3/4 Bedroom Family Home, Every time the owner of the property at Barleycroft Green strolls home from the station, he pauses on his quiet cul-de-sac and marvels at his fairy-tale house. “I grew up in Welwyn Garden City and I never knew this road was here,” he marvels. “It is hidden away, on what looks like a village green, in a secret oasis of calm and yet it is just five minutes’ walk from the town centre of the train station. You could be in another world.” He adds: “Whenever I come round the corner I think how lovely it is and when I look over and see this house it always strikes me that it is a wonderful position. It really stands out as a beautiful and impressive home.”

COTTAGE APPEAL

Indeed, the four-bedroom house on the west side of the town has an abundance of kerb appeal. With a cottage-style frontage, it is, in fact, deceptively large, offering significant living space, a very generous garden and a completely detached garden office or studio. “I was abroad when I first saw it advertised on the internet,” he recalls. “It was surrounded by trees, and I thought it looked like a really beautiful cottage. My plan was to return to Welwyn Garden City after 30 years away and so I visited it with my dad. We couldn’t believe it when we saw it. The garden was enormous, with a pathway that was like your very own parkland walk, and all we could hear was the sound of the birds. The house itself held a huge amount of potential. It included a potter’s studio that we realised could be converted into something really exciting.”

SUMMER SUN

Since buying the 100-year-old property seven years ago, the owner has completely transformed it. The attached former potter’s studio has now become a gorgeous modern kitchen, utility room, study and extra bedroom. The old kitchen now makes a magnificent and light-filled entrance hall, with views right through into the leafy garden from the front door. “The new kitchen has French windows on to the garden, which are superb in the summer months,” he says. “We can now sit at the breakfast bar in the island in this room and watch the squirrels and birds in the trees as we drink our coffee. It is a lovely place to spend our time.” Other work has included insulating the loft with the latest German technology, rewiring and replumbing the house, replastering floors and ceilings, and laying new flooring.

GLORIOUS SUNLIGHT

The detached property is entered at the front, where a glass door also brings the natural light streaming in. There is a downstairs bathroom to one side and to the other the capacious drawing room spans the entire depth of the house. “This is a triple-aspect room that is just flooded with light,” he observes. “It is a great room for relaxing in and for entertaining.” The new kitchen has been finished in a stylish grey, with light, quartz-effect work surfaces. The ground-floor bedroom could be ideal for an older child or relative, or as a guest room, as it enjoys great privacy. “The new layout has worked incredibly well for us,” he adds.

AMONG THE TREES

Upstairs, the master bedroom is very much the jewel in the crown. This is another sizeable, triple-aspect room. Like the other bedrooms it has fitted wardrobes. There is a family shower room at this level too. “The master bedroom is lovely because you feel as if you are up there with the birds in the trees when you awake,” he says. The space in the house has been ideal, but whoever moves to the house could enhance it further, he suggests. “Subject to the relevant planning permissions, it could be possible to carry out a double-storey extension at the back as our neighbours have done or to extend out into the garage. There could also be scope to create a self-contained annexe space within the former potter’s studio area and garage section of the house. There are certainly plenty of options.”

VILLAGE LIFESTYLE

The detached office has also been a great addition to the house. This has electricity and broadband. “It really is a lovely place to work because you can look out at the trees and you feel right away from the house,” he says. “This could also be a gym or leisure space if that suited new owners better.” As well as being close to shops and the station, the property is also well placed for good schools and for Stanborough Lakes and Park. “We have been very happy here,” he adds. “The green itself feels very much like the centre of a village community. It feels like you are in the heart of the countryside, worlds away from everything else.”

SETTING IN THE SCENE

To the front of the house there is a driveway providing off-road parking and access to the garage. To the rear, the house opens on to a picturesque, parkland-style garden, with a lawn, terrace and abundance of mature trees and plants.

" Vendors Comments"

“I grew up in Welwyn Garden City and I never knew this road was here.”

“The road is hidden away, on what looks like a village green, in a secret oasis of calm and yet it is just five minutes’ walk from the town centre of the train station.”

“You could be in another world.”

“Whenever I come round the corner I think how lovely it is and when I look over and see this house it always strikes me that it is a wonderful position.”

“It really stands out as a beautiful and impressive home.”

“It was surrounded by trees, and I thought it looked like a really beautiful cottage.”

“We couldn’t believe it when we saw it. The garden was enormous, with a pathway that was like your very own parkland walk, and all we could hear was the sound of the birds.”

“The new kitchen has French windows on to the garden, which are superb in the summer months.”

“We can now sit at the breakfast bar in the island in this room and watch the squirrels and birds in the trees as we drink our coffee. The kitchen is a lovely place to spend our time.”

“The drawing room is a triple-aspect room that is just flooded with light. It is a great room for relaxing in and for entertaining.”

“The master bedroom is lovely because you feel as if you are up there with the birds in the trees when you awake.”

“The office really is a lovely place to work because you can look out at the trees and you feel right away from the house.”

“The office could also be a gym or leisure space if that suited new owners better.”

“As well as being close to shops and the station, the property is also well placed for good schools and for Stanborough Lakes and Park.”

“It feels like you are in the heart of the countryside, worlds away from everything else.”