School Farm Barn, Maxstoke, Warwickshire

Hidden in a peaceful pocket of Warwickshire, School Farm Barn is an elegant and contemporary house with five bedrooms and an expansive open-plan living space. Its striking profile rises amid a garden of around half an acre, with vegetable beds, pastoral views and a wonderful natural swimming pool. Despite its blissfully rural setting, the house is a short distance from central Birmingham and Birmingham International airport and station; the latter runs rail services to London in as little as 65 minutes.



Environmental Performance



Once used to store grains, School Farm Barn was converted in 2021. The approach to its design was rigorous, opting for hardworking and hardwearing materials. Its stellar eco credentials are a part of this meticulous approach, with photovoltaic panels, efficient battery storage capacity, two air-source heat pumps, and underfloor heating added during its construction.



The house also has a new build home guarantee in place for 10 years from 2022.



The Tour



A quiet countryside road winds up to the house, passing the renowned Forest of Arden golf course. The home's silhouette peers out above mature hedges. Behind electric gates is a large driveway with plenty of space to park cars, including a garage with an EV charging point and a two-car carport.



Symmetrical in form, the house’s roofline extends upward to form an elegant pitch. Directly below is the large front door, slightly set back and framed by glazed panels. On arrival, the attention to detail that has gone into the barn’s development becomes clear.



Entry is to the social core of the house - an airy, versatile and open-plan living space with up to nine-metre-high ceilings. To the left is a beautiful bespoke kitchen with discreetly integrated appliances. Part of the countertop doubles as an informal breakfast bar, and beyond are floor-to-ceiling glazed sliding doors to the south-facing terrace. Adjacent to the kitchen is a large pantry, with additional fridge/freezer capacity, a wine fridge, additional units and plenty of shelf space for dried goods.



Grounded with oak floors, the dining space is embraced by dual-aspect glazing; on one side, a tall, slender window stretches upwards, making the most of the room’s extraordinary ceiling heights. The same floorboards continue across the room, which culminates in a living space at the opposite end. A large contemporary Stovax log burner has been fitted here, and there are large windows of varying shapes and sizes - a playful touch that allows in plenty of light.



The rest of the ground floor has been wonderfully apportioned. There is a boot room, separated from the corridor by a glass door, with garden access, ceiling-high cupboards, and an apple-green panelled wall; a large utility room, with space for white goods; a smart WC; and a serene bedroom with a large en suite shower room.



The principal suite also begins on the ground floor. Here, a dressing room with an entire wall of built-in wardrobes and a sublime en suite bathroom with a freestanding V&A bathtub lie; from the former, stairs spiral up to the sleeping space, a large mezzanine area set beneath a gently sloping roof. A balustrade overlooks the dressing room below.



At the front of the house, stairs ascend from the living room to the first floor. Here, a long 10-metre-long landing culminates in a cosy space built into the window frame - an idyllic reading spot.



A private office and the three remaining bedrooms extend from this hallway. One of the bedrooms has a walk-in wardrobe and a bathroom, while the other two have en suite shower rooms, finished to a pristine standard. From one of the rooms is access to a large loft space, ideal for long-term storage. The elevated position of these first-floor spaces captures far-reaching views across the surrounding fields.



Outdoor Space



The half-acre garden that surrounds School Farm Barn is an immersive space, one that is a core part of the home’s overall experience. Strong visual connections are maintained between inside and out, and large sliding doors in the kitchen facilitate an easy transition in the warmer months.



A large terraced area abuts the house, providing a large space for outdoor seating. This spot has a wonderful view of the natural swimming pool, a clean-water swimming area added under current ownership, surrounded by water lilies and carefully selected water plants. On the pool's western side are planted banks that shelter against wind and provide extra privacy.



Other species in the garden include a large fig tree and lavender on the south side, a small orchard with apple, pear and plum trees, rhododendrons and hydrangeas, and four raised timber vegetable, herb and flower beds.



There is plenty of space to park cars on the driveway, in addition to a garage integrated in the main building, and an extra two-vehicle carport with an adjoining workshop for storing garden tools.



The Area



Although the house’s setting is largely pastoral, it is around six minutes’ drive from Coleshill, a small but charming town with plenty to do. There are familiar supermarkets as well as independents, as well as a monthly farmers’ market.



A fantastic circular walk begins in the town, passing through Cole End nature reserve. This is an area historically known as the Forest of Arden, the setting of Shakespeare's play 'As You Like It' and an area of striking natural beauty. Remarkably, there are more than 10 golf courses within 20 minutes' drive of the house. There is also Kingsbury Waterpark, with its 600 acres of lakes and woodland.



There are also plenty of villages and towns to explore, including Hampton in Arden, which has a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grace and Saviour, part of the Hampton Manor Estate. The Estate also has newer opening, Kynd, which is dedicated to top-quality British produce.



Birmingham city centre is under half an hour’s drive from School Farm Barn. It has a vast array of attractions including the Barber Institute, the IKON gallery, Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the renowned Edgbaston Cricket Ground and Golf Club. There are plenty of excellent restaurants in the city for every occasion, including Cuubo, Plates, Chakana and Satori.



There are plenty of state-run primary schools locally, while secondaries include The Coleshill School. There are privately run options too, including St George’s School in Edgbaston, Bablake School in Coventry, and those in nearby Solihull. Birmingham and Warwick Universities are also easily reached.



The nearest station to the house is Birmingham International, which has quick connections to London Euston, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The M6, M6 Toll and M42 are easily reached for travel across the country. Birmingham International airport is also close by, with direct flights to European and global destinations.



Council Tax Band: G