Detached house for sale in Main Street, Leicester LE9

A Grade II listed residence

Brook’s Edge is a residence of quality, elegance and authentic charm. This beautiful property has been carefully nurtured through hundreds of years and retains elements of its Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian past, with a delightful mixture of original and bespoke features. It is a property that is strongly linked to the Armston family who lived in the village for 800 years and were influential locally. During the last sixty years it has been owned by only two families and is a house that can truly boast of being a strong historical component within the village of Cosby. The village is in the south of the county of Leicestershire and while it retains its natural appeal with open countryside and rural farmland, it is centrally positioned and major transport links for road, rail and air are easy to access.

Brook’s Edge is part of the bygone narrative of the village and sits back from the roadside on Main Street. Originally constructed during the Georgian period (1714 – 1837) it became an officially Listed Grade II building in 1957. It has the gracious proportions of a classical structure, with an understated elegance and pleasing symmetry. There are many spacious rooms, with high ceilings and individual characteristics. The house has evolved over the centuries and been tastefully repurposed to accommodate its occupants. It covers over 4,400 square feet of living space across three floors and offers flexibility and options for how the rooms could be used.

Presently, there are three large reception rooms – sitting room, lounge and music room - an imposing hall with capacity for dining, a kitchen/dining room with separate pantry and utility room, a downstairs cloakroom, seven bedrooms and two family bathrooms. Two of the bedrooms have en-suites. Outside, the grounds are equally generous and amount to just under one acre of land. They extend beyond a landscaped arrangement of traditional lawns and planted beds containing cottage plants, shrubbery and trees, to a rear field beyond the garden border, suitable for livestock. A hedge runs alongside the property, creating a perimeter drive leading to a double garage which was once the stable block. There is ample space at the top of the drive for turning or parking several vehicles.

A Georgian doll’s house

The front of the house is the image of a child’s Georgian styled doll’s house and viewed from the bridge opposite - where its namesake flows through banks of trees - the scene is picture perfect. A front garden is bordered by a hedge, with lawns and established planting on each side. Centrally, a garden gate opens onto a pathway, over spilling with lavender, to lead the visitor to the front door.

The main façade is the whitewashed and rendered eighteenth century original house that was altered mid nineteenth century to incorporate the service wing. This Victorian extension remains in brick and is set to the side and further back from the road. Both have slate tiles on open gable roofs, chimney stacks and distinctive multi paned windows, characteristic of the period when large panes of glass could not be manufactured. The panelled wood and glass paned, front door, has a pediment and glazed fanlight, complimented with a rambling wisteria and carriage lamp light.

Once inside, the large entrance hall expands across the width of the house to turn to the Georgian oak staircase on the right and the dining hall leading to the original service wing. It features high ceilings, deep skirting boards and richly toned quarry tiles, with several white painted panelled doors opening into the reception rooms. The switchback staircase is made up of four flights of parallel steps leading to the first and second floors, with darkened oak newel posts, moulded handrail and turned balusters. There is a second entrance to the left of the staircase to permit convenient access to and from the garage and drive. Beneath the staircase there is a panelled under stairs cupboard and immediately to the right, the music room.

The reception rooms

The music room has a dual aspect, with windows overlooking the front and side. It is a light and airy room on a grand scale, featuring a solid wooden floor, inbuilt corner cupboard, galleried radiator covers and ceiling coving. The focal point of the room is the open fireplace with white surround, slate hearth and recessed shelving to the side. Above the fireplace is a copy of the famous painting by Victorian artist William Frederick Yeames, depicting a scene from the English Civil War (1642-1651) of a small boy dressed in Royalist attire being interrogated by Parliamentarian soldiers. Brook’s Edge is believed to have been the house where this happened and Yeames’ imagination was caught by the tale. The original painting is held by the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

The sitting room is an equally large and beautiful space. It has a single window overlooking the front garden and an open fireplace housing a log burner. Decorated in a similar style with original skirting boards, there is another door opening into the dining hall. The third reception room, the lounge, is carpeted and has exposed beams. This room has a dual perspective, looking to the drive and rear gardens. A log burner set in a wide fireplace provides the room with an informality that gives it a snug type feel and makes it the perfect place to relax in.

Dining, kitchen and utility

The hall serves beyond the purpose of linking rooms across the house. It is wide, characterful and light enough to be used as a separate space rather than just as a corridor: Add a dining room table, line it with book shelves or create a cosy nook with sofas. Space and flexibility go hand in hand here and the size of all the reception rooms, plus the quantity of bedrooms, provide many configurations and possibilities for use.

