A cosy country home

The Old Bakehouse in Fulbeck is a beautifully restored village residence offering comfortable living in a peaceful rural haven.

Situated in a prime picturesque position in the heart of Fulbeck, a popular Cliff village, The Old Bakehouse features a wealth of character while exuding warmth and homeliness.

Dating back to 18th century, this classic country home situated opposite a pretty village well on the quiet High Street, is ideally suited to families in search of a safe rural location.

The accommodation features an impressive master bedroom with dressing room and en-suite bath and shower room, together with three further bedrooms, en suite shower room and further bathroom, plus a large well designed open plan kitchen which overlooks a well stocked cottage garden with outside dining and entertaining space.

Its current owners, Mary and Anthony Robinson, have lived here for nearly 20 years, during which time they have transformed the house into a beautiful home which reflects both its history and heritage while also offering modern day comforts, including central heating, mains water, drainage and electricity. There is also a range of multi-purpose outbuildings.

“The house, which is not listed, has been vastly changed and is quirky, full of character,” explains Mary. “It has been revamped over the years to a very high standard and presents an interesting building inside and out.

“When we moved in, we turned the layout around so that the main entrance is from the garden, then the two roadside rooms were knocked together and a passageway, fireplace and staircase removed to make one large reception room.”

The Robinsons also created an entrance hall with a downstairs loo and cloakroom, and added a porch.

“The small sitting room facing the garden now has a log burner and the drawing room has a bottled gas stove,” explains Mary. “The original step ladder up to the shower room in the cottage was removed and a new staircase installed. Two bedrooms at one end of the house were knocked together and a walk-in airing cupboard added.

“The kitchen was fitted with purpose hand-made wooden units and the vast central unit, which we christened the ‘Ark Royal’, removed and replaced by a smaller one. The Aga has been converted to electricity and in addition there is an electric oven, as well as a combi microwave oven.”

A house with history
The “cottage end” of the house facing the road is originally late 18th century, while the original bakery dates back to the Victorian era.

On viewing, the couple’s first impression was of a characterful property which they could “tweak to suit our own style of living in the ideal village for us” and they spent a year planning the changes and converting it.
“The cottage was once the village shop with accommodation and originally the property formed part of the Fulbeck estate,” says Mary. “The garden area was used by horses and carts to bring in the grain which was hauled up to the grain store by winches.

“When we arrived, we found broken-up bread ovens sealed into the area that is now the utility room. The oven room was dug out and all the rubble used to fill the garden pond, which we felt was a danger to small children.

“When we moved in, the first floor area above the kitchen was used as an office area and we converted the far end into a shower/bathroom with French doors leading out to a Juliet balcony from where the Trent valley can be viewed in the distance.

“This end of the house was used for hauling up the grain sacks and maybe also for storing bedding for the horses. This upstairs area is now a large bedroom, dressing room and en-suite bathroom providing superb views.”

Outside, the well planted cottage garden is predominantly lawn with attractive dedicated areas for beds, shrubs, pathways and entertaining areas, all fully enclosed and providing both security and privacy.
A cobbled terrace offers a superb aspect over the garden and provides an excellent opportunity for outdoor dining and entertaining.

The property is approached through electric gates onto a large gravel driveway with ample parking for two vehicles, as well as an impressive timber-framed double car-port with additional side-storage with an additional side-gate just off from the front elevation.

Ideal village location
The picturesque village of Fulbeck is close to the A1 and Grantham railway station with fast links to London King’s Cross, as well as Newark, which also offers main line services for easy commuting and there is a good bus service to Lincoln and Grantham.

There are some historically interesting houses in the village, which benefits from a beautifully maintained cricket green, playing field and children’s playground, as well as an Arts & Crafts Centre which includes a master saddler, decoupage artist, seamstress and a gallery displaying a wide selection of art.

“The village is an eclectic mix of old, young and families,” explains Mary. “A village fete is held once a year and the village hall is very active, being used for various classes and community events.”

As well as a local farm shop just one mile away and two village grocery stores and post office close by, there is an excellent village pub, The Hare and Hounds, which serves quality meals, as well as the Brownlow Arms at Hough-on-the-Hill which has a reputation for fine dining.

“Both pubs have B&B accommodation which we have found very useful when we have needed to accommodate an overflow of friends and family for special occasions,” says Mary. “We believe the house would suit a family with two teenage children, or a middle-aged couple whose offspring have left home.”

The Robinsons say they have many lasting memories of living at the Old Bakehouse.

“We have spent many happy years living here and enjoyed the challenges we took on. It has been 19 years of creating a home and garden that has given us enormous pleasure. We have wonderful friends in the village and it will be very sad to move, but we hope it is not too far away.”

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