4 bedroom cottage for sale

When calling for a viewing please quote ref: 103039

With 750ft of canal frontage and approaching 2 acres of grounds a unique and historic grade II listed waterside family home within easy walking distance of the town centre and two of Cornwall\'s best beaches offering four bedrooms, two bathrooms, sitting room, dining room, kitchen / breakfast room, utility / laundry, cloakroom and boot-room. The grounds have been landscaped to offer formal and informal gardens, an orchard, a wild-life garden, and even a private quarry all enjoying views across the canal and / or town. In addition there is a garage and off road parking for several vehicles.


About bude
Its beautiful beaches and idyllic location on Cornwall’s north coast have been drawing people to Bude since Victorian times when it was a successful holiday destination and nowadays it’s no different. Present day Bude is a charming small town with lots of character. Its two broad sandy beaches face west and the Atlantic rollers make for excellent surfing conditions when the weather is right.

Taking its name from the town, Bude Canal was originally built to take sand from the beaches inland for agricultural use on fields. The arrival of the railway in Holsworthy undermined this business but the town continued to thrive and the wharf area and harbour enjoyed a longer success with coastal sailing ships carried grain across to Wales and coal back to Cornwall. Nowadays the Canal provides a wonderful place to cycle, walk and watch the local birdlife which abounds in the area.

Today the town offers a wide range of facilities including an 18-hole golf course as well as tennis, squash, bowls, indoor and outdoor swimming pools as well as its own leisure and sports complex. The A39 Atlantic Highway provides easy access to the rugged coast, moors and countryside of Devon and Cornwall as well as further afield.

Situation
Set on the banks of Bude Canal just half a mile inland from the lock gates on Summerleaze Beach, Casting House Cottage enjoys a peaceful and tranquil location only minutes walk from the town centre. Thanks to its canal-side position, the property has an advantage uncommon to many waterside properties… peace of mind from flood.

Description
Originally known as Rounds Casting House, and formed from two smaller cottages, Casting House Cottage dates back to the early 19th Century where its purpose was to produce iron fittings to be used on the Canal. Today there are still many clues to its original, industrial heritage including slate flagstone floors, heavy wood beams, two front doors and two staircases which serve individual wings of the first floor. Needless to say, that all of the reception rooms, bedrooms and kitchen / breakfast room enjoy views across the canal.

On the ground floor a gabled porch opens into the Sitting Room, which at nearly 22ft provides a comfortable and spacious room for all the family, especially with its carved Portland stone fireplace with multi-fuel stove. An archway leads through thick stone walls into the Dining Room, which also has its own front door. As one would expect the Dining Room leads on into the comfortable breakfast / kitchen room which enjoys views across the formal garden as well as the canal thanks to its dual aspect. As well as providing more than enough space for informal family dining and relaxing there is plenty of work and storage space thanks to the oak fronted floor and wall mounted cabinets, granite effect work tops and range style cooker with gas hobs and electric oven. Back at the other end of the house at the rear of the Sitting Room a door opens into a rear lobby area which houses a cloakroom. This leads into the utility room / laundry with the boot-room just off to the side.

The first floor divides neatly into two wings, each with two bedrooms and bathroom. The first is accessed via a staircase that rises from the Dining Room. Here can be found the master and second bedrooms both of which look out over the canal. The well appointed bathroom also enjoys views across the garden and has a distinctly period feel thanks to period style tiling, wood panelling, WC and washbasin, however the Jacuzzi bath with Galaxy shower offers very modern creature comforts. A second staircase rises from the Sitting Room into the second wing. Here there are two further bedrooms and the second well appointed bathroom with WC, wash-basin and panelled bath with Gainsborough shower.

The garden is another unique feature of Casting House Cottage. Approaching two acres in size it offers everything that the keen gardener could want from a productive orchard, through a “lost quarry” and canal basin to an elevated grass terrace which offers stunning views back towards the town. Immediately to the side of the garden stone steps lead up to a formally planted grass terrace surrounded by mature borders full of all sorts of shrubs and perennial planting. Just below this terrace a grass path leads past a small jetty then gently rises past a summer house and garage, both of which enjoy views across the canal, into the main, more informal gardens. The path leads on up to an orchard which is home to several apple trees, pear trees and a quince together with a fruit cage packed with raspberries. In Spring this area is full of daffodils which have naturalized over the years to create a wonderful display. From here the garden ascends to a grass terraced, mini-meadow which looks back towards the town. Descending onto the valley floor takes you into the wild-life section of the garden reclaimed from the original quarry and canal basin.

The quarry and canal basin provide a wonderful habitat for badgers, foxes, frogs, bats and a wide variety of birds. Records show that sandstone from this very quarry was used in the construction of the buildings and wharves around this part of the canal. At the base of the quarry are the remains of the canal basin, where barges used to be turned around and this is also a wonderful wildlife habitat. Paths have been created through these two areas to create hidden picnic and seating areas whilst maintaining an idyllic wildlife setting.

In summary the whole garden is a peaceful haven offering many varied views as its paths gently wind their way through formal areas, informal planting, orchards and small meadows.

Accommodation

Ground floor

Kitchen breakfast room 4.93m x 3.33m / 16’2” x 10’11”
Dual aspect with views across canal and garden. Light oak finished floor and wall mounted cabinets with granite effect worktops and ceramic tiled splashbacks, matching kitchen dresser. Stainless steel sink, electric range cooker with split hob. Walk-in shelved pantry. Space for American style fridge / freezer.

Dining room 4.34m x 3.50m / 14’3” x 11’6”
Glazed and panelled door to front of property. Window overlooking terrace. Beamed ceiling. Door concealing staircase to first floor.

Sitting room 6.55m x 4.50m / 21’6” x 14’9”
Two windows overlook the canal. Slate flagstone floor, carved Portland stone fireplace with multi-fuel stove, display niche, under-stair recess, stairs rising to first floor.

Rear lobby 1.50m x 0.94m / 4’11” x 3’1”
Window to rear

Cloakroom
WC, wash-basin, obscured window to rear

Utility room / laundry 3.84m x 1.98m / 12’7” x 6’6”
Panelled and glazed door to front. Boiler. Space and plumbing for washing machine, space for freezer, space and vent for tumble dryer, concealed meter, stainless steel sink in double fronted cabinet. Wall cabinet.

Boot room 3.78m x 1.17m / 12’5” x 3’10”
Window to front, storage shelving.

First floor (from Dining Room)

Landing

Bedroom 1 4.44m x 3.15m / 14’7” x 10’4”
Window to front overlooking canal. Built-in double & single wardrobes

Bedroom 2 3.53m x 3.10m / 11’7” x 10’2”
Double aspect overlooking gardens and canal. Built in double wardrobe, wash basin.

Bathroom 1
WC, wash basin, panelled spa jet Jacuzzi bath with Galaxy shower over. Airing cupboard.

First floor (from Sitting Room)

Landing

Bedroom 3 3.99m x 3.33m / 13’1” x 10’11”
Window to front overlooking canal. Double wardrobe.

Bedroom 4 / study 3.18m x 2.87m / 10’5” x 7’6”
Window to front overlooking canal.

Bathroom 2
WC, wash-basin, panelled bath with Gainsborough shower over. Large airing cupboard with hot water tank.

Outside
The property has exclusive gated access from a private brick paved drive onto its secluded front terrace which provides parking for several cars.

Services
Mains water, electricity and drainage.

Council tax band E