 x 3.75 (14'7" x 12'3") - Situated in the south-west corner, this large dual aspect double bedroom is yet another with an original fireplace. This has a pretty decorative tiled surround and mantelpiece. This room is carpeted and has a radiator and ceiling light fitting.

Bedroom Four - 4 x 3.6 (13'1" x 11'9") - With a view over the courtyard garden, this west-facing room is perfect for light sleepers, away from the early morning sun. The small iron fireplace has a tiled hearth and the room is carpeted and has a radiator and ceiling light fitting.

Bedroom Five - 3.6 x 3.1 (11'9" x 10'2") - Currently used as a study, this west-facing double has an iron fireplace, tiled hearth and mantelpiece. This room has a ceiling light fitting, radiator and is carpeted.

Wc - 1.8 x 1.2 (5'10" x 3'11") - This modern room has a capsule WC with wall-mounted Geberit flush, a ceramic bidet and ceramic wall-mounted sink with chrome mixer tap. There is a tiled floor, recessed ceiling spotlights, extractor fan and a part-frosted tall window.

Bathroom Two - 2.4 x 2.2 (7'10" x 7'2") - A large contemporary bathroom, this has a huge standalone bath with chrome mixer tap. The large semi-circle ceramic sink has a swan neck chrome mixer tap. There is a tall east-facing window, tiled floor, chrome vertical heated towel rail, recessed ceiling spotlights and extractor fan.

Shower Room - We love the distinctive ultra-high ceiling with two windows at the very top. The wide double shower cubicle has sliding glass doors and houses a mains-fed shower. The wide vanity unit has a ceramic sink above, with chrome mixer tap. There is a capsule WC with wall-mounted flush, floor-to-ceiling slate grey tiles and a tiled floor.

The room also has a tall wall-mounted mirrored cabinet, chrome vertical heated towel rail, recessed ceiling spotlights and extractor fan.

Rear Garden - Accessed from the Sun Room and via paths on both sides of the home (and the lawn to the side), the extensive rear garden has a large lawn and abundance of trees, bushes and pretty flowers spread across several flower beds in the centre and on the edges of the lawn. The garden stretches away from the home to the south, with far-reaching elevated panoramic views over the surrounding countryside.

Immediately outside the sun room is a large dining patio and steps on the right lead up to the adjoining garden - which has the aforementioned planning consent for a three bedroom home. That offers the opportunity to build a property for a family member or perhaps to create income from a rental or holiday let. Alternatively, you may wish to sell that land and recoup some of the purchase price of this home.

This main rear garden is fully enclosed and was abuzz with the sounds of nature and birdsong. It's also a lovely vantage point from which to look at the rear of the home, with it's stone facade and white timber-framed windows.

The garden is a peaceful sanctuary with plenty of space to play, relax and dine with friends and family.

Garages - Both garages have remote control electrically-operated up-and-over doors, concrete floors, lighting, power and roof trusses suitable for additional storage. The right-hand garage is extra long, whilst a separate room at the rear of the left-hand garage houses the two oil tanks, with a capacity of 5,000 litres. There is an outside tap adjacent to the left-hand garage, suitable for watering the courtyard garden.

*N.B. New EPC pending