Publication Date: 16-05-2025 09:00
Couple buy new-build home in the ‘caring and welcoming’ Cambridgeshire village they love
A couple whose lives have been at the heart of the community in Stilton for decades knew that when they decided to buy a home together there was nowhere else they would want to live.
Alison O’Malley and Terry Baker, both 56, moved into their new-build three-bedroom home at Bellway’s Stilton Gate development in the Cambridgeshire village last year.
Terry runs the S Bar on the High Street in the village and Alison opened up a coffee box in the pub’s courtyard after taking voluntary redundancy from her role in an insurance company in 2021.
The couple, who got together in 2018 having been friends for many years, were renting a three-bedroom housing association property in Stilton, which Alison had lived in for 24 years and brought up her four children.
Though the rent was a very affordable £500 a month, they started to think about purchasing a place of their own.
Alison said: “Our businesses were going well and though we knew our housing association rent was cheaper, we thought we have no debt, and we knew we could afford it. We wanted a lovely home to live in and invest our money where we would be happy. We wanted to have our own home in the village and do the garden and enjoy it. We thought it’s never too late, and it’s worth it.”
Staying local was always part of the plan as they both love the location.
“We never wanted to leave the village, it’s a lovely community and very caring. It’s a very welcoming village,” said Alison.
“A lot of kids here grow up and can’t wait to leave, and then you see them return one by one when they have children, because they know how nice it is. It has a lovely park and because it’s just one through road, it’s safe.
“People often think we are out in the sticks here, but we are only 10 minutes from Peterborough, and we love going to Stamford, which is not far. We’re also very close to Cambridge and if you go out the other side of the village there’s Oundle and Polebrook. It’s nicely situated with lovely walks around here.”
They looked at another older house in the village, but they decided a new build was the way to go because it would not need any repairs or alterations, and they would have the opportunity to choose the fixtures and fittings.
Alison said: “I thought it would be nice to pick the kitchen tiles and the bathroom fittings, and it was a lovely process. It was lovely to choose everything.”
The couple paid £327,000 for their home, and £4,000 for flooring, putting down a deposit of £127,000. Their monthly mortgage is £1,300.
Alison said: “The sales team were very helpful. While the house was being finished inside it was never a problem for us to have another look.”
The couple moved into their home in April 2024, with Alison’s son Joel and their nine-year-old cocker spaniel Teddy.
They have found the house to be warm and cosy through the winter and it’s been economical to heat. Alison and Terry have recommended Bellway and the Stilton Gate development to people they know.
They love the open-plan kitchen/dining room with French doors leading to the garden, which is the perfect space for entertaining as they love to host friends and family.
“To have a kitchen/diner at the back of the house is brilliant for us. I’ve got a big family and people congregate in the kitchen and this layout is very sociable.
“After we moved in, we had half the pub round here and people were so happy for us.”
When Alison had her girlfriends over to see their new home, she had a novel idea to encourage them to look around the whole house. She hid scratchcards in the rooms and then sent them off to search for them.
Alison said: “I hid them all around the house so that they all had an excuse to nose around.”
There’s a choice of three and four-bedroom houses available to reserve at Stilton Gate, with prices currently starting from £300,000.
To find out more, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/eastern-counties/stilton-gate or call the sales team on 01733 592371.