A step divides the area into an inner hallway. Immediately ahead is a cloakroom, fitted with basin and toilet and has a window overlooking the rear gardens. The quarry tiles and exposed beams continue throughout the kitchen and utility and in keeping with the countryside, rustic character of the rooms, the integrated floor and wall units are wooden Shaker style with worktops and tiles in neutral shades. There is ample space for informal dining and a large, shelved pantry provides substantial storage.

The kitchen has dual aspect windows and the sink unit is under the one overlooking the front, with dishwasher fitted to the side. An L shaped unit extends into the room and has an integrated hob with extractor fan above. A large utility room off the kitchen, has ample space for all laundry requirements, including a separate sink, shelving and cupboards. This room has access to the front garden.

An abundance of bedrooms

From the main staircase the first floor opens up into a generous landing area which unites the Victorian extension to the main house, providing five carpeted, bespoke, generously proportioned bedrooms. There are two suites with en-suites and a third has its own study.

The prime suite has an oak panelled headboard and a large en-suite with walk-in shower, roll top free standing bath, two basins and a toilet. There are integrated floor to ceiling wardrobes.

The family bathroom and separate toilet are next door, with bath under the window and a walk-in shower with basin. Further along the landing, the second bedroom has views of the garden and an en-suite comprising of walk-in shower, basin and toilet. These rooms are over the former service wing and there remains three bedrooms to the front of the house, all quite individual: One has a study, others have fireplaces and fitted storage.

On the second floor, double bedrooms six and seven exhibit the curvature of the roof. They share this floor with a spacious bathroom comprising of walk-in shower, bath, basin, toilet, bidet and heated towel rail, and fitted towel cupboard. All of the washing and bathing facilities within Brook’s Edge have been fitted and maintained and equipped with white bathroom furniture.

An amble around the grounds

As with the house, the garden at Brook’s Edge is wonderfully linked to its history. It is a generous, plot with several secluded seating areas, full of character and filled to the brim with plants of all varieties. Containing mature shrubs, fruit trees, perennials and native trees, it has a brook flowing along one border that supplies the house’s well. A summer house with power provides a peaceful retreat and allows views of the house to be appreciated. Beyond the main garden is a field suitable for livestock or used to extend the garden. Behind a hornbeam hedge, is an orchard area with apple, plum and mulberry trees.

Brook’s Edge is a unique property with charisma and charm in abundance. Prospective new owners have a rare opportunity to not only enjoy a bespoke home of grandeur and versatility but invest in a period property and become part of a story.

Locality

Cosby is a village advantageously situated in the south of Leicestershire, benefitting from all the merits of its countryside location while also being close to motorway and rail networks that crisscross the country. It is only 7 miles from Leicester’s city centre, with its multi-cultural restaurants, theatres, museums, galleries, rich retail selection and attractions such as the King Richard III exhibition. From Cosby the M 1 can be reached at junction 20, south, near to Lutterworth and junction 21, north. The A426 is the main through road to Lutterworth, with train stations at Rugby for links to Birmingham and Narborough for links to Leicester, with trains running regularly to London St Pancras International. East Midlands Airport (emb) and Birmingham Airport (bhx) are the closest airports.

Cosby or ‘Cassebi’ was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 but given that the Fosse Way bounds the parish to the north, it may well have been a settlement in earlier times. St Michael’s and All Angels parish church dates from the fourteenth century and the village centre has a selection of buildings including a cruck-framed barn, that combine to mark the centuries that have passed in Cosby, including the present development of homes. The original settlement was based around the open fields system of agriculture predating the Norman Conquest. In 1767 the Enclosure Act forced the predominantly farming community to become invested with industrial economics, namely framework knitting, and then boot and shoe manufacture. Today, the bustling village is part of the Harborough district of Leicestershire and is administered by the Blaby District Council. Larger towns nearby include Whetstone, Blaby, Wigston and Oadby. Although it has existed for centuries, this large village continues to appeal to the community through a wide selection of sport, education and leisure amenities. There are an array of shops, a library, cafes and parks. For more details this site may help:

For those requiring primary schools, Cosby has its own: Cosby Primary School. Wider afield secondary education can be found in Countesthorpe, Lutterworth or Leicester Grammar. The Office for Standards in Education - ofsted – is best researched to provide a comprehensive review of currently rated standards of practice for all educational providers in the vicinity.

Additional Information:

Council - Blaby District Council

Council Banding - G

Broadband Speed -

Disclaimer

Important Information:

Property Particulars: Although we endeavor to ensure the accuracy of property details we have not tested any services, equipment or fixtures and fittings. We give no guarantees that they are connected, in working order or fit for purpose.

Floor Plans: Please note a floor plan is intended to show the relationship between rooms and does not reflect exact dimensions. Floor plans are produced for guidance only and are not to scale