The Avenue, Bletsoe, Bedfordshire, MK44

STRIKING, MODERN VILLAGE HOME WITH FIELD VIEWS

Built in 2014, an individually designed, 4-bedroom detached home that makes quite a statement as you arrive in the historic village of Bletsoe. With garage, garden and driveway parking through an electric 5-bar gate, its field views emphasise the rural nature of the village, yet it lies just 6 miles from Bedford and all the facilities and amenities you expect of the county town.

Fast trains from Bedford’s railway station reach London in 40 minutes, and the town is also home to the world-renowned, Harpur Trust private schools. Bletsoe’s catchment primary school is in nearby Riseley, while the secondary school and another primary school, along with surgery, shops, Mill Theatre and farm shop, is in the larger village of Sharnbrook on the other side of the A6, which also provides fast access to Luton Airport, less than 30 miles away, not to mention a choice of supermarkets just 5 miles away.

Bletsoe is full of interest, with over 20 listed buildings, including the Grade II* Bletsoe Castle, where Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII, the first Tudor king, was born, and the glorious 13th century Church of St Mary, where there are regular services.

The church, the village hall and the playing fields, all within a few hundred yards of your new home, play an active part in village life, creating a close community atmosphere. Beyond the village hall lies miles of walks through beautiful countryside. Wander down the lane in the other direction and cross the road to the 17th century Falcon Inn, where the garden runs down to the River Great Ouse and where the Victorian poet, Edward FitzGerald was wont to stay and write, describing the inn as: “the cleanest, the sweetest, the civilist, the quietest, the liveliest and the cheapest that was ever built or conducted.”

A stylish, up-to-the-minute home, amidst fascinating history and wonderful walking and cycling country, is quite a combination.

MORE ABOUT THE PROPERTY 

Turning from the main road into The Avenue, with fields each side, the verges bursting into flower come springtime, it’s hard not to feel a sense of calm. On the lane side of your low front wall, heather, lavender and campanula grow amongst the gravel; on the garden side, hollyhocks and roses, poppies and peonies, prettily planted in the bed aside your front lawn, reflect in the special privacy film of the high-performance windows of your new home.

Though clearly modern, with the insulation and energy efficient qualities that this brings, the hugely attractive bricks and the striking clay-tiled rooflines give the house its character and sense of place. Step onto the porcelain floor of the entrance hall and it’s clear that style, space, height and light have all been deemed important, too.

Natural light pours through the low window partway up the staircase enticing you up to the galleried landing, the stylish bathrooms and the wonderful bedrooms, with their Juliet balconies and the spectacular vaulted ceilings that those unusual rooflines give you.

Fall asleep beneath the star-lit sky and awake to the delightful sight of mare and foal in the paddock across the lane and far-reaching countryside beyond the field and road. At both dawn and dusk, sit in your bedroom bay and feast your eyes on the glorious, white flight of the barn owl stalking its prey.

Downstairs, the whole family can gather to watch the latest blockbuster or sporting extravaganza on the big screen in your lovely sitting room, the fire aglow at the touch of a button.

And in the hub of the home, with its curved island, stylish granite-topped kitchen furniture and amazing microcement splashbacks. Cook, breakfast, dine and relax in one fabulous space, which extends out through bifold doors to the garden. Children can play on the lawn, the green-fingered can develop the borders and you can barbecue on the granite terrace, lit by lights inset into the low wall. Eat al fresco around the firepit table, iced water dispensed from the American fridge/freezer, bottles plucked from the wine cooler. A superb home designed for family and entertaining alike.