The Property

The Clock House, originally known as Woodside Villa, was built around 1890 by David Shepherd, a retired whale oil merchant from Dundee. Its distinctive clock, brought from Eaton Hall, keeps time for the village over the years.

Nestled in the heart of the village of Christleton, The Clock House is a familiar landmark in this quintessential country-comfort Cheshire village.

Behind the heritage façade, The Clock House delivers on its promise of grandeur, its columned portico leading through into a broad and bright entrance hall, where light spills down the ornate staircase from the landing above. A home defined by its sense of balance and proportion, spacious yet not rambling, The Clock House flows with a metronome made for modern family life.

Embellished cornicing, distinctive throughout the rooms, captures the home’s heritage, tracing the ceiling of the central entrance hall, whose four rooms radiate off beyond traditional panelled doors with layered architraves.

The Sitting room offers a space to entertain and unwind in sophisticated style and is flooded with light from a large bay window overlooking the the garden. Warmth resonates from the open fire within its handsome surround, with honey toned wooden flooring underfoot: dressed in neutral shades of soft green, this room lends itself to winter mornings and festive celebrations.

Opposite, to the left of the entrance hall, the dining room, with an elegant marble fireplace. Throughout the home, Sash windows have been restored and replaced respectfully with high quality integrated double glazing.

The panelled staircase, painted in soft cream rises with a spectacular finial, spindles and hand rail from Eaton Hall, and a cosy snug with log-burning stove nestles in its original fireplace offers a quiet place in which to pause. Also fitted with shelving and storage, a hidden television is neatly concealed. Light and bright, views beckon out toward The Coach House, The Clock House’s own private annexe.

The heart of the home, the kitchen has been reborn over the past 12 months, furnished with a newly modified electric Aga. From winter through to summer, each oven is independently operable for total efficiency alongside hobs that warm quickly while still delivering the familiar comfort of traditional Aga cooking. A range of gas hobs, together with an integrated microwave oven completes the options for cooking. Opposite, a vast central island is finished with granite worktops providing plenty of preparation space and storage.

Appliances include a larder fridge and separate freezer, dishwasher and concealed recycling units alongside a dresser with space for a large kitchen table, while wooden flooring flows underfoot. Double doors open the to the garden for easy indoor-outdoor flow and al fresco dining.

The garden room is a sun-kissed sanctuary, with wide windows in charcoal grey framing views out over the Cheshire brick walls and rambling roses. Skylights within the solid roof open and automatically close, for the perfect ambience.

A back porch tiled underfoot provides access out to the patio and garden at the rear, also leading to a downstairs WC. A large mahogany door doors allows access to the fully tanked basement, a versatile space that has served over the years as a cinema room, children’s den, playroom, gym and office, with a separate wine cellar. Down here, another door opens to a practical laundry room, complete with clothes airer, freezer, sink and ample storage.

French doors open onto a balcony on the second floor, framed with wrought iron railings, romantically festooned in flowering vines. From here, views stretch across the garden and towards the Coach House, with space enough for a bistro table and chairs, a private spot for morning coffee.

Four of the five bountiful principle bedrooms are furnished with fitted wardrobes and balanced in proportion.

The principal bedroom is dressed in soothing shades of soft duck egg blue, furnished with fitted wardrobes with ample space for a sofa, and is completed by a shower room en suite- with Hansgrohe fittings and Matki shower tray and door- and a fantastic dressing area.

The family bathroom boasts a large bath with showerhead attachment accompanies a separate walk-in shower with Hansgrohe shower, Matki tray and shower door, wash basin with vanity unit storage, heated towel radiator and WC. The bathroom also contains an airing cupboard with a mains pressurized hot water tank.

Looking out over the front garden, the guest bedroom is a cool and peaceful room, with abundant space for a double bed alongside fitted wardrobe storage. Across the landing the guest suite awaits, brimming with built-in wardrobe storage and served by a chicly metro-tiled shower room en-suite. At the centre of the landing, a door reclaimed from Eaton Hall, opens into the fifth bedroom, currently used as a study. Tucked within the clock tower, this private retreat is filled with light and features a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, making it as perfect for working quietly as it is for slipping away into the adventure laden pages of a paperback.

As forward-thinking as it is beautiful, The Clock House benefits from a 3kW solar system, sitting on the original and most rewarding feed-in tariff and working seamlessly alongside a 15kW battery bank and a solar iBoost hot water system, installed in 2024. Every ray of sunshine is put to work; first charging the batteries, then diverting surplus power to heat the water, ensuring maximum efficiency across both the main house and The Coach House.

With electricity generated and used on site completely free, the system not only minimises running costs but also returns an average yield of £3,000 each year through the feed-in tariff. Over the past 12 months alone, around £17,000 has been invested into energy-saving improvements at The Clock House, including an upgraded Aga system, a significant step towards sustainable family living without compromising on comfort.

The Coach House Annexe

The original Coach House to the home, this annexe is a sophisticated, self-contained, super-insulated annexe space, fully tiled and served by underfloor heating. The Coach House is as suited to modern multigenerational, accessible living as to home working or income generation. With plenty of parking available on the main drive, The Coach House has evolved over the years, from a children’s dream den for campouts to playroom, party room and office.

With bedroom and newly fitted en-suite on the ground floor, vast open plan living with hayloft-feel exposed chimney breast, beams and log burner in the room above, the Coach House offers the feel of a fully separate home, while still remaining part of the family fold.

With its own front door and private access, The Coach House has proved a flexible asset, achieving up to £15,000 per annum in rental income when fully booked out as a successful holiday let. Whether as an annexe, office, or income stream, The Coach House is a lucrative addition to the lifestyle on offer at The Clock House.

Externally

Automated wooden gates swing open to reveal a winding driveway, curving gently between manicured lawns to The Clock House, with its iconic Douglas style tower presents itself magnificently as a handsome bay-fronted Victorian residence.

The garden at The Clock House combines the classic grace of an English country garden with spaces made for entertaining. Breathe in the scent from the herbaceous borders, stepping out to the rear where velvety roses brighten the fresh mornings of early summer. Harvest herbs from the kitchen garden, raised beds and greenhouse, before dining outdoors on the terrace. A secluded firepit beneath the trees offers a relaxed spot for fireside evenings as summer shifts into autumn. Designed for gatherings of all sizes, this garden has hosted everything from family barbecues to weddings with marquees and live music.