Marston Hill, Marston Moretaine on approx 7.1 Acres

There’s nothing quite as special as the setting of this stunning equestrian residence, situated within 7.11 acres of land, with 12 stables, paddocks, a pasture and menage. Horses could not be happier, and humans even more so, encompassed by unsurpassed scenery.

Built in 2016, the land on which Orchard Lodge is sited presented the perfect opportunity to create a home, retaining the substantial acreage around it. The house and garden represent c.0.6 acres of the total, and the remaining comprises the equestrian facilities and fields. The owner personally planned and sketched (and also reclaimed the gorgeous entrance doors!), for an architect to work wonders, producing an unexpectedly stylish, contemporary and bright property, rendered to the front and timber-clad to the rear to fit the wooded surroundings.

For a family, a couple or for single residency, there’s plenty of space, yet there’s scope to extend out to provide more accommodation if desired. The layout has versatility, with rooms affording various uses. The triple aspect reception room at the front would be fabulous as a lounge due to the fireplace with wood burner, but there’s flexibility as a formal dining room with capacity for a large table for the whole family. The study on the other side of the ground floor is also large enough as a bedroom or a second reception room.

Upstairs, bedrooms two and three are equal in size with eaves storage, and one has built-in mirrored wardrobes for a vast amount of clothing. All three bedrooms have space for ample furniture and a king bed at least, and the master triumphs with its vaulted ceiling, Juliet balcony, bespoke full-length built-in wardrobes, and en suite shower room. This is just magical in the mornings, opening up the curtains to let the light and landscape emanate in through the bi-folds.

The owners favourite room is the bathroom, where relaxing in the freestanding clawfoot tub feels positively regal, raised up for outstanding views over rolling fields and countryside, watching the sun setting in the evenings.

The open plan and dual aspect kitchen/dining/living area is contained to the back of the property for everyday living in one glorious space. Beautifully designed, the trendy kitchen offers copious storage, a peninsula breakfast bar, integrated appliances and a ceramic butler sink. The utility, boot room and cloakroom on the upper level allow for separation of laundry from living, and a secondary entrance for coming in from the yard with muddy boots.

The dining/living area has bi-fold doors onto the garden, and the south-facing aspect allows sunlight to flood in. The owners have hosted lots of parties and celebrations at home, from intimate gatherings between the house and garden, the barbeque fired up, to a huge guestlist of 100 with a marquee erected.The main garden is interspersed with apple, pear and plum trees as well as a mulberry bush.

For big families or big parties, the driveway delivers parking for many cars, and lorries have parked here with ease. Following a tree-lined secondary drive, the stables are joined by tack rooms, hay barns, a washbox and kitchen, plus the menage and pasture opposite, and just over 6 acres of paddock. The owners focus on a quattro of stallions, but there’s potential to run a livery yard (subject to planning), and the stable block holds opportunity to erect or convert into a dwelling (again subject to planning).

An outbuilding nearer to the front of the plot has been utilised as a home office and a storeroom, and this construction ideal for business premises has light, power and heating, alongside security features including reinforced glass, barred windows and interlocking shutters.

Although on a private plot in a rural location with a sleepier pace of life, with more horses than people in the immediate vicinity, you’re far from being too remote. When not busy at the stables or enjoying the home, Cranfield is the closest for amenities, which is world-renowned for its university and airfield. Marston Moretaine is only a couple of miles away for the amenities there, and there’s Millbrook golf club too. The nearby market towns of Woburn and Ampthill have independent boutiques and restaurants, as well as attractions such as Woburn Safari Park, Abbey and Centre Parcs. The owners recommend a gastro-takeaway from Cross Keys in Wootton, and we like The Cock Inn in North Crawley.

Schooling can be found in neighbouring villages, with Bedford’s Harpur Trust, independent and private schools accessible by car. Transport across the county and country is facilitated by rail and roads such as the A1 (15-20 minutes) and M1 (5-10 minutes), and Luton airport is 23 miles away. The owners love Marston Moretaine’s Millenium Country Park and the Thrift for getting outdoors, but they’ve appreciated being able to take walks, dog walks and horse rides in and around their own expansive land. With direct completely off-road hacking from the second you mount, there really is no better place to ride, and to live, than here at Orchard Lodge.