A hidden gem that includes a substantial riverside family home, two annexes, and office facilities, all in a stunning woodland setting near Oundle with fishing and mooring rights too!

Description

Imagine hearing ‘What a beautiful spot, I’d love to live here’ every time someone comes to your gate. That’s what it’s like to live at Lock House.

Lock House is truly a hidden gem, nestled in the woods along the River Nene, you could drive right past and not even know it is there. Set back from the road and next to the river, narrowboats pass by and herons fish for their lunch you could easily forget that you are only five miles away from Oundle & Thrapston.

Excellent Education Options
In addition to being conveniently located for commuters, Lock House is ideally situated for excellent schooling options. State and private schools are minutes away. The Oundle School is the most conveniently located. However, Stamford Endowed Schools, Kimbolton School, Kings Peterborough, and Oakham School are all within a 21 mile radius (and some offer bus services).

Holiday at Home
The beauty and leisure pursuits available in the gardens and river, make Lock House feel like a holiday at home. The gardens comprise approximately 1½ acres and have been home to trampolines, swing sets, ziplines, and even rugby posts over the years. At the same time, its mature and extensive gardens can manage themselves or provide the perfect canvas for keen gardeners to express themselves. Of course, the property’s 150m of fishing and mooring rights, dock, boat slip, and garden access to the Nene Trail make Lock House the perfect spot for fishing, wild swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, boating, and hiking. The variety of feathered friends makes Lock House appealing to bird watchers, as well. With so much to do, you may never want to leave home.

Versatile Property
If that’s the case, you don’t have to. In one of the self-contained and air-conditioned annexes, there is ample space to work from home. Currently being used as a large home office and conference room, the first of three self-contained annexes could also be used as a one bedroom apartment, a games room, or gym. Upstairs, there is a two bedroom apartment with a spectacular feature window that looks upon the ancient Beech tree and the river.

And finally, on the edge of the river, a two bedroom apartment completes the collection of outbuildings. This detached single storey cottage, has been let on an Assured Shorthold basis with a passing rent until Summer of 2023, of £13,800pa (and has enjoyed a steady supply of financially-backed tenants from the nearby Molesworth - US Air Force Base).

The three annexes at Lock House offer a variety of options to the homeowner: working from home, multi-generational family living, and/or generating additional rental income or holiday rental.

The Main Event
Lock House is only ¾ mile from the A605, yet secluded and peaceful. Located between Pilton and Achurch villages, you enter through electric gates and along a sweeping tarmac driveway (with parking for 10+ vehicles). An ancient Beech tree features in the centre of the drive.

Behind it, the deceptively spacious main house awaits. The home’s living room was originally the lock keeper’s cottage and later, part of the kitchen was used as a pumping station to take water from the river to a WWII US military hospital that was housed at the neighbouring Lilford Hall. Over time, the house has been significantly extended, improved upon and modernised. Today, it offers five large bedrooms, several reception rooms, an option for ground floor living, modern amenities (including air conditioning, waste disposal system and hot tap in the kitchen), underfloor heating, exposed beams, vaulted ceilings, and is bursting with rustic charm.

What about the River?
Because Lock House is on the sluice-controlled side of the river and the opposite side of the river is flood plain, the property is well protected from the river. The Environment Agency regularly maintains Lilford Lock to ensure that it is functioning properly and that the water remains at safe levels.

Location

Lock House is located just outside the hamlet of Lilford on the River Nene within attractive rolling and wooded East Northamptonshire countryside. It is situated midway between the market towns of Oundle and Thrapston (which are both less than five miles away). The King’s Head pub and coffee shop in Wadenhoe (1.4 mi) is accessible by boat and well regarded by boaters, swimmers, and locals alike. In addition, the award winning Snooty Fox in Lowick is less than seven miles away.

The attractive market town of Oundle offers a wonderful range of local services: doctor’s surgery, pharmacies, grocery stores, and leisure facilities, including galleries, a theatre, a library and a number of sports venues that offer swimming, tennis, football, rugby, etc.

For commuters, the A14 offers access to Cambridge (39 miles). The property is also well-placed for rail services to London, with Huntingdon (15 miles) and Peterborough (18 miles) serving Kings Cross, and Wellingborough (17 miles) reaching St. Pancras in about 50 minutes.

There is a choice of excellent schooling. Aside from state options, the market towns of Oundle, Kimbolton, Stamford and Oakham each have highly regarded public schools within a 21 mile radius of of Lock House.

The River Nene offers fabulous boating opportunities from this property, with 88 miles of navigable river between Peterborough and Northampton.

Square Footage: 3,269 sq ft


Acreage: 1.4 Acres

Additional Info

Tenure: Freehold

Local Authority: East Northamptonshire Council

Council Tax Bands: Lock House: G; Cottage: C

Services: Mains water & electricity and drainage. Calor LPG heating. Klargester private treatment plant (2023). Gigaclear Fibreoptic broadband. Air-conditioning in Lock House and Office/annex.

EPC ratings: House: F; Cottage: D; Office/Annex: D