This handsome Victorian house, built circa 1890, sits in the centre of the pretty town of Great Dunmow in Essex and has wonderful views over The Downs, a charming green and fishing pond. Unfolding over 2,200 sq ft, the house has four generous bedrooms and numerous living spaces, most of which open onto the house’s lovely garden and terrace. The house has been sensitively restored by the current owners, installing column radiators throughout, characterful tongue and groove panelling to the walls, new Bakelite electrical switches, and an elegant DeVOL kitchen, as well as lovingly stripping back the doors to the original timber. These careful additions celebrate the house’s character, connection to its garden and qualities of light and volume, coming together to create a wonderful home. While the town is surrounded by beautiful countryside, Great Dunmow is extremely well-connected to London, with trains from nearby Stansted Airport and Bishop Stortford reaching Liverpool Street in under 45 minutes.

Setting the Scene

Great Dunmow and surrounding areas have a rich history. The town itself is a historic market town and was originally the site of a Roman settlement. The town thrived during the Middle Ages, and many of the buildings survive from this period, including its 16th-century town hall. Poetically, Dunmow means “Meadow on the Hill”.

The town is well-known for its ritual of holding the “Flitch Trials” every four years. Married couples from all over the world descend on the town, and to compete, they must convince the judge and jury (of six maidens and six bachelors) that in ‘twelvemonth and a day’ that they ‘not wisht themselves unmarried again’. The ritual is famously mentioned in Chaucer’s 14th-century Canterbury Tales and continues today. The winners are awarded a flitch of bacon.

The Grand Tour 

Classic Victorian elements such as out-turned bricks above the bay window and raised porch decorate the red brick façade, set in Flemish bond. Steps lead up to the porch where the front door, inset with stained glass, opens into a spacious entryway painted in serene blue tones, with ‘Hague Blue’ on the walls and other wood elements painted in Railings, a darker blue-black. All paint colours throughout the house are by Farrow and Ball. To the left is a sitting room painted ‘French Gray’. The room’s voluminous high ceilings and the bay of three tall windows mean the room is exceptionally light throughout the day. Original floorboards are found underfoot, and an ornately carved timber mantlepiece surrounds a working fire. A second snug with a built-in cupboard is located on this floor, painted in ‘Hardwick White’. This room could easily double as a fourth bedroom.

A sunny garden room/study sits to the rear of the plan. Another brilliantly airy space, thanks to its mono-pitch ceiling, this room has wide, expansive glazing and is clad in tongue and groove panelling, painted in ‘Lichen’, a calm and muted shade of green. French doors, painted in ‘Green Smoke', open onto a raised south-west facing terrace. There is also a guest WC on this floor, painted in ‘Pink Ground’, a dusty blush pink, and decorated with tiles by Fired Earth. All the bathrooms in the house have been fitted with hardware by Aston Matthews.

Stairs descend to the kitchen/dining room, a charming space with stone floors. The DeVOL kitchen is fitted with smart, dark blue-painted cabinetry with wooden countertops. An island in the centre provides an additional worktop and further storage space. Open shelves, perfect for displaying ceramics, run the length of two walls. A white Aga warms the room, set beneath a splashback of grey brick tiles, with a separate gas stove for use in summer. Useful storage can be found in two under-stairs cupboards. Again, doors open from here to the garden.

A family room is located behind the kitchen, perfect for use as a cosy playroom or office. This leads to another useful pantry; a separate utility room with floor-to-ceiling fitted cupboards sits opposite. From here, stairs lead outside.

The first floor has two generous bedrooms sharing a family bathroom. A luxurious freestanding bath is surrounded by the same tongue and groove panelling painted in ‘Ball Green’, all set against timber floors. The top floor is home to a third bedroom with fitted wardrobes and an en suite shower room with underfloor heating. With green tiles from Mandarin Stone lining the walls and a shower tray made of black pebbles, the room is invariably imbued with a sense of calm and serenity.

