Looking to tick ‘a dream home’ off your resolutions list in 2022? Discover an utterly unique home wrapped up in history, acres of land and potential on the outskirts of the picturesque South Cheshire village of Malpas. It’s time to ring in the New Year and chime in the changes at The Clock House.

Tucked off the handy A41, only two miles outside Malpas, take the private, electric gated entrance to The Clock House, shielded from view of the road by mature pine trees, bluebell dells and specimen pine trees. Pull into the driveway and sense the serenity of this historic home’s situation, wrapped up in acres of fields. Plentiful parking is available.

Embracing spaces
Welcome home! Step inside through the robust oak front door, into a part-panelled porch, with original mosaic tiling underfoot. Ahead, stained-glass double doors open into the most welcoming entrance hall.

Toasty warmth emanates from the wood-burning stove, set within its original stone fireplace embellished with antique Delft tiles. Underfoot, original wooden parquet flooring extends, marrying with the rich oak panelling of the hand carved staircase ahead. Tucked away on the left, a stained-glass panelled door opens to a traditional cloakroom, with a separate, enclosed WC. Original tiling and gilded taps nod to the home’s heritage.

OWNER QUOTE: “We got a big warm cosy feeling as soon as we saw the wood burner and the panelling. We bought it then.”

A versatile home, The Clock House offers sociable spaces for family to come together, for festive dining, rooms of relaxation and pockets of peace for catching up on work.

The Writer’s Retreat
A comforting study, original flooring is retained beneath the carpet. A large window seat provides a place to sit and soak up the views, whilst original patio doors open to a covered veranda; a sheltered spot for a coffee break overlooking the lake.

The Lake Room
The Lake Room, a distinguished drawing room, frames views out over the lake through a large stone mullion bay window and over the rhododendrons, lawns and canal system water feature to the side. Another spectacular original wooden floor lies beneath the cream carpet whilst an ornately carved wooden surround houses an open log fire, issuing old school warmth throughout. Detailed coving skirts the ceiling for a formal feel; a grand room with a welcoming nature.

Family feasting
Pre-dinner drinks in the drawing room are best enjoyed before a hearty Hogmanay feast (or Sunday roast), served up in the formal dining room.

Dressed in Christmas tones of spiced berry red and cream, a large bay window captures views out over the pergola walkway, festooned with climbing roses throughout the summer.

A grandly-sized dining room with the capacity to accommodate a baby grand piano, it is perfect for dinner parties and entertaining. The intricately carved fireplace is most handsome when adorned with holly boughs and ivy, gathered from the garden, during the festive season.

Culinary comforts
Victorian style black and red tiling extends underfoot in the homely kitchen, where solid maple cabinetry provides plentiful storage for all the culinary essentials. A large maple-topped central island contains further storage within. Spotlighting above adds a contemporary note alongside a microwave combi oven and an induction hob. But it is the traditional warmth of the blue Aga cooker, set within an inglenook, which best captures the merry mood of the room; it even heats the water. Sneak a peek at the original walk-in pantry, a baker’s dream replete with ample shelving.

OWNER QUOTE: “Everyone who has lived here has loved and looked after this house with respect. It’s what you do with a home like this.”

Family time
Sequestered from the main entertaining rooms is a private family room, featuring an impressive antique cast iron Range, replete with its original tiling and cabinetry. A warm, welcoming and spacious room, a dining area to the rear is succeeded by a large seating area, where sofas face a wall-mounted television and views through flanking windows out over the courtyard beyond. The ultimate party room, dressed in designer Cole & Son wallpaper; youngsters can pile on the sofa with their friends without disturbing the rest of the home.

Practical places
Providing distinction between the kitchen and family room is the boot room.

A double Belfast sink is perfect for scrubbing clean boots and equipment, standing alongside more cabinetry for overspill kitchen storage. Step out through the door (painted a pretty pillar-box red on the outside) into the courtyard – a securely gated and walled outdoor space perfect for dogs, who have easy access into the boiler house and washroom beyond. The original well pump is still in the yard.

Stone granite tiles underfoot in the boot room accommodate a large slab, beneath which is access to The Clock House’s own personal well room, with a large, vaulted ceiling. Also located below the ground floor is a wine cellar and champagne cellar.

Bedroom bliss
A selection of seven spacious bedrooms awaits upstairs, with the flexible addition of an eighth should you desire, accessed via a handsome wood panelled staircase from the entrance hall.

The master suite, accessed through an ante room, features an ensuite, tiled in buff tones with private views out over the fields to the horses. A refreshing room containing a shower cubicle, wash basin and WC, it is accessed from the ante room.

Beneath the archway lies the light and spacious master bedroom. Set above the drawing room, a bay window captures views out over the peaceful lake below. To the side, a large sofa is set under a window overlooking the canal and rhododendron walk. Across from the super-king-size bed, an original fireplace adds comforting warmth whilst an entire wall is devoted to fitted wardrobes.

Nestled along two wings from the stairs, a selection of bedrooms and bathrooms awaits, alongside a second study, overlooking the lake and featuring built-in wardrobes, a window seat and an original fireplace.

Quaint alcoves, cast iron fireplaces, stained-glass windows and serene, varying views over the lake, the woodland, the fields, sunken garden and swimming pool greet from every bedroom. Versatile and flexible, the bedrooms at The Clock House are currently used for a variety of functions, as guest rooms, games and dressing rooms.

