Once the site of a local manor house The Moat House is an historic 15th century stone gatehouse which has also been a farmhouse in the 1600s and a Victorian mansion – one timber has been dated to back as early as 1405. Period features are many: ancient graffiti from the 17th century is to be found in the plasterwork in the hall, medieval stone carvings are located above the fireplace in the drawing room, and a small viewing panel on the ground floor shows part of the medieval foundations which were discovered by the current owners.
Inside, the reception hall has a beamed ceiling, as does the drawing room, which also boasts a fine inglenook fireplace and wide windows overlooking the moat. The dining room also has an arched stone fireplace, said to be taken from the original manor house. Another reception room off the main hall is currently a study/reading room. The kitchen sits in the Victorian part of the house; its back door opens onto the rear garden.
Upstairs the first floor has five bedrooms, one currently used as a sitting room, and the second floor has two rooms, currently a study and a music room.
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Outside the 12th century moat surrounds the house to the north, east and south, and is a haven for ducks, moorhens, kingfishers and dragonflies. A former privy is now a moat house, there is also an ancient well. The gardens are informal and include a recently planted orchard, an ancient carp pond and a paddock. The whole site is registered as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The grounds come to 4.6 acres.
The Moat House is located in Appleby Magna, a pretty village on the Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and North Warwickshire borders, just over six miles from Ashby-de-la-Zouch and a short distance from the M2.
The guide price is £995,000. For further information please contact 0121 362 7878 or visit http://search.knightfrank.com.
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