A home for sale that witnessed an extraordinary piece of sporting history
On the market in Melton Mowbray is a 1960s house that offers a genuine slice of footballing history.


This home is not the birthplace of the Charlton brothers or Bobby Moore's marital home. Yet it nonetheless occupies a unique and unforgettable place in the history of English football.
Cloughmore House is being sold by England and Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, the talisman of the side that defied the highly-paid superstars of English football to claim the Premier League title in 2o16. Claudio Ranieri's men somehow swept aside the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City – and this is the house where Leicester's unlikely lads became champions.
It was a quite extraordinary sporting achievement which had the world riveted, and Vardy's goals – he scored 24 that season – were a key element of the success of Ranieri's men. All the more extraordinary was the fact that Vardy had been a non-league player just four years previously.
The night that their league success was to be confirmed, Vardy invited all his team-mates to his house – or rather, this house – to watch the Monday night match last May between Chelsea and Tottenham.
The game ended in a draw, meaning that Spurs were then too far behind to catch the Foxes; and Leicester were crowned the most unlikely champions in English football history.
The 5,900sq ft house, originally built in 1968, is beautifully finished with a lot of work done recently and is on the market via Savills at £1.25 million.
“Cloughmore House holds many special memories for us, so it was a big decision to move on," says Vardy.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
"We had some great times while living there; we planned our wedding from our kitchen, it’s where the team came together on the night Leicester City history was made, Sofia learned to walk there and it was Finley’s first home.
"It’s a big part of history for us but it’s the right time to move to a home with more space for our family and where we can enjoy a sense of privacy.”
There are eight bedrooms, a pool room, and a smart control system allowing you to control all the lighting and heating centrally – and, of course, a cinema room large enough to gather an entire football team together. (As proven in style on May 2, 2016.)
Outside there is a large garden with a children's play area – and, of course, a large lawn perfect for impromptu games of football. Though we'd fully expect that Mr Vardy takes the goal with him when he moves on elsewhere...
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National Park
Old House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
The UK gets its first ‘European stork village’ — and it's in West Sussex
Although the mortality rate among white storks can be up to 90%, the future looks rosy for breeding pairs in southern England.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National Park
Old House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country Life
From a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
By Toby Keel Published
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool
5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
By James Fisher Published
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in Dorset
With 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
By James Fisher Published
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventure
The interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of Pembrokeshire
A lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
By James Fisher Published
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed folly
Hagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich history
Three floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
By James Fisher Published