Woodland wanderings
Wander through the rose pergola, where a secret passageway arches beneath the rhododendron bushes, leading out to the second private driveway (or tradesmen’s entrance!) beyond which a large orchard lies, stocked with a large variety of organic fruit trees and berries, with fields beyond. Stretching out for acres, sense the privacy and seclusion afforded by life at The Clock House.

Returning through the magical archway, turn right and take the rhododendron walk – a spectacle of pink in May and June. Walk along to the old grass tennis court, with the opportunity to build a log cabin or yoga studio (subject to planning permissions) in this pleasingly private spot, currently used as a croquet lawn and as a secluded spot for morning yoga. Screened even from the house by mature beech trees, this hidden suntrap is one of many pockets of privacy at The Clock House.

Continue your meanders along the shore of the lake, through the mature trees, providing a plethora of wood season upon season. Gather holly to spruce up your festive décor. Mature trees of all varieties create a varied woodland. Spy a kissing gate, from where you can temporarily leave the comforts of The Clock House to visit the nearby village of Malpas, a pleasant two-mile walk.

Bluebells cover the ground in May, with the surrounding fields brimming in wildflowers. A mown path in summertime provides pathways in which to walk the dog without ever needing to leave the comfort and security of The Clock House. In another meadow, spy the horses as they shelter from the sunshine beneath the shade of a 300-year-old oak tree. A spectacular sight to behold.

The Clock House: Outbuildings and development opportunities

The Carriage House

OWNER QUOTE: “This is definitely a lifestyle house – it needs to be enjoyed.”

Dating back to 1750, the Grade-II listed Carriage House, set in the grounds of The Clock House, is a slice of the past caught in amber. Still fitted with original stables and manger beyond its original double doors, the original herringbone flooring contains drainage channels. Stairs lead up to what was once the ostlers’ accommodation for the grooms who would look after the horses on their long journey (the A41 is the old mail route and runs between Marble Arch, London and Birkenhead).

Upstairs, three large rooms are currently used as office space and also house the original clock and bell, made by J B Joyce (reputedly the oldest clockmakers in the world, established in the 1600s) also responsible for the Eastgate Clock in Chester and the clock at Carnforth Railway Station, immortalised in the 1940s film Brief Encounter.

Development Potential
Planning permission is approved to transform the Carriage House into an additional four-bedroom home, if you so wish. Also, the Stables and Barn have been granted planning permission to be transformed into a 3-bedroom property or guest home. Ideal for extended family or for extra income via rental, The Clock House is a home set both in the past, present and future.

Furthermore, a land option encompassing 12 of The Clock House’s 18 acres has been signed up with a developer.

With so many avenues to explore, the lucrative potential of The Clock House as an investment as well as a home is an enticing prospect.

The Swimming Pool
Behind the Carriage House discover a private, walled garden with a pond and abundant trees and shrubs.

Encased in glass, open the door to the swimming pool. To the rear of this crystal-clear pool, discover a neat kitchen with sink and fridge. Also within this building is a shower room and WC. Spend all day relaxing by the pool – without even needing to return to the main house.

Freshwater swimming can also be dipped into in the lake. Take a break from work and slip outside from the ground floor study to the water’s edge. Brimming with pink and white water-lilies, yellow flagstaff irises and fresh water fish, take the boat out from the boat house for a relaxing row on the lake, watching the ducks swim surreptitiously in and out of the reeds as they visit their nesting ground at the duck house. The lake filters out into canal systems, beneath the rose pergola and into a secret walled garden by the pool.

The Clock House: History and local area links

Built in the 1870s, The Clock House has connections to a distinguished selection of prominent local families including Chester’s premier civil engineer and ‘unsung hero’ Thomas Brassey. Born in nearby Buerton, Brassey was at the forefront of building not only Britain’s railways, but railways across the globe during the 1800s.

Village living
Explore life in the thriving nearby village. Malpas, a mere two miles away, is an historic town on the Cheshire, Welsh and Shropshire borders, nestled between two great estates owned by Lord Cholmondeley and the Duke of Westminster.

There are also the three castles within a few miles of The Clock House as it borders Wales and Cheshire, Cholmondeley, Beeston, and Peckforton with another estate at Bolesworth, which holds international sporting events. Malpas is filled with artisan bakers, long-established butchers and other independent shops and stores.

Brimming with amenities including doctors and chemists, convenience stores, cafes and pubs this pretty village is filled with a community feel.

Families are well placed close to Bishop Heber High School, an educational establishment with an enviable reputation for excellence. Also within easy reach are several private schools, including Ellesmere College, Abbey Gate College and the Queen’s and King’s Schools in Chester.

Get to know the friendly faces of your neighbours at local pub The Lion, or savour devilled kidneys on toast or their traditional pub plate to share at the award-winning Cholmondeley Arms, a revamped old schoolhouse which even serves up a meaty ‘beer’ broth for your four-legged friends.

For commuters, The Clock House’s location couldn’t be better, only five miles from the railway station at Whitchurch where a mainline service connects you with Manchester and Cardiff. Shropshire is only three miles from the doorstep, with Wales accessible in four miles. Trains run to Crewe station for connections to London Euston in under two hours.

Equine aficionados can travel to Bangor-on-Dee for the races a few miles away, one of the most picturesque courses in Britain. Also, there’s premier flat racing at Chester, the oldest racecourse in Britain.

Offering versatile living, encased in history, with privacy, accessibility and vast and varied grounds and gardens, The Clock House is the ideal haven for an entrepreneurial family who love entertaining, animal lovers and gregarious individuals who appreciate the rich rewards of a home with heritage.

Book your viewing today.