5 bedroom detached house

A fine Grade II* Queen Anne detached village house

Description

This important house is situated in a prominent position next to the church at the southern end of the attractive high street. The interior has many original features including doors, panelling, fireplaces, window shutters and staircase.

Walking up the pretty steps into the entrance hall, there are two stunning reception room; the Library has sash windows and is fully panelled with feature fireplace. The wainscoted sitting room has stone fireplace set with wood burning stove; both Library and sitting room enjoy dual aspect views, the library to the front and rear gardens and the sitting room the front and a lovely view of the church.

To the rear of the house (the oldest part), there is an open plan kitchen/breakfast room. The kitchen has a standing height Elizabethan fireplace restored and bressumer beam from an old ships timber, containing a log burner. Part exposed brick
surrounds the cooker. The kitchen has plenty of storage and it leads onto the bright conservatory, which in turns lead to the private garden. There is an office off the sitting room and a w/c in the rear entrance hall. The first floor has 3 bedrooms, the principal having an ensuite bathroom and dressing room. There is also a shower room on this level. The 3rd bedroom is currently being used as an office. The second floor has a further 2 bedrooms, kitchenette, family bathroom and plenty of attic storage This gives access to a superb private south westerly facing roof terrace overlooking the rear garden and church yard. The basement is a media room and has concealed laundry and boilers, and a separate temperature controlled wine cellar.

The gardens are very private and set into terraces with stunning areas to sit and contemplate. There is plenty of flat lawn for children to play, with areas of intrigue throughout the garden. There is also a vegetable garden consisting of raised beds and fruit cages, and a garden shed. To the left side of the house there is a driveway, plenty of room for cars, plus a single garage.

Location

Standon is a highly regarded village with the main part situated off the A120 road with the benefit of a number of every day shops including bakers, news agent, post office stores, two inns and school. There are various well regarded schools locally such as Heathmount prep school, Haileybury College, Bishops Stortford College There are further facilities and more schools in the adjoining village of Puckeridge, East herts golf course is approximately 1 mile and St Edmunds Collage approximately 1 mile. The A120 road leads to Bishops Stortford where there is an interchange with the M11 motorway, good range of shopping facilities, station with rail services to London, and access to Stansted airport. Ware and Hertford are also within convenient distance now having the benefit of the A10 bypass.





Additional Info

The listing states -House. Circa 1700, rear wing possibly earlier. Red brick with old red tiled roofs. Rear wing timber frame plastered. L-shaped house with symmetrical street range with internal gable chimneys and one room each side of central stair hall. 2 storeys, cellar and attics with 2 storeys rear wing with large gable chimney and ogee roofed conservatory abutting on E. 5 windows front facing W with 4 steps to door, plinth, floorband, moulded brick cornice (painted white) and parapet with stone coping concealing 3 hipped dormers. Fine gauged segmental brick arches. Slightly recessed flush box sash windows with segmental heads and C19 sashes with 4/4 panes (thick ovolo glazing bars remain in rear wing). 2 cellar windows have heavy central mullioned flush frames. Central 8-panelled door with rectangular fanlight in a moulded doorcase with fluted Tuscan pilasters and flat hood on carved scroll brackets with cornice breaking forward over each bracket. Good original interior with fielded panelling in ground floor (of plaster in LH room), cut string stair with carved stair ends, egg- and-dart cornice to entrance, 2-panel fielded doors with H-hinges on ground and 1st floors, moulded plank door in rear attic, and large open fireplace with arched lintol in rear wing. Wine bottle set in end of ridge of each dormer. Front wall reddened and tuck pointed. An impressive Queen Anne house overlooking the market place of the former borough.

The three houses before the Church are known locally as the Three Bears. Only Little Bear - and recently Middle Bear - are called by those names. Number 55 (Little Bear) has a little Bear on the front door to help you identify it! This has an 18th/19th century- frontage built on to a 16th century timber framed building with a range of outhouses stretching back, which were originally occupied by a wheelwright. More recently, Canon Perowne, the well-known Vicar of Standon and Chaplain to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, lived here in retirement. Number 57 (Middle Bear) also has a frontage added on to a timber framed house, and has an extensive cellar which may relate to the fact that a wine merchant once lived there. In the case of Big Bear, now known as Standon House, a whole Queen Anne period extra house has been built on to the front of a much earlier timber framed building. Standon House was originally known as Anchor Hall in the early 18th century, which makes one wonder if the rear part may have been a pub before it was "gentrified" by the addition of the imposing front. Note the wine or beer bottles encased above the Dormers which may give a clue. Anchor House in Puckeridge High Street was once a pub, so this may well be the same case with Standon House.