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Wykes Lane Donington | Lincolnshire | PE11

KEY FEATURES

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A Late Georgian, Non-Listed Red Brick South Lincolnshire Farmhouse

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Located In Splendid Isolation, Surrounded By Glorious Fenland Farmland

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Entrance Porch, Reception Room, Dining Room, Garden Room and Study

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Kitchen, Utility Room, Two Hallways, Downstair Shower Room and Cellar

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Five Double Bedrooms Over Two Floors Plus a Family Bathroom and Separate WC

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Annex Barn Conversion with Open Plan Kitchen/Diner/Family Room and a Bedroom *

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Indoor Swimming Pool with Two Changing/Shower Rooms, a WC and Plant Room *

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Double Garage, Three Large Garden Stores, Workshop and Ample Off-Road Parking

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Circa 1.5 Acres in Total, Divided into Gardens and Front Post & Rail Paddock and HaHa

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Total Accommodation of Main House Including Cellar Extends to 3725 Sq. Ft.

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Total Floor Area of the Annex with Indoor Swimming Pool Extends to 3065 Sq.Ft.

* Subject to planning

A superb, beautifully presented, period farmhouse of historical significance stands in a tranquil rural spot in the South Lincolnshire fens with a one and a half acre garden that includes a paddock beyond a haha wall to the front. Converted barns and stabling behind the house now provide an indoor swimming pool complex adjoining open plan living and a games room/gym, a double garage, workshop and large storerooms. This impressive home has easy access to the A17 and the A52 and lies between Spalding and Boston, about 2 miles east of the village of Donington, famous as the birth-place and home of Captain Matthew Flinders who circumnavigated and chartered Western Australia at the beginning of the 19th century. The village has two schools, a good primary and secondary.

Red House Farm has been in the same family for

The very attractive, red brick farmhouse with its

the last 35 years, under a farming lease initially,

varying roof heights has charming details on the

then the freehold was purchased from Boots the

exterior such as intricate decorative brickwork

Chemist Pension Fund. For the last ten years it has

along the eaves, a brick hood mould above one of

proved a fabulous home for a young family who

the windows and tall, elaborate chimneys. It also

have carried out a great deal of work converting

has a sizeable, vaulted cellar. The addition to the

the barns. The property, dating to the turn of the

south facing front, of the magnificent bespoke,

18th century if not before, is historically important

traditional, orangery-style, timber conservatory, an

as Dame Sarah Swift who co-founded the Royal

extension of the kitchen and with double doors

College of Nursing in 1916, was the daughter of

into the dining room, has been a triumph and

a farmer whose family lived in the property from

provides even further light and airy living areas with

1861 when she would have been 7 years old. A

an ideal connection to the outside. Not only with

crest in the brickwork on the front of the house is

underfloor heating but, for convenience, the central

linked to Charles Darwin with emblems from his

roof lantern automatically opens and closes keeping

family crest, his three shells and Griffin, as well as

the conservatory at a steady temperature as well as

a Calvary Cross. The latin motto underneath the

closing if it starts to rain.

crest is the same as the Darwin family motto, Cave et Aude, translated to mean Beware and Dare.

The monochrome kitchen area is fitted with a solid wood bespoke kitchen topped with granite work surfaces, the units recently painted in Dove Grey, and a big electric Aga - in the last 10 years replacing an oil version - has 5 ovens whilst an eye-level, double oven and an induction hob is integrated into the units for cooking in the summer or as a supplement at large-scale gatherings. The property has two hallways, one containing the stairs with doors front and back, the other the constantly used entrance from the rear drive, off which is a shower room with WC. The sitting room has a bay window to the back and another over the front making it particularly light, whilst a log-burner is housed in the capacious fireplace. “We discovered the fireplace behind boarding and a radiator!” laughs one of the owners incredulously. Another log-burner is in the dining room fireplace. Ceilings are high in these finely proportioned principal rooms and decorative cornicing is a feature. A dual aspect study leads off the sitting room, part of a single storey extension where yet another door opens at the back. Upstairs, three bedrooms occupy the split-level first floor with a further two on the top floor. All bedrooms are very generous, all doubles, the master exceptionally large with windows to the front and back and the walls lined with a vast amount of attractive, solid wood, built-in storage. The family bathroom in the middle of the first floor has been recently refurbished and boasts a new Victorian-style free-standing bath. A WC is separate next door. Glorious views from all the windows in the house are far reaching over the surrounding arable fenland.

