With sheep nibbling contentedly on the lawn outside, Holbrook Grange in Long Lawford, near Rugby, is a picture of pastoral splendour.

But this rural idyll is less than an hour’s train ride from London and, at £1.65 million, is a genuine bargain when compared to the prices being charged in the capital for properties no bigger than Holbrook’s staff quarters.

Nick Rudge of Savills, the agency marketing the property, said: “If you have ever dreamed of owning a country house, the chances are the image in your mind is not that far from Holbrook Grange.

“It is architecturally elegant and immaculate in presentation following recent refurbishment.

“Its location, just under three miles from Rugby, means that its residents can be in London Euston in under an hour.

“For those working in the capital, Holbrook Grange represents exceptional value. At £1.65 million, it costs much the same as a one-bedroom apartment in Chelsea.”

This fine Georgian house is quite the gem. Built in the neoclassical style in the early to mid 19th century, it was the ancestral home of the Caldecotts.

They were clearly a family of some influence in the area as one of the three pubs in the village is called The Caldecott Arms.

Now Grade II listed, Holbrook has been extensively renovated and extended in recent years and the overall result can only be described as “lavish”.

From the outside it is a fine looking building built of grey stone beneath a tile roof.

Inside the decor is rather more opulent, with marble fireplaces, oak floors, high ceilings with cornice, crown mouldings and decorative plaster work, a curved dog-leg staircase with turned mahogany balusters and moulded hand rail, sash windows, shutters and window seats.

Improvements to the house have resulted in more opportunity for leisure and entertainment, with the latest addition being a snooker room. With its wood panelling and French doors to the garden, it wouldn’t look out of place in a gentlemens club.

Other more formal spaces include drawing, dining and sitting rooms, with a study providing the perfect setting for working at home. A large conservatory has a very special feel to it, with plenty of places to display plants. It currently makes a superb second/summer dining room.

For more informal meals, the large fitted kitchen can easily accommodate a table and chairs at one end.

Practical rooms on the ground floor include a utility, a walk-in larder, two stores, a guest cloakroom, a workshop and double and single garages (both of the latter accessed from the outside). There are also extensive cellars below. The first floor has six bedroom suites.

The master is complete with both en suite bath and shower room, and a dressing room. All of the other bedrooms are served by their own bath or shower rooms, and there is an extra shower room thrown in for good measure.

Fitness enthusiasts will be keen to make use of the gym on this floor, reached by a second staircase.

On the top floor there are two more double bedrooms, one with an en suite shower room and the other with a bathroom.

A self-contained apartment with a living room, two bedrooms, dining room, kitchen and en suite bathroom would be ideal for family, guests or staff. Holbrook Grange sits in more than an acre of mature gardens with established specimen trees including wellingtonia, a pond and shaded woodland.

The lawns extend to a ha-ha with parkland grazing beyond.

Holbrook is approached from the village along Chapel Street.

Long Lawford has an active community. Its amenities include a Methodist Church and several pubs (which is ironic given the Methodists’ reputation for favouring abstinence).

Nick Rudge adds: “The choice of both state and independent schools locally is impressive with Rugby School and Warwick School among them.

“There is a range of sporting and recreational facilities in the region including golf at The Belfry and Forest of Arden, racing at Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon, and fishing and sailing at Draycote Water.

“For those craving international travel, there is convenient access to airports including Birmingham International, Coventry, East Midlands and London Luton.”

Mainline train services can travel from Rugby to London Euston in approximately 50 minutes.

Access to the M1 is eight and half miles away while the M6 is just over five.

VIEWING INFORMATION

AGENT: Savills

TEL: 01295 228000

WEB: www.savills.com

GUIDE PRICE: £1,650,000