Main Street, Drayton, LE16

Utterly desirable and totally unique, College Farm is a home that combines character with all the advantages of contemporary features; it is a wonderful property that is impressive from the outset. Attention has been given to the smallest of details and this impression speaks volumes. This charming home has been cleverly maintained and enhanced to bring comfort and present-time style to a property with a history. Parts of the house and barns were originally built in 1693. They have been tastefully nurtured through renovations and improvements to create a home that has stood the test of time while preserving its architecture and appearance as an integral feature of the conservation area within the small village of Drayton.

Situated in south-east Leicestershire, close to the borders of Rutland and Northamptonshire, Drayton would be classified as a hamlet if it were not for the presence of one of the smallest if not smallest, consecrated buildings, the single cell of St James, the parish church. It is essentially a village that has developed because of its geographical position in the Welland Valley and its rich pasture land that has supported farming for centuries. In its midst is the beautiful property of College Farm, converted to meet the expectations of the twenty-first century but with all the character befitting its age and immersed in the benefits of a traditionally rural setting.

College Farm is a bespoke residence that has the rusticity of a farm in a home that has been lavishly improved to include executive features. Primarily, it has been designed to be enjoyed for its versatility, space and convenience. Here, you have a rare opportunity to invest in a house in an idyllic village location that offers privacy and style, whilst enjoying the convenience of being only a short drive away from bustling towns or further afield, to access major transport links to anywhere in the country from this central England location.

Character and style

Sitting on two and a half acres of land, College Farm is approached through annually serviced electrically operated gates from Main Street. The driveway is large and wide, once daily accommodating a constant flow of animals and farm vehicles. It is tree lined and sweeps around converted barns to the right, borders the paddock on the left - where there is a gate - and continues to the house, nestled at the top of the driveway. The out buildings here, of character and size, have been converted to provide open standing and securable garage or storage facilities. They have been fitted with mains electricity and as such there are convenient overhead lights and power sockets to provide rain proofed working space as required. There is ample space for turning and parking for several vehicles closer to the house and when light fades, there are several outside lights with motion sensors for additional security and safety.

The initial impressions are of buildings with distinctive stonework and strong, architectural features denoting their age. The house is presented beautifully and neatly maintained, with planting complimenting the appeal of the property and the rolling countryside adding an ever changing vista. Here, we have a beautiful six bedroom – four with en-suite - farmhouse and barn conversion, with reception rooms, a diner kitchen and a linked annexe. From first impressions, this sets high expectations for the standard of property within and this is equally impressive.

By entry from the front door- all ground floor external doors and windows were replaced in 2020 with the exception of the lounge bifolding doors – the porch opens up to reveal an airy, contemporary reception hall fitted with a grey wood effect flooring, medium oak panelled interior doors and skirting boards, all complimented with a neutral palette of plainly painted walls and subtle ceiling lighting. Apart from the downstairs larder, the ground and first floor rooms have underfloor heating.

Turning left at this point, there is a bedroom that could conveniently be used for other purposes depending on requirements. There is a separate store room and cloak room close by. The downstairs cloakroom is fitted with white furniture, and as with all bathing facilities in this prestigious property, the quality, fitting and style of fixtures is to a high specification, with coordinating tiles and flooring.

College Farm has been styled as a whole to ensure continuity. Interiorly, design and decoration will be repeated throughout the property, creating a family home with timeless appeal. It highlights the size and light filled nature of the rooms. None more so than the kitchen diner that merges into the garden room.

Luxurious space

The kitchen is stunning. Triangulated beams emphasise the height and breadth of the ceiling and the arrangement of cabinetry for storage, work tops for food preparation and seating areas for dining have been cleverly arranged to incorporate the best of contemporary ideas for open plan living. With a generous flow of light olive Shaker inspired units accessorised with brushed steel cup handles, a Butler sink, and white worktops, the kitchen creates a country feel but with all the benefits of integrated appliances and complimentary industrial style lighting for optimum vision. Here, there is a table looking into the courtyard and a central island unit, a three oven annually serviced Aga, a double electric oven, and ceramic hob -newly replaced in 2023- provides multiple cooking options. The cool storage larder with a utility room, plumbed and designed to accommodate all laundry needs is only a step away so this area is totally practical while being very appealing. There is access to the loft space above the lounge from the utility room. It is boarded in the central section and well insulated.
In this large space a step, furniture and floor coverings have been used to demarcate spaces designed for dining and sitting as the garden room is entered. This area is perfect for enjoying the light radiating through the multiple windows while chatting to those in the kitchen. It also allows younger members of the family to be safely observed while the busyness of meal time preparation is being undertaken. The room has multiple purposes but the whole area is carefully styled and designed to allow movement and flexibility, a blue print for contemporary living. The kitchen also has access to the courtyard while the garden room opens into – no surprise here – the garden. The courtyard is a lovely feature of the farm as it means there is a secure inner patio. It has been laid with grey slabs patterned with a circular design and can be entered from the study, a downstairs bedroom, utility room and lounge. This design allows even more versatility due to the wrap around shape of the ground floor.

Reception rooms and annexe

The study is a delightful room, overlooking the courtyard and into the lounge. It is generously proportioned and has sockets in the floor to allow the desk to have a central position. There is an ornate spiral staircase in this room that leads upstairs to a room presently purposed as an office but which could easily serve as a bedroom. The study/bedroom has skylights and is a beautifully lit room. It also has the provision of central sockets in the floor.

