The Drive, Riseley, Bedfordshire, MK44

STRIKING, SINGLE-STOREY BARN CONVERSION, COMPLETE WITH ANNEXE, FABULOUS VIEWS AND A WORLD WAR II HUT PROJECT

A remarkable 3-double bedroom, recent Class-Q conversion of a detached barn, once part of a flower nursery, which includes a self-contained 1-bedroom annexe and spectacular living space. All on one level, it stands in a third of an acre of easy-to-maintain, landscaped gardens, with extensive gravelled parking. A few hundred yards along a carriageway from the High Street, The Old Boiler Barn looks over beautiful countryside towards the church in the thriving, North Bedfordshire village of Riseley, and to a field from where hot-air balloons fly. This is an area that’s popular with holidaymakers – and you even have a Nissen Hut which has scope, given the investment, to accommodate them.

The village is just minutes from the A6, with quick access to the Rushden Lakes shopping destination in one direction, and the county town of Bedford in the other, with its world-renowned Harpur Trust private schools and fast trains to London in 40 minutes. Luton Airport is just over 30 miles away, as is Cambridge, and the Universal Studio theme park will be less than 14 miles.

Riseley Primary School is just a 1000-yard walk and Kimbolton School is less than six miles across country, The catchment Secondary & 6th Form is a 6-mile bus or cycle ride in Sharnbrook, moreover, both Sharnbrook and Riseley schools have recently been rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ in all areas by Ofsted.

Pick up provisions at the village stores and meet friends for coffee at the delightfully named Giddy Goat Community Café. Unusually, you even have a small police station in Riseley. The village hall, playing fields, cricket pitch and play park are at the other end of the High Street, which you can reach across the fields from your new home.

Wander across the fields, too, to the Fox & Hounds and to Sunday service at the glorious, Grade I-listed, 12th century Church of All Saints, which you can see from your drive. Pick apples in the community orchard next to the church, where over a thousand orchids grow. Your dog can take you on miles of lovely countryside walks across fields and through woodland straight from your front door. A wonderful and peaceful environment in which to live for young and old alike.

MORE ABOUT THE PROPERTY 

At the beginning of the field-lined carriageway to your new home, glance at the two Nissen Hut Airbnb conversions for inspiration – for you have a similar exciting project to look forward to in your garden. It’s far from the only thing that’s exciting about the zinc-coated steel-clad Old Boiler Barn.

Its self-contained one-bedroom annexe has its own external doors to the side and rear terraces and could itself generate an income without imposing on the home. But with two other lovely bedroom suites, it might be that you have a multi-generational home in mind, or simply a super family home, perhaps with an independent teenager.

Though everything is currently all on one level, there’s a tremendous amount of tall, boarded loft space at each end, both with lintels already in place to allow you to easily install windows should you wish to. Few homes have quite so many options to respond to changing lifestyle and needs, while adding huge value. And it comes with the peace of mind that the building still has years of warranty remaining.

As the name suggests, the former barn housed the boilers that heated now-disused flower greenhouses on adjacent land. The heating here today is far more state-of-the-art.

An air-source heat pump supplies zoned underfloor heating; the windows are high performance; the walls, floor and roof are highly insulated; and three-phase electricity powers the systems, including the charging pod for your electric car. It’s the hidden detail that helps make a home.

It’s what you see, though, that creates the huge impact. The spectacular vaulted ceiling of your open-plan living space is supported by the barn’s original, reconditioned, steel A-frames, which complement the new lighting systems. Carefully sourced London yellow bricks are left exposed at one end. Quartz-topped, industrial-style kitchen furniture at the other houses smart ovens, warming drawer and a high-end induction hob with downdraft extractor. The contrastingly coloured island is home to two wine coolers.

Cook, breakfast, dine, relax and entertain in this amazing hub of the home – extending through near-six-metre-wide, aluminium bifold doors to porcelain terraces on each side, to wonderful views to the south; and to incredibly tranquil gardens where, in a nod to your new home’s history, the green-fingered might wish to introduce additional planting. So close to every facility yet so far from the madding crowd.

AGENT NOTE

The Drive itself is privately owned and the owner of The Old Boiler Barn has full access rights. There is no maintenance arrangement.