Family swaps 200-year-old chapel for brand new five-bedroom home

With a two-year-old daughter, Tom and Catherine Slater, both 35, decided that they needed a few more home comforts than the draughty 200-year-old converted chapel they were currently living in – and as Tom was a Technical manager for Barratt North Thames, he knew exactly where to start looking.

In fact, Tom ended up buying a home on his own work site – Clipstone Park on the outskirts of Leighton Buzzard, in Bedfordshire, just three miles away from their old home, but a million miles away in terms of warmth, comfort and energy efficiency.

“We had lived in the former chapel for four years, and though we loved it, there were all the maintenance problems of a building that age, and we wanted somewhere that wasn’t so expensive to heat,” he says. “As I was working on the Clipstone Park site, I realised that the development would be just the place for us and so we jumped straight in to start the buying process with the sales team.”

The couple sold the historic chapel almost straight away, and moved in to Clipstone Park just three months after first putting down a deposit on a spacious Malvern-style, five-bedroom detached home. The size of the property was ideal with their growing family – especially as they have both been working at home during the pandemic. They have already put their own stamp on it, by turning one of the bedrooms into a dressing room. “The house we bought has plenty of space and a good sized plot while still having a generous garden.”

While their previous home was on a busy main road, one of the things they are enjoying about Clipstone Park is the fact there are plenty of places for children to play outside and it feels safe and family friendly. “Our daughter Evie’s nursery is just opposite the development, and they are building new schools which should be finished in time for her to start there,” says Tom.

The couple knew and loved the Leighton Buzzard area – Catherine was brought up there and still has family in the area, and they wanted to stay close to their friends. “It has all the facilities and shops we need nearby, including a railway station with a good route into London,” adds Tom. Catherine works in Milton Keynes as a senior account manager, so has a quick journey by car, but the area is ideal for commuters into London as trains reach Euston in just half an hour.

2/…Clipstone Park is just on the outskirts of town, surrounded by countryside, and the development itself has plenty of parks and play areas. “Our old house backed on to fields which we really liked, but now we are right opposite a park, which will be lovely when it is finished. We also love the fact that whereas before we couldn’t walk into town and ended up driving everywhere, now we can walk to everything we need. We wanted to move to somewhere we would want to stay for at least 10 years, and we certainly see ourselves being happy here for many years into the future,” says Tom.

The Barratt development is part of a much larger Clipstone Park community, which will eventually see more than 1,200 new homes, shops, schools, GP surgery, a community centre and a care home close to the thriving market town of Leighton Buzzard.

Karly Williams, Sales & Marketing Director for Barratt North Thames, says: “The development at Clipstone Park is designed for healthy, sustainable family living, with more than three-quarters of the space kept green for residents to enjoy. Growing families love the parks, sports pitches, playgrounds and allotments, and the fact that two new schools are being built as part of the development means that the classroom will be just a short stroll away, along with the new community centre and GP surgery.

“Leighton Buzzard has great transport links, with fast trains to London and Milton Keynes and a direct bus service to Luton, as well as excellent shopping facilities, from high street names and small independent stores, through to the bustling market and antique shops. Add in the lovely walks along the Grand Union Canal and you have an excellent all-round location.”

Currently available at Clipstone Park is a collection of three and four-bedroom homes. Prices start from £389,000 for a three-bedroom home