The Great Outdoors

A lovely garden surrounds the house on two sides, planted with a variety of ferns, bergenia, elephant’s ears, paperplants, smoke bush, acers, hostas, heucheras, hydrangeas and cherry trees. The raised terrace is the perfect place for al fresco dining and entertaining. The rest is laid to lawn framed by beautifully planted borders. A garden gate leads out to the bucolic green. There is also a lane to the rear of the house with a parking space and a semi-detached garage.

Out and About 

The historic market town of Great Dunmow has much to offer just off the doorstep, as the house is well-positioned to access both the local high street and surrounding towns. Excellent dining options — all within about a five to 10-minute stroll from the house — include Square One for fine dining; La Mensa Pizzeria for traditional Neapolitan cuisine; and De La Terre, serving delicious natural wine and tapas. For the home chefs, there is a local butcher, a fresh fish stall twice a week, several bakeries and the essential Tesco and Co-Op. There are also wonderful independent shops dotted along the high street. Make sure to stop in The Shopkeeper, a charming lifestyle store selling menswear, womenswear, homeware and everything in between.

The surrounding villages also have plenty to offer in terms of dining and shopping. The Flitch of Bacon Freehouse Inn has stunning guest rooms, a fine dining restaurant, as well as private dining opportunities. Within 15 minutes, you can be at La Bonta in Canfield, a local Italian restaurant and deli; The Green Man in Chelmsford, a gastro pub with an enormous garden; and The Vine in Great Barfield for mouth-watering burgers and mezze platters. Just further afield are the towns of Bishops Stortford (visit the Giggling Squid and Eat 17), Chelmsford (try Acanteen and Fête for food, and check out a film at Everyman Cinemas), and Saffron Walden, with its must-visits including artisan bakery Mini Miss Bread, and Hill St. Chocolate, also hosts a fantastic Saturday market and has an excellent selection of antique shops.

To enjoy some time in nature, there is a large recreation ground, children’s playground and skate park only a minute’s walk from the house. From here, there are pedestrian pathways along the River Chelmer. An area called ‘The Downs’ covers a grassy hill at the rear of the house, over which is Doctor’s Pond, full of fish for local anglers. The pond was named after Dr Lionel Lukin (1742-1834), the inventor of the first self-righting lifeboat, who used the pond for his experiments.

The National Trust’s Hatfield Forest is only a 10-minute drive from the house, with opportunities for hiking, boating, and enjoying the scenery at its café. Audley End House & Gardens, a large Victorian estate with beautiful gardens, is only 25 minutes away. The desirable market town of Thaxted is also nearby, home to Dick Turpin’s cottage, The Guildhall, and John Webb’s Windmill, as well as a good selection of pubs, cafes, and shops, including a butcher and a bakery, and interiors shop Vintage Style Living. There are also plenty of beautiful walks in the area, including the Harcamlow Way and the picturesque Chelmer Valley.

The acclaimed Felsted and Bishops Stortford College schools are all within 30 minutes from the house. Attractive towns nearby include Long Melford and Lavenham, all with renowned restaurants and further independent shops. The larger towns of Braintree, Saffron Walden and Sudbury provide additional shopping facilities.

Despite its rural feel, Great Dunmow is very well-connected. Stansted Airport is around 10 minutes away by car or bus, with trains to Tottenham Hale in about 40 minutes and Liverpool Street in approximately 50 minutes. From Tottenham Hale, you can take the underground Victoria Line to Kings Cross, Oxford Circus and Victoria Station, while from Liverpool Street you can access the Central, Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan and Circle lines. Bishops Stortford, around a 25-minute drive from the house, also has direct and frequent services into Liverpool Street via Tottenham Hale in around 40 minutes. It’s also easy to explore the surrounding countryside; the historic city of Cambridge is a 40-minute drive from the house or a 30-minute train from Stansted, with its lovely shops and restaurants, and of course, punting on the river.

Council Tax Band: E