Description
A Grade II* listed house on the site of a former fortified manor house with a moat (an ancient scheduled monument), a tennis court, outbuildings and over 24 acres of gardens and paddocks. Bletsoe Castle was created by John de Patishull, who received a licence to crenellate an existing manor house on the east side of Bletsoe in 1327. In 1421 the house descended to Margaret Beauchamp who married John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset.
Their daughter, Margaret Beaufort, mother of the first Tudor King Henry VII, was born in the house in 1443. The house later passed down in the St John of Bletsoe family. In the late 16th or early 17th century, a new building was erected around the castle, quadrangular in design. Much of this later building was pulled down, leaving a much smaller building, but still incorporating parts of the older castle within the older medieval earthworks.
The present house is of late 16th century origins and was used as a farmhouse from 1813. Only the outer walls of the original Elizabethan fabric remain. The old moat, which is an ancient scheduled monument, can still be traced for a considerable distance around the old walls of the castle.
About The House The house is largely built of course limestone with clay tiles over a hipped roof and has 7,605 sq. ft. of versatile accommodation.
The property includes deep skirting boards, high ceilings, fireplaces, and exposed beams which works well for modern family life with a combination of formal rooms for socialising with other rooms for quiet seclusion. The main reception rooms are interconnected, and several rooms have doors to the garden giving a good flow through the space for entertaining. There is also a study for working from home and an impressive gym.
The high ceilings continue to the first floor which has a principal bedroom suite with dressing room which can be used also as a nursery or a double bedroom, and ensuite bathroom, six further double bedrooms, a study/bedroom, and three further bath or shower rooms.
There is potential to separate the bedroom, study and one bathroom into a separate suite if desired or auxiliary staff accommodation.
Equestrian facilities include six stables, a tack room, a barn, and several paddocks. The extensive outbuildings also include a substantial barn, several storerooms, garages, an orangery and a two-bedroom cottage which has 1,005 sq. ft. of accommodation.
The property has more than 24 acres of gardens and grounds which wrap around the house and are surrounded by open countryside. It is a peaceful rural location but is within walking distance of amenities in the village and is within 12 minutes' drive of the wider amenities of Bedford including Bedford train station with regular trains to London St. Pancras International taking just 41 minutes and Luton Airport in just 29 minutes.
Ground Floor From the front of the property, an arched glazed door leads into the dining hall which has the original flagstone flooring and the main oak staircase to the first floor has been restored. A solid oak entrance door at the rear of the property opens to the kitchen/breakfast room which has a door to the dining hall.
A door from the kitchen leads to an inner hall which has several built-in storage cupboards and access to a cloakroom with storage for coats and shoes, a wash basin, and the WC in a separate room.
The inner hall has access to the TV / cinema room, snug and the music room which links the inner and side halls and has a door to the boot room which has a window to the side, and a sink.
The boot room has access to the boiler room which has a part glazed door to the rear and houses the two new Worcester Bosch boilers and two Megaflow tanks.
The side hall has a second cloakroom with a Burlington suite, the back stairs to the first floor, and access to the laundry room, study, and gym.
The four principal reception rooms all have windows overlooking the southwest lawned garden. The dining hall has a traditional stone fireplace, a display alcove, and a built-in cupboard and connects the kitchen, cinema room and drawing room.
On one side is the dual aspect drawing room which has an open fireplace with a stone surround and hearth, views over the historic moat, and glazed double doors to an extensive gravel terrace which spans the front and side of the property and provides ample space for outside dining and seating areas. On the other side of the dining hall is a sitting room which is currently used as a TV/cinema room and has a built-in cupboard and space for a cinema screen or 100-inch TV.
Other Reception Rooms The snug, accessed via the inner hallway, has a window to the rear and could alternatively be used as a playroom. The music room has solid oak block parquet flooring and a window overlooking the gardens at the front.
There is also a study for working from home which has access to an understairs storage cupboard, and a window overlooking the lawned garden. The triple aspect gym measures 28 ft. by over 19 ft. and has a door to the gardens and tennis court, oak flooring, and two built-in cupboards, one of which houses the electrical controls for the property.
Kitchen/Breakfast Room The impressive kitchen/breakfast room measures over 35 ft. by nearly 17 ft. This room was added as an extension to the property in the 1980s and was formerly used as a games room. The kitchen is fitted with a comprehensive range of bespoke handmade full height and base units, including a double larder pantry cupboard and pan drawers, with quartz work surfaces incorporating an inset double sink and drainer.