Agents notes: The floor plans are for illustration purposes only. All measurements: walls, doors, window fittings and appliances and their sizes and locations are shown conventionally and are approximate only and cannot be regarded as being a representation either by the seller or his agent. © Unauthorised reproduction prohibited.

ANNEXE The converted outbuildings – old stabling, coach houses and barns – though separate from the house, are linked by a walled courtyard: a beautiful, sheltered sun trap where doors open into the pool area and the open plan living space, with its vaulted ceiling and exposed roof trusses, at the far end. The original coach house archways, now glazed, surround the swimming pool area, and two sizeable changing rooms and separate WC run alongside. “We had all the old bricks painstakingly cleaned up by hand when we had the outbuildings rebuilt so we could use as much of the original materials as possible. The only features left standing were the coach house arches!” declares the owner. The living area is wonderful with a fitted kitchen at one end, a sitting and a dining area, and French doors opening onto the courtyard. At the back, a room currently used as a gym and games room could become a bedroom. Adjoining the pool building and directly behind the back of the house is the expansive, much larger than double garage with automatic doors, a workshop to the rear. Two very big storerooms are adjacent with another one in between, opening with an automatic garage door at the opposite side.

The grounds largely consist of the lawn to the front delineated by a striking, curving walled haha, beyond which stretches the post and railed paddock of about one acre. A long drive beside mature trees leads up to the house where parking at the back accommodates a great number of cars, and a door in a garden wall leads into the courtyard beside the pool complex. “The property is in a slightly elevated position, around 5 metres above sea level, as it is built on an old salt works,” informs the owner. “I should mention the impressive monkey puzzle tree near the house which is clad in lights and always lit up at Christmas. It’s a great landmark for showing visitors where we are as you can see it from about two miles away! There are lovely walks everywhere with open field views and a bridleway goes up the drive and on into the village; you pass a bird hide by a lake that’s open to the public, on the way. We like to cycle to Bicker where a very nice pub, the Red Lion, serves food, and there’s a really good Indian restaurant and takeaway at Quadring less than a 5 minute drive.” The area benefits highly sought after schools with a good primary and secondary in the village - the Donnington Cowley Endowed Primary and the Thomas Cowley High School both rated Good by Ofsted. Also in catchment, in the pretty market town of Spalding about a 15 minute drive south, are grammar schools: the High (for girls) rated Outstanding by Ofsted and the Grammar (for boys) rated Good, and Ayscoughfee Hall School, an excellent prep school in the independent sector. Co-ed Bourne Grammar is also rated Outstanding and is about 25 minutes southwest. For those wishing to commute, Grantham is around 35 minutes along the nearby A52 where fast trains to London Kings Cross take an hour, or from Peterborough, about a 45 minute drive south, just 45 minutes.

Local Authority: South Holland District Council Council Tax Band: Services: Mains Electricity, and Water, Septic Tank and Oil Fired Central Heating Tenure: Freehold

Disclaimer:

These particulars, whilst believed to be accurate, are set out as a general outline only for guidance and do not constitute any part of an offer or contract. Intending purchasers should not rely on them as statements of representation of fact, but must satisfy themselves by inspection or otherwise as to their accuracy. No person in the employment of Fine & Country or Rutland Country Properties has the authority to make or give any representation or warranty in respect of the property. We would also point out that we have not tested any of the appliances and purchasers should make their own enquiries to the relevant authorities regarding the connection of any services.

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