House For Sale £1,750,000
A conveniently located and historic country house having two additional residential properties, excellent outbuildings and grounds of about 8.5 acres with extra land available<br/></br>
<b>Situation</b>
Cattespool House nestles amidst an attractive area of countryside in an easily accessible part of North Worcestershire. This wooded, undulating landscape lies between the villages of Blackwell, Alvechurch, Tardebigge and Burcot and is just 3 miles from the bustling town of Bromsgrove. Tardebigge is most famous for its dramatic flight of 36 locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal 220 feet over the Lickey Ridge whilst Blackwell is nationally renowned for its golf club, established in 1893 and regular host to prestigious tournaments.
Local towns and cities provide an excellent range of business, leisure and cultural amenities with the Cathedral City of Worcester 18 miles away and central Birmingham just 16 miles distant. The fine selection of schools in the region is worthy of particular note with the highly regarded Bromsgrove School just a few miles away and other local schools include Oldswinford Hospital School in Stourbridge, The King's School and Royal Grammar School in Worcester, Winterfold House School in Chaddesley Corbett and numerous independent schools in Edgbaston and Solihull.
Cattespool House is conveniently located for road, rail and air links. It is only 3 miles to the M42 motorway, 5 miles to the M5 and 12 miles to the M40, providing swift links north, south east and south west for numerous regional centres and London. There are regular trains from Alvechurch and Barnt Green into Birmingham with a vast number of connections, whilst it is only 19 miles to Birmingham International Airport and the neighbouring railway station where trains to London Euston take from 1 hour 10 minutes.
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<b>Historical Note</b>
Cattespool House is one of the most complete 17th century residences in Worcestershire. Remarkably, from its construction sometime after 1622 until the mid 1940's it remained in the hands of descendants of its original builder and owner, Richard Peyton. In 1946 the house was sold to a property developer who installed running water and electricity.
The first record of the Peyton family in the district shows Thomas Peyton in 1513-14 renting land and crofts from the monks of Bordesley Abbey. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the Bordesley Abbey Estate became the Earl of Plymouth's Hewell Estate which was, in turn, broken up after World War II and sold to the tenant farmers.
Thomas's grandson, Richard, assembled the Cattespool Estate in 1622 by acquiring land from neighbours. Family records show an inventory of building materials purchased to build the house totalling £20.10s, enough to build a moderate sized house in this period. The house would have been prepared and pre-assembled by carpenters before erection on site. Careful inspection of many of the beams in the house will reveal the carpenter's markings. Later 17th and early 18th century alterations include the building of the stone wing on the west end of the house, the stone forecourt walls, the dovecote and the brick-built barns.
Notable Peytons include another Richard (1825-1920) who made brass bedsteads but who also had an interest in music and was instrumental in the foundation of the chair of music at Birmingham University. He endowed it with £10,000 in 1904 on the condition that the first professor should be Sir Edward Elgar. After the death of Richard's son in 1940 there were no more Peytons who wanted to take on Cattespool and so it was sold in 1946.
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<b>The Principal House</b>
Cattespool House has the rare accolade of a Grade II * Listing due to its architectural and historic importance. The dovecote and stone garden walls have separate Grade II Listings. Dating from the early 17th century, this handsome timber frame house has captivating architecture with a deep sandstone base, distinctive gables, tall diagonal chimney stacks and leaded light windows including a charming oriel window on the south side. Careful restoration works over recent decades have preserved the heritage of this fine building whilst making it very comfortable for modern living.
The house has a traditional h-plan design with entrance doors front and rear within charming porches, an old stone mounting block remaining next to one. The accommodation has a very good flow with well-proportioned rooms and good ceiling heights, underlining the important 17th century stature of the house. The interior displays some wonderful exposed oak timbers and stonework. The accommodation is set upon three floors plus a good wine cellar.
There are two fine reception rooms, both having splendid stone fireplaces, in addition to a study tucked away in the northeast corner with exposed timbers and oak book shelving. The everyday entrance door on the west elevation leads into a good-sized hall/boot room with quarry tiled floor. Adjacent to here is a well-fitted utility room and cloakroom. The large kitchen/breakfast room is at the heart of the house with handmade fitted furniture, large central island and an Aga cooker standing within an impressive alcove. Off the kitchen is a traditional larder with flagstone floor, cold slabs and extensive shelving.
The first and second floors have a very versatile layout with two staircases serving bedroom accommodation, ideal for family occupation. The master bedroom suite features a large dressing room and ensuite bathroom.
There are two further large bedrooms on the first floor, one with ensuite shower room and the other adjacent to a family bathroom. The top floor of the house is ideal for children's accommodation, accessed by two staircases to separate landings and featuring two large bedrooms, sitting/games room or sixth bedroom and a shower room.
In all, the accommodation of the principal house extends to about 5,253 sq ft.
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<b>The Guest Barn and Coach House Cottage</b>
Situated near to the house are two detached, self-contained residential properties providing exceptional additional accommodation for guests, staff, extended family or as income producing lets.
Across the garden courtyard from the main house is a substantial converted traditional barn. This attractive secondary house is of brick construction, partly on a sandstone base beneath pitched tiled roofs. The beautifully presented accommodation of the Guest Barn extends to almost 2,000 sq ft and features some fine exposed timbers throughout. The dramatic double height main room of the barn features a splendid open fireplace and full height ceilings with some exceptional timbers. Beyond here is a conservatory with two pairs of French doors to the garden and lovely views towards the tennis court. The ground floor is completed by the entrance hall, kitchen, cloakroom/WC and a double bedroom with a very well fitted ensuite bathroom. The first floor has a landing which leads on to a minstrels' gallery overlooking the vaulted living room and there are two further double bedrooms and an additional bathroom.
Immediately to the west of the principal house is the Coach House Cottage. This two-storey brick and tile building has been converted to create an extremely comfortable residential property extending to about 893 sq ft. On the ground floor there is a hall, sitting room, kitchen and cloakroom whilst the first floor has a main bedroom with ensuite bathroom and a second bedroom/ study with access out to a pretty south-facing balcony.
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<b>Outbuildings</b>
To the north of Cattespool House is a useful range of outbuildings. Adjacent to the main courtyard parking area is a brick and tile single garage with a driveway adjacent leading to the other buildings. Here there is a large garage with adjoining laundry room and potting sheds.
In addition to the domestic outbuildings there is a large general-purpose modern barn, about 31.5m x 10.6m (103ft x 34ft), of 6 bay steel portal frame construction having concrete floor with brick and weather boarded elevations.
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<b>Gardens and grounds </b>
Cattespool House stands within lovely gardens. On the south side there is a formal lawn surrounded by carefully clipped dwarf box hedges, gravelled paths, rose beds and well stocked herbaceous borders backed by beautiful sandstone walls on two sides. On the east side is a pretty walled garden and a charming brick-built garden store with pyramidal roof. A gate in the garden wall leads through to the kitchen garden which is surrounded by beech hedges and divided into a number of plots with vegetable areas, substantial soft fruit cage and a border for cut flowers.
On the north side of the house there is a most attractive courtyard garden having two areas of raised lawn, flower and shrub borders and an outdoor sitting area. In the corner of this courtyard is the beautiful dovecote. This wonderful building dates from the early 18th century and is Grade II Listed. Adjacent to here is a decked sun terrace. From this sheltered seating area there is a lovely view over a sunken lawn beyond which is an all-weather tennis court with viewing terrace beneath a honeysuckle-clad pergola. On three sides of the tennis court is a productive mixed orchard interspersed with a number of other specimen trees.
To the east of the tennis court, there are less formal lawns interspersed with trees and an area of mature woodland. To the north and south is paddock land.
<b>Situation</b>
Cattespool House nestles amidst an attractive area of countryside in an easily accessible part of North Worcestershire. This wooded, undulating landscape lies between the villages of Blackwell, Alvechurch, Tardebigge and Burcot and is just 3 miles from the bustling town of Bromsgrove. Tardebigge is most famous for its dramatic flight of 36 locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal 220 feet over the Lickey Ridge whilst Blackwell is nationally renowned for its golf club, established in 1893 and regular host to prestigious tournaments.
Local towns and cities provide an excellent range of business, leisure and cultural amenities with the Cathedral City of Worcester 18 miles away and central Birmingham just 16 miles distant. The fine selection of schools in the region is worthy of particular note with the highly regarded Bromsgrove School just a few miles away and other local schools include Oldswinford Hospital School in Stourbridge, The King's School and Royal Grammar School in Worcester, Winterfold House School in Chaddesley Corbett and numerous independent schools in Edgbaston and Solihull.
Cattespool House is conveniently located for road, rail and air links. It is only 3 miles to the M42 motorway, 5 miles to the M5 and 12 miles to the M40, providing swift links north, south east and south west for numerous regional centres and London. There are regular trains from Alvechurch and Barnt Green into Birmingham with a vast number of connections, whilst it is only 19 miles to Birmingham International Airport and the neighbouring railway station where trains to London Euston take from 1 hour 10 minutes.
</br>
<b>Historical Note</b>
Cattespool House is one of the most complete 17th century residences in Worcestershire. Remarkably, from its construction sometime after 1622 until the mid 1940's it remained in the hands of descendants of its original builder and owner, Richard Peyton. In 1946 the house was sold to a property developer who installed running water and electricity.
The first record of the Peyton family in the district shows Thomas Peyton in 1513-14 renting land and crofts from the monks of Bordesley Abbey. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the Bordesley Abbey Estate became the Earl of Plymouth's Hewell Estate which was, in turn, broken up after World War II and sold to the tenant farmers.
Thomas's grandson, Richard, assembled the Cattespool Estate in 1622 by acquiring land from neighbours. Family records show an inventory of building materials purchased to build the house totalling £20.10s, enough to build a moderate sized house in this period. The house would have been prepared and pre-assembled by carpenters before erection on site. Careful inspection of many of the beams in the house will reveal the carpenter's markings. Later 17th and early 18th century alterations include the building of the stone wing on the west end of the house, the stone forecourt walls, the dovecote and the brick-built barns.
