Six Hills Lane, Ab Kettleby

Groom’s Lodge is a four-bedroom character home with a story to tell. Set within Castle Stables on the Little Belvoir Estate, it occupies buildings that originally formed part of the stables and staff accommodation serving Wartnaby Castle, the estate’s principal house. The estate is understood to date from around 1839 and to have been established as a hunting facility, with these handsome brick-and-tile stable ranges and groom’s cottages forming an integral part of its original purpose. Nearly two centuries on, that heritage has been carefully preserved in a sympathetic refurbishment and renovation that pairs period charm with the eco credentials of a new build, creating a first-class family home in an exclusive development of just five period conversions.
The setting is every bit as special as the architecture. Castle Stables enjoys an elevated position above the Vale of Belvoir, with far-reaching views across open Leicestershire countryside, yet it is far from remote. The small village of Wartnaby sits just to the south, and the neighbouring village of Ab Kettleby offers a primary school, village hall and public house, together with an hourly bus service running through to Melton Mowbray, Bingham, West Bridgford, Nottingham and Oakham. Melton Mowbray itself, the self-styled “Rural Capital of Food”, lies around four miles away with its full range of shops, supermarkets and secondary schooling, while the nearby A46 provides swift access to Nottingham, Leicester and the wider motorway network. Private education is well catered for, with Ratcliffe College, Oakham School, the Loughborough Schools Foundation and Grantham Preparatory School all within comfortable reach.
Inside, the accommodation has been thoughtfully arranged for modern family living. A large kitchen diner sits at the heart of the home, while a generous living room and a separate dining room offer space to relax and entertain in equal measure. The ground floor also provides a fourth bedroom served by an adjacent shower room, ideal for guests, older relatives or anyone seeking single-level living. Upstairs, the master bedroom benefits from its own en-suite, with two further bedrooms sharing a family bathroom.
Behind the period features lies a home engineered for efficiency. An air source heat pump supplies underfloor heating throughout the ground floor, and the property carries an impressive EPC rating of B (85, with a potential of 87), keeping running costs comfortably low without compromising on character.
Outside, Groom’s Lodge sits within a large plot with a generous garden, and enjoys a particularly lovely aspect across its own additional grounds. These comprise around 1.3 acres of private mature woodland and a 0.6-acre paddock that may well appeal to equestrian buyers, a fitting nod to the property’s origins. A detached, cedar-clad double car port completes the picture, its timber finish sitting handsomely alongside the period brickwork. It is a rare combination of history, land, privacy and setting within one of the Vale of Belvoir’s most sought-after estates. DG.
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