6 Bedrooms Detached house for sale in Old North Road, Bourn, Cambridge CB23 | £ 1,000,000

Property Description

Fine and Country Cambridge are delighted to offer for sale ‘The Old Fox Inn’, a versatile detached period home with 6 bedrooms, generous reception rooms and delightful kitchen. Benefits from an annexe, outbuildings and with approximately 4 acres of land, which includes equestrian facilities.

Fine and Country Cambridge are delighted to offer for sale 'The Old Fox Inn', a versatile detached period home benefiting from an annexe, outbuildings and with approximately 4 acres of land, which includes equestrian facilities. This home is full of charm and much original character and is located on the outskirts of Bourn and next to the village of Longstowe, ideally positioned within easy reach of major road networks and mainline train stations to London, but also surrounded by beautiful countryside if you are looking for the more rural lifestyle or a combination of both.

You can enter the property either through the traditional front entrance or likely more often using the rear access through the utility area, this is ideal if you have been out on the properties grounds or out for a long walk and want to remove that muddy footwear or dry off the wet dog. Going in through the rear access, as mentioned you have a utility room but also with cloakroom facilities off, you then immediately come into the heart of the home, the bright and spacious farm house style kitchen where you will undoubtedly spend much of the day in this cosy room. The kitchen breakfast room is a perfect combination of modern and original character with the quarry tiled flooring, range aga, Butler sink and solid wood work surfaces, finished with contemporary inset ceiling spotlighting. Also worth a mention is the walk in larder providing great storage.

The ground floor is extremely spacious and has two generously sized reception rooms, currently used as a sitting room, which features a fireplace with wood burning stove, and formal dining room, but with such a large kitchen you could use the dining room for another use, such as a family room. There is secondary glazing through much of the property, ideal for a period home to contain warmth and also reducing any exterior noise. Also on the ground floor, is a self-contained annex, which has been updated in recent years. This comprises a double bedroom, shower room and an open plan kitchen dining room and sitting area. This really does offer a range of use, either as an annexe or just further reception rooms and bedrooms as part of the main property. However, this is currently used as an Air BnB, which has around 90% occupancy, bringing in £65 to £120 a night, depending on the time of year. Going to the first and second floors you have two further bathrooms, 5 well-proportioned bedrooms and again holding on to the character of this period home with features such as fireplaces and roll top bath.

For some, much of the attraction of this property is what is currently offered outside and/or the further potential that is there. In approximately 4 acres of grounds, which are surrounded by hedging and with mature trees, you have a generous, more traditional garden space for the property, with natural pond and a patio area next to the property and then you have the equestrian facilities. These includes, 3 paddocks, 4 block stables and an all-weather ménage. There is fantastic hacking surrounding the property and also some further grazing fields that a local farmer rents to the current owners in the summer months and may well be available to be continued if desired.

As well as ample parking for multiple vehicles and equestrian vehicles the property is completed by a large outbuilding, currently used as garaging or workshop this could very easily be converted into further accommodation, annexe facilities or detached commercial uses for example, subject to the necessary planning consents. A viewing of this superb offering is highly recommended to be fully appreciated, give Fine & Country Cambridge a call today!

Views from the owner:

This utterly charming period home enjoys an idyllic rural location just a couple of miles from the pretty Cambridgeshire village of Bourn. "We bought the property from Greene King twenty-one years ago, " says Catherine. "As the name would suggest, it was built as a pub back in the 1700s, and in more recent years it had been run as a Thai restaurant, but the business failed and so the building had been vacant for three years before we purchased it. We had come to view a neighbouring property on the day we came across it and although it was in a terrible state there was something about it that really caught my imagination. We snuck in to take a look, saw that it had the land i'd wanted for my horse and that was it, we decided to take the plunge, and I have to say that it has been the most wonderful family home for the past two decades."

"Shortly after we purchased the property we embarked upon what can only be described as a mammoth project of renovation and refurbishment during which we breathed new life into this lovely old building. It was reinsulated, windows were replaced, the wiring was overhauled, the whole house was redecorated… in fact, you name it, we did it. We also converted two rather shabby, flat-roofed structures into a stunning one-bed annex, which has been a wonderful addition and has enabled us to earn a really good little income from its rental. The house as a whole is now just lovely; the rooms are all generously proportioned and most have lovely high ceilings, there are some gorgeous features that give it real character and it has a very warm and welcoming feel throughout. I love everything about it and for us as a family it's always been a very happy place."

"The house sits in around four acres, which for me was a huge selling point as it meant that I could keep my horse at home where I could literally keep an eye on it, and the equestrian facilities that we have here are absolutely superb, " continues Catherine. "We have a large field, a block of four stables and a manege, and then just beyond the back of the house we also have a huge garden that has been a wonderful space for the children. It's completely idyllic."

Favourite Room: "For me it would have to be the kitchen, " says Catherine. "It's very cosy and warm – because the Aga is always on – and it has space enough for us all to be together without feeling on top of one another."

Favourite aspect of the grounds or surrounding area: "In my mind the location really couldn't have been better and it's one of the reasons we've stayed here so long, " says Catherine. "We're surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside and yet I can be in Bourn or Cambourne in under ten minutes or Cambridge in under half an hour, so nothing is out of reach. We also have a great selection of schools in the local area so all in all it's a wonderful place to bring up a family."

Memorable event (if not another favourite room or unique feature): "Opposite the house we have a large barn that's currently used as a garage, a workshop and a log store, however we were always intending to develop it, " says Catherine. "We've only gone so far as to have plans drawn up, but it could be an exciting project for the new owners."

What they'll miss most / why they are leaving: "I love the character of the house, its warm and welcoming atmosphere and we've all relished having so much space both inside and out, " says Catherine. "i've also loved being able to step outside and see my horses and it's a fantastic place for hacking. There's so much that i'll miss and it's going to be a real wrench to leave."

Catherine

Property Location

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