Notable Peytons include another Richard (1825-1920) who made brass bedsteads but who also had an interest in music and was instrumental in the foundation of the chair of music at Birmingham University. He endowed it with £10,000 in 1904 on the condition that the first professor should be Sir Edward Elgar. After the death of Richard's son in 1940 there were no more Peytons who wanted to take on Cattespool and so it was sold in 1946.
</br>
<b>The Principal House</b>
Cattespool House has the rare accolade of a Grade II * Listing due to its architectural and historic importance. The dovecote and stone garden walls have separate Grade II Listings. Dating from the early 17th century, this handsome timber frame house has captivating architecture with a deep sandstone base, distinctive gables, tall diagonal chimney stacks and leaded light windows including a charming oriel window on the south side. Careful restoration works over recent decades have preserved the heritage of this fine building whilst making it very comfortable for modern living.
The house has a traditional h-plan design with entrance doors front and rear within charming porches, an old stone mounting block remaining next to one. The accommodation has a very good flow with well-proportioned rooms and good ceiling heights, underlining the important 17th century stature of the house. The interior displays some wonderful exposed oak timbers and stonework. The accommodation is set upon three floors plus a good wine cellar.
There are two fine reception rooms, both having splendid stone fireplaces, in addition to a study tucked away in the northeast corner with exposed timbers and oak book shelving. The everyday entrance door on the west elevation leads into a good-sized hall/boot room with quarry tiled floor. Adjacent to here is a well-fitted utility room and cloakroom. The large kitchen/breakfast room is at the heart of the house with handmade fitted furniture, large central island and an Aga cooker standing within an impressive alcove. Off the kitchen is a traditional larder with flagstone floor, cold slabs and extensive shelving.
The first and second floors have a very versatile layout with two staircases serving bedroom accommodation, ideal for family occupation. The master bedroom suite features a large dressing room and ensuite bathroom.
There are two further large bedrooms on the first floor, one with ensuite shower room and the other adjacent to a family bathroom. The top floor of the house is ideal for children's accommodation, accessed by two staircases to separate landings and featuring two large bedrooms, sitting/games room or sixth bedroom and a shower room.
In all, the accommodation of the principal house extends to about 5,253 sq ft.
</br>
<b>The Guest Barn and Coach House Cottage</b>
Situated near to the house are two detached, self-contained residential properties providing exceptional additional accommodation for guests, staff, extended family or as income producing lets.
Across the garden courtyard from the main house is a substantial converted traditional barn. This attractive secondary house is of brick construction, partly on a sandstone base beneath pitched tiled roofs. The beautifully presented accommodation of the Guest Barn extends to almost 2,000 sq ft and features some fine exposed timbers throughout. The dramatic double height main room of the barn features a splendid open fireplace and full height ceilings with some exceptional timbers. Beyond here is a conservatory with two pairs of French doors to the garden and lovely views towards the tennis court. The ground floor is completed by the entrance hall, kitchen, cloakroom/WC and a double bedroom with a very well fitted ensuite bathroom. The first floor has a landing which leads on to a minstrels' gallery overlooking the vaulted living room and there are two further double bedrooms and an additional bathroom.
Immediately to the west of the principal house is the Coach House Cottage. This two-storey brick and tile building has been converted to create an extremely comfortable residential property extending to about 893 sq ft. On the ground floor there is a hall, sitting room, kitchen and cloakroom whilst the first floor has a main bedroom with ensuite bathroom and a second bedroom/ study with access out to a pretty south-facing balcony.
</br>
<b>Outbuildings</b>
To the north of Cattespool House is a useful range of outbuildings. Adjacent to the main courtyard parking area is a brick and tile single garage with a driveway adjacent leading to the other buildings. Here there is a large garage with adjoining laundry room and potting sheds.
In addition to the domestic outbuildings there is a large general-purpose modern barn, about 31.5m x 10.6m (103ft x 34ft), of 6 bay steel portal frame construction having concrete floor with brick and weather boarded elevations.
</br>
<b>Gardens and grounds </b>
Cattespool House stands within lovely gardens. On the south side there is a formal lawn surrounded by carefully clipped dwarf box hedges, gravelled paths, rose beds and well stocked herbaceous borders backed by beautiful sandstone walls on two sides. On the east side is a pretty walled garden and a charming brick-built garden store with pyramidal roof. A gate in the garden wall leads through to the kitchen garden which is surrounded by beech hedges and divided into a number of plots with vegetable areas, substantial soft fruit cage and a border for cut flowers.
On the north side of the house there is a most attractive courtyard garden having two areas of raised lawn, flower and shrub borders and an outdoor sitting area. In the corner of this courtyard is the beautiful dovecote. This wonderful building dates from the early 18th century and is Grade II Listed. Adjacent to here is a decked sun terrace. From this sheltered seating area there is a lovely view over a sunken lawn beyond which is an all-weather tennis court with viewing terrace beneath a honeysuckle-clad pergola. On three sides of the tennis court is a productive mixed orchard interspersed with a number of other specimen trees.
To the east of the tennis court, there are less formal lawns interspersed with trees and an area of mature woodland. To the north and south is paddock land.