The central island as quartz and wooden work surfaces and incorporates a breakfast bar, a circular prep sink, a wine fridge, and an induction hob. There is an Everhot range cooker with an extractor fan over, and other Neff and Bosch appliances include a dishwasher, a larder fridge, an oven, and a combination oven/microwave.
There is marble flooring throughout, space for a table to seat at least eight, and dual aspect windows and a feature circular skylight provide plenty of natural light.
Laundry Room The laundry room is fitted with a range of handmade base and full height cupboards, many with internal power points to facilitate charging of appliances. There is a double butler sink under a window overlooking the front garden, and space and plumbing for a washing machine and tumble dryer.
First Floor The first floor can be accessed via the main stairs from the dining hall as well as by the back staircase by the study. The stairs lead to a long landing which spans the width of the property and has several windows to the rear overlooking the forecourt driveway and countryside beyond.
Principal Bedroom Suite The principal bedroom is at the west end of the house and has dual aspect windows with views over the garden and the moat. The ensuite has a Burlington suite which includes a bath, a separate shower cubicle, twin vanity washbasins set into a marble top, a WC, a towel radiator, mirrors with mood lighting, and marble floor and wall tiles. A connecting door from the bathroom leads to the dressing room which has a range of bespoke handmade wardrobes. The dressing room can be used as another double bedroom or nursery.
Other Bedrooms and Bathrooms There are six further double bedrooms which all have high ceilings and windows overlooking the front garden. There is also a dual aspect double bedroom to the rear of the property. These bedrooms share a family shower room and a family bathroom both of which have Burlington sanitaryware. The shower room also has a built-in shelved airing cupboard.
One of the bedrooms has a connecting door to a study which could be used as an ninth bedroom if required. There is also another bathroom which has a claw footed bath with a shower attachment, a vanity washbasin, a WC and a towel radiator. These rooms are on the part of the landing accessed by the back stairs and could be separated off or auxiliary accommodation for staff.
Bletsoe Castle Cottage The vendors have resurrected a run-down farmers cottage with 1,005 sq.ft into a high specification two bedroom auxiliary accommodation which could be used for guests or extended family or could be rented out.
It has wi-fi enabled electric column radiators throughout and is entered via a wooden door from the courtyard into a hall which has access to a bedroom, and a bathroom which has a Chatsworth suite with a bath with a rainwater and standard shower over, a WC and a vanity washbasin.
Appliances include a Neff induction hob with an extractor over, a wine fridge, fridge/freezer, a double Neff oven, and integrated washing machine and dishwasher. Steps up lead to a large sitting/dining room which has solid oak parquet flooring, and dual aspect windows to the courtyard and garden.
The hall also has a door to the snug which has double doors to the garden and a door to the second bedroom. The kitchen has a range of high end full height and base units with quartz work surfaces incorporating a Belfast sink and drainer.
Gardens The gardens are a particular feature of Bletsoe Castle and include the moat which wraps around the property on two sides. The remains of the original stone moat bridge are also in the gardens which are mainly laid to lawn with established flower beds, herbaceous borders, specimen trees and shrubs.
A walled garden to the east of the house includes flowers, vegetable beds and fruit trees. Beyond the gardens there is a paddock which is partly enclosed by a post and rail fence and has parkland trees such as oak, beech, and flowering cherry. There are further fenced paddocks to the north of the house and in total the grounds extend to approximately 24.25 acres.
The property is accessed via a long gravel drive which passes the tennis court with floodlighting on its way to the house and outbuildings.
The property has 3,812 sq. ft. of outbuildings which include a machinery store and stables and a store attached to the cottage, and further outbuilding with stabling for four horses and a large open fronted double height barn. There are further outbuildings to the east of the house including garages for 3 cars, garden stores and an Orangery.
The tennis court has been fully restored with new floodlights and a new surface. It is surrounded by chain link fencing and has floodlighting for all year-round play.
Bletsoe Bletsoe Castle is situated in the village of Bletsoe which has a small park, a village hall and a church. For a wider range of amenities, the village is only about 6 miles from the county town of Bedford which has a shopping centre, numerous cafés and restaurants and a wide choice of state and independent schools. Trains to London St Pancras take about 41 minutes. The M1 is 17.7 miles away and London is only 64 miles away.
The house is surrounded by gently undulating countryside with The River Great Ouse a short distance to the west. Local sporting activities include golf at Woburn, Aspley Guise and various other courses around Bedford.
