5 bedroom detached house for sale

The Water Garden occupies a delightful rural setting, but lies only about two miles from junction 8 of the M11 motorway and the market town of Bishops Stortford where there is a mainline station with services to London Liverpool Street, Cambridge and Stansted Airport.

The house is believed to date from the second half of the 19th century and originally formed part of the Hallingbury Place estate where there was a house on the site dating from the 16th century and four centuries later, it was the largest house in the immediate vicinity. It was owned by the Morleys, the Turners, the Houblons then rented by the Locket-Agnew family in the early part of the 20th century. Hallingbury Place was demolished after the first world war. The grounds of the former Hallingbury Place are notable with the creation of the great lake possibly in the 18th century and parkland designed by Capability Brown. Hallingbury Place and the additional properties on the estate, in particular The Water Garden, form part of a major article in the 4th October 1919 edition of Country Life.

The house has benefitted from some minor extensions and more significant modernisation in recent years and now provides around 3,600 sq ft of excellent accommodation set over two floors. The front door leads to the impressive entrance hall with a staircase to the first floor, there is a cloakroom, a drawing room with doors to the garden, sitting room and dining room with wooden flooring. An inner hall has a second staircase to the first floor. On the other side of the house there is an excellent high quality kitchen with integrated appliances kitchen, a breakfast area with doors overlooking the water garden and family room with bifold doors leading to the terrace and pool. There is a generous and well-equipped utility room with a sink and water softener and a shower room.

On the first floor, the main bedroom has a generous en suite bath/shower room. There are four further bedrooms, one en suite and a sizeable and well-specified family bath/shower room.

This excellent family house is approached by a long tree lined private road. To the front of the house there is a generous gravelled parking and turning area and an unusually shaped garage which can accommodate three cars and a workshop. In addition to parking behind the property, there is a sizeable area of hardstanding.

The grounds are a particular feature and amount to about 1.7 acres including a lawn to the front with mature trees and a rear garden divided into three sections; a garden immediately behind the