Property description

Set on a wide corner plot in an elevated position adjacent to open countryside on the fringe of one of north Leicestershire’s most desirable villages.
1 Latimer Street is a stunningly refurbished, skilfully extended 5 bedroom family home offering the buyers the opportunity to complete the décor to their own taste.

A large gravelled frontage provides car standing for several vehicles with pedestrian access to the rear, direct access to an integral garage and the front door leading into the deceptively spacious and flexibly laid out accommodation.

The entrance hall with oak strip flooring provides a welcoming first impression which leads into the inner hallway with doors off to the ground floor rooms and a bespoke spiral staircase leading up to the first floor accommodation.

The hub of this beautiful home is the 37’ 11” x 14’ 7” open plan living dining kitchen with 2 large windows and a set of French doors providing views over the rear garden. Another door in the kitchen area provides access to the utility room and out onto the patio. The kitchen area has been refitted with modern units and a range of integrated appliances whilst the living area is kept warm and cosy during the winter months by the log burner in the corner. Whilst the current owners spend much of their time in this room, a very impressive lounge with bi-fold doors leading out into the garden leads off the inner hallway. Also off the inner hallway with a window overlooking the rear garden is one of the 3 ground floor bedrooms.

The ground floor master bedroom with views over the front garden has a newly refitted en-suite bathroom and ample space for a king size bed and a range of bedroom furniture.

Bedroom 3, overlooking the front of the property is also located on the ground floor with a large

downstairs wc with enough space to install a bath / shower cubicle if required.

Completing the ground floor accommodation there is a second reception room which can be used as a dining room, bedroom 6 if required or a study / office for anyone requiring space to work from home.

A spiral staircase which has been specially commissioned by the current owners leads from the inner hall to provide access to the first floor accommodation.

Off the first floor landing and despite the limited head room at the sides, there are 2 very spacious double bedrooms and a newly refitted family bathroom.

Outside, the front garden has been mainly gravelled and provides extensive hard standing whilst a program of levelling and landscaping of the rear garden has been started by the current owners with tall hedges providing a high degree of privacy and offers the new owners the opportunity to complete the work to their own design.

Whilst this lovely family home has been improved and refurbished to a very high standard, the vendors appreciate that there is scope for further improvements and this has been taken into account in the very competitive pricing. In order to fully appreciate the property on offer, an internal viewing is highly recommended.

The Area.

Cropston is a small but highly regarding north Leicestershire village in the borough of Charnwood.

One of the attractions to this area for buyers looking to base themselves in The Midlands is the proximity of the motorway network with the nearby A46 distributor road providing ease of access to the M1, M69 and M6 motorways. Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Loughborough and Melton are all within comfortable commuter distance and London is less than an hour by rail.

Surrounded by some of the county’s most beautiful countryside on the edge of Charnwood Forest, many of Cropston’s older properties date back to the 16^th century.

There are 2 public houses in the village, The Bradgate Arms and The Badgers Sett (formerly The Reservoir), a garage and a village store/post office.

More amenities can be found in the larger neighbouring village of Anstey with the Beaumont Shopping Centre just a short drive away. Other villages in the area include; Swithland, Rothley, Woodhouse Eves and Newtown Linford where some of the county’s most expensive homes are located..

Steeped in history and thought to date back to 1214, Bradgate Park is a public park covering some 850 acres. Originally a hunting park, ownership changed a number of times over the years until it was acquired by the Grey family in 1445 and became the ancestral home of Lady Jane Grey. Lady Jane famously became the Queen of England for 9 days in 1553 before being imprisoned in The Tower of London by her successor Mary Queen of Scots and eventually executed for high treason with her husband. The park remained in the ownership of the Grey family for 500 years until it was bought by local business man Charles Benion in 1928 and given, 'to be preserved in its natural state for the quiet enjoyment of the people of Leicestershire'.

The park, nearby Swithland Woods and surrounding area are some of the only places in Britain where volcanic rock thought to have formed some 560 million years ago can be seen on the surface.

During the second half of the 18^th century, the rapidly growing population of Leicester led to the need for a larger water supply and what is now known as Cropston reservoir was constructed in the south-east corner of the park in 1871 providing water to the north of the county and an area of natural beauty within walking distance of the centre of the village.

The Great Central Railway running between Leicester and Loughborough has a station at nearby Rothley. This is the only stretch of twin track heritage railway in the UK where steam trains can be seen passing each other. A drive round the area and all it has to offer is highly recommended for anyone considering the East Midlands as a base.

Finding the perfect house is rarely a quick process, and for Sarah-Jane and Kingsley, the search for the ideal family home involved a good deal of patience and persistence.

“There are never many houses for sale in this part of Leicestershire because it’s so popular,” explains Kingsley. “We’ve lived close to Cropston since 2001, but we knew that if we were going to live there, we’d have a bit of a wait on our hands.”

“We loved the views and the open countryside, but one of our main motives was the village school,” explains Sarah-Jane. “It has around 100 children and the head master knows every one of them by name.”

Although the 1960s bungalow was in need of major overhaul, after many months of searching, the couple persisted and finally their offer was accepted.

“We’d put an offer in before, but someone offered more and it sold,” says Kingsley. “But when I was out walking in the village one morning, I noticed it was for sale again, so we called the agent straight away, and we got the house.”

The stunning views of the surrounding countryside now provide the perfect backdrop for the thoroughly-modernised property, which Kingsley and Sarah-Jane have more than doubled in size.

Parking for at least eight cars at the front of the bungalow also means that social gatherings are never a problem.

“As well as being a great family home, it’s a very sociable space,” says Kingsley. “You can easily host 40 guests here.”

The main changes include a spacious 38-foot dining kitchen, the true heart of the home. In addition, the bungalow now boasts 5 bedrooms, an integral garage and a separate dining room which can also double as an office.

“Kingsley was the one with the vision of how we could transform the space,” says Sarah-Jane. “It really works for us, particularly the open-plan feel of the kitchen.”

Further afield, the immediate area is perfect for long walks, with Cropston Reservoir and Bradgate Park on the doorstep.

“It’s very quiet and safe around here,” says Kingsley “and people are friendly. A short walk often takes longer than planned because of stopping to chat to people on the way.”

Sarah-Jane and Kingsley intend to stay as close to Cropston as they can and the search is on for their next home.

Property Features :

• Charnwood Forest Village Location
• Convenient for Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Melton, Loughborough.
• Good road and rail commuter links
• Convenient for local beauty spots
• Renovated and extended