Bridge Street, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8

Abbotsford House, one of the first buildings in the country to be granted listed status, dates from the late eighteenth century and was formerly known as Abbotsford School from the 1840s until 2010. After standing vacant for several years, the property fell into significant disrepair. Castle Homes of Warwick, the developer, worked in close collaboration with planning officers, Historic England, and Warwick District Council’s Principal Conservation Officer to sympathetically convert the building into two residences. Their approach ensured the preservation of the building’s historic character and heritage features, including the principal rooms, entrance hall, landings, staircases, and the careful restoration of original windows, doors, cornices, fireplaces, and external features such as the cast iron railings.

The front door, accessed from Bridge Street, opens to an impressive entrance hall with a tiled floor and a beautiful staircase that rises to the first floor. The entrance hall provides access to a well-appointed sitting room, benefiting from engineered oak flooring, large bay windows providing stunning views to the rear and side gardens, with secondary glazing to the streetside windows, surround sound and a feature fireplace with a gas fire and white marble surround. A further door from the entrance hall opens to a beautiful kitchen/dining room, complete with a central island, a range of base and wall-mounted units beneath a stone quartz surface and equipped with integrated appliances, such as a Bosch oven, microwave combi oven, large gas hob, worktop extraction, dishwasher and fridge freezer. The kitchen flows into the dining area, which offers space for a large dining table and provides access to the stone-paved patio beyond through double-glazed doors. The ground floor extends to a generous utility room with an array of fitted cupboards and a window overlooking the rear garden, and further to rear lobby with an external door, and a cloakroom.

Stairs descend to a substantial vaulted basement that is currently used for storage; however, it provides excellent scope to develop further, subject to obtaining the necessary planning consent.

Stairs in the entrance hall rise to a bright and airy first-floor landing, which provides access to a magnificent Principal bedroom, complete with two large windows offering beautiful views to the rear garden, an array of fitted wardrobes and a cast-iron fireplace with a gas fire. A door opens, and steps descend to a stylish en suite bathroom, finished with a walk-in shower, his-and-hers sinks, a freestanding bath and a mirrored television. A family shower room and a further generous bedroom, with fitted wardrobes, a cast iron fireplace and beautiful bay windows overlooking Bridge Street, complete the first-floor accommodation.

Stairs continue to rise to the second-floor landing, which provides access to two spacious bedrooms, both of which benefit from fitted wardrobes and lovely, open views to the rear garden and the roofscape of Old Town Kenilworth beyond and are served by a large shower room.

The property benefits from off-road parking for three cars and is accessed via a secure electric Hormann gate from New Street offering peace of mind. There is also planning consent to construct a triple carport, which has already been commenced to ensure the planning consent does not lapse for future owners.

The south-easterly facing rear garden is beautifully walled, offering privacy and seclusion. A brick-edged stone pathway, with a large, lawned centre bordered by mature shrubs and planting, leads to a brick shed with a tiled roof and a patio area at the end of the garden. Additionally, the double doors in the kitchen/diner open to a stone-paved patio, which provides an excellent space for outdoor dining and entertaining.

1 Abbotsford House is located in the highly sought-after conservation area of Old Town Kenilworth. The property is within walking distance of Abbey Fields, Kenilworth Castle and some excellent restaurants, gastro pubs and coffee shops. Kenilworth is a small historic town in the heart of Warwickshire, offering a wide range of shops, including a Waitrose, restaurants and sports facilities.

Kenilworth Golf Club is situated 1 mile away, and the Warwickshire Golf and Country Club is located 5 miles away. The property is well placed for motorway and rail networks, as well as Birmingham Airport. There is a train station in the town which is within walking distance, providing direct links to Coventry and Leamington Spa, with connections to London and Birmingham.

The area is well served by a range of state, grammar and private schools, including Crackley Hall in Kenilworth, King Henry VIII and Bablake in Coventry, Warwick School for Boys and King’s High School for Girls in Warwick, Kingsley School for Girls and Arnold Lodge School in Leamington Spa.