The end of summer always comes with a bittersweet sting; a crisp chill has suddenly filled the air, the mornings are noticeably darker — and as someone unhelpfully pointed out recently, we’ve had our last 7pm sunset until next year. The days of splashing about in outdoor swimming pools are also behind us, as bronze leaves scatter around them and temperatures threaten to numb extremities.
Nevertheless, there is plenty to enjoy with the changing seasons: a mega crop of blackberries, for starters, September sunsets and, for the likes of The Old Rectory, in the village of Westoning in Bedfordshire, a fantastic indoor pool which makes year-round swimming a top priority.
The seven-bedroom property is currently on the market via Michael Graham with a guide price of £2 million. Noted for its architectural and historical importance, the handsome, 16th century family home offers an abundance of interesting and period features, with intricate marble fireplaces, sash windows and decorate cornices.
Reception rooms are plentiful and comfortably sized, with tall ceilings and lots of natural light. The farmhouse-style kitchen is centred around a forest green Aga and features a stable door opening out to the garden beyond. Adjoining the kitchen are the dining room and utility room, while across the spacious hallway you’ll find a drawing room, sitting room (with a Queen Anne marble fireplace) and a large family room/study.
All seven bedrooms are located on the first floor, accessed via the sweeping Georgian staircase. The master is fitted as an ensuite and there are two further shared bath/shower rooms. Attic space on the second floor provides excellent storage options should you run out of space in the two workshops, garage and wood store, all of which are located outside and adjacent to the property.
The indoor pool is situated in a large ‘leisure complex', where you will also find a sauna, bathroom and utility.
The Old Rectory stands in 1.75 acres of lush verdant gardens, formed of a tennis court, rose garden; a large pond, cornfield meadow, formal lawns, herbaceous borders and mature trees.
The village of Westoning is home to a butcher, a village shop, two great pubs and a lower school. Flitwick and Harlington stations are both located two miles away and run a Thameslink service into London St. Pancras and the city.
Harlington Lower School, Westoning Lower School and Flitwick Lower School are all within a two mile radius. For secondary, there is Harlington Upper School.
The Old Rectory is currently on the market via Michael Graham with a guide price of £2 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
Name that hat! Country Life Quiz of the DayTuesday's quiz has a wartime property for sale, plus popes, linoleum and more.
-
Everything you need to know about the stealth red carpet tease and Breitling’s new Top Time B31 watch — as seen on Austin Butler’s wristIn the space of a month, Breitling has signed Austin Butler as a brand ambassador, launched a new collection and snapped up a dormant brand.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
This elegant Greek villa offers would-be buyers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in the shadow of the AcropolisAthenian Legacy consists of two houses in walking —and almost touching — distance of one of the world’s most famous and precious landmarks.
-
Six charming homes up for sale, including one dubbed 'one of the most picturesque in Dorset', as seen in Country LifeOur look at the finest houses to come up for sale through Country Life in the past week is full of delights, from a new-Georgian mansion to a perfectly-sized Hertfordshire estate.
-
A Buckinghamshire mansion built for the speech therapist who set Churchill on his path to greatnessPenny Churchill takes a look at Rignalls, a classic Arts-and-Crafts home that looks like it's stepped out of the pages of an EM Forster novel.
-
An idyllic Hampstead mansion whose price has risen nine times faster than inflation — and it's not hard to see whyCloth Hill is even more beautiful on the inside than it is on the outside.
-
Some of Scotland's most beautiful churches are being sold off for as little as £40,000 — but a word of warning before you take the plungeLucy Denton examines how best to help former church buildings thrive as times move on and property changes hands.
-
Inside the £28 million mansion designed to 'shake things up' and 're-define the English country house of the 21st century'With everything from helicopter parking and a 1000-bottle wine cellar to bespoke wallpaper designed by Christian Lacroix, Harford Manor is a country house like no other. Annabel Dixon took a closer look and spoke to the man behind its creation.
-
A blissful and beautifully named home in one of the most exclusive spots in CornwallPenny Churchill takes a look at Boswodegh, a wonderful home that makes the most of its superb location in Helford Passage.