On the opposite side of the courtyard, bifolding doors across two entire walls create a magnificent lounge that has a Hwam wood burner and fitted bar. All of these complimentary features are superb for entertaining on a larger scale or for simply enjoying the seclusion of separate rooms, fit for a specific purpose and comfortably warm. Close your eyes and imagine a Christmas tree in here! Perfect!

The linked annexe is at the furthest part of the building and has a sprung wooden floor, fitted kitchen – similar to the main house – combined lounge arrangement with a bedroom and en-suite. The cooker here is gas powered by means of a hidden bottle behind the wall and the shower in the en-suite is fitted with back and seat water jets, foot massager, sauna and built in radio. The annexe is discretely designed to be part of the main house while being private and independently functional. It is a perfect guest suite of rooms and as with all things at College Farm, careful thought has been given for all necessities so the complete building has been wired with extenders to enable Wi-Fi throughout, with the Gigaclear box in the end bedroom/playroom.

The annexe opens into a further hall with access back to the lounge, upstairs to the prime bedroom suite or further along the hall to two more ground floor bedrooms with private en-suite facilities. There is also a boiler room tucked between one of the bedrooms and study. Fitted with a combination boiler that is serviced annually, the present owners have commented that it makes an excellent drying room in winter.

Luxury on the first floor

There are five possible bedrooms downstairs, three with designated en-suites. The remaining prime bedroom suite is on the first level. Ascending the main L shaped carpeted staircase, the sumptuous feel of this lovely property continues upstairs. There are feature lights on the galleried landing - similarly in the lounge and inner hallway – and a dressing room fully fitted with wall to floor wardrobes is entered after the feature gallery.

The distinctive shape and size of the roof space adds a distinctive quality to this spacious room, where skylight windows on both sides maximise the light. This sleeping area leads to the en-suite where the specification of all the fittings and fixtures maintains the exceptionally good quality of the entire property.

And to the garden

College Farm is equipped with an alarm system and doors from the annexe, hall, garden room and hall allow access to all sides of the property.

As already mentioned, this property has an attractive, well maintained garden, with specific areas of interest and originality, and generously proportioned outbuildings. A raised decking circles a portion of the house with covered veranda allowing the grounds to be appreciated in inclement weather. There are locally sourced stone walls, lawns and flower beds, with a fruit cage and netting to prevent unwanted visitors. The backdrop is the paddock and beyond that the seasonal beauty of south-Leicestershire in all its glory.

Drayton is a small village in the Welland Valley, situated in the southern hills of Leicestershire, a county in the East Midlands. The Midlands are essentially central to everything in England: airports, motorways and train stations are easily accessible. London is approximately 97 miles away and it is possible to visit the seaside for a day trip! The A5, M1, M69 and M6 maximise the potential for travel by road from this central location, with the major city of Leicester in easy reach.

Leicester city is a culturally diverse attraction for those wishing to visit museums, galleries, theatres or simply indulge in local markets and retail therapy. Likewise, Peterborough and Northampton are worth visiting for similar amenities. The village has public transport services to Corby town centre, Oakham and Uppingham, Market Harborough town centre and St Margaret's Bus Station in Leicester.

Drayton is located in the extreme south-east of the county and very close to the borders with Northamptonshire and Rutland. The nearest town is seven miles away in a north-easterly direction -Market Harborough – while in a south-westerly direction there is Uppingham on the north side of the Welland Valley. Combined, they offer the widest and most local selection of farmer’s markets, supermarkets, pubs, restaurants, medical centres and dentist practices.
There are two railway stations within easy reach at Market Harborough and Kettering – nine miles away- with regular high speed trains to London Euston and St. Pancras taking a little over one hour. The nearest airports are East Midlands, Birmingham and Coventry.

Geographically, the closest villages to Drayton are Bringhurst, Great Easton and Nevill Holt. The smaller villages work together to form a Parish Council and with NatureSpot are working to improve the biodiversity within the area. For leafy places to visit, Eye Brook reservoir lies to the north-east of the parish and Great Merrible Wood, Fermyn Woods Country Park and East Carlton Country Park are within a short car ride away. For historical significance, Rockingham Castle and Lyddington Bede House are tourist attractions.
As with many areas in this part of rural, central England, Drayton has buildings that show their historical value through their architecture and use of building materials. The conservation area in Drayton includes the land around the village green together with the older part of the village along the road leading to Great Easton. The surrounding land is believed to have been mainly for pasture with buildings purpose built for the farming community that developed.

One of the oldest buildings in the village is also one of the smallest consecrated churches in England. St James is made up of a single room and stands on the village green. Believed to date from the twelfth century, it had once fallen into such a state of irreverence that it was repurposed as a bake house. Now, renovated with stone and slate, it has been recognised for its importance and has been given a Grade II listed status. A Wesleyan Chapel was also built in the village and George Fox, the founder of Quakerism was born in Drayton.

The village was part of the ancient parish of Bringhurst and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Although uncertainty abounds, the name Drayton might mean a settlement or farm where a path was regularly taken by people carrying items overland to reach bodies of water. The village is elongated in shape but has grown from the oval green, which now is in the north-west end of the settlement and houses the traditional red telephone box. A village hall, the central hub for the community, was renovated in 2019.

Drayton does not have schools within the village but the locality provides many across the educational age range; nursery, primary, secondary, including private establishments offering bordering facilities. The Office for Standards in Education - OFSTED – is best researched to provide a comprehensive review of currently rated standards of educational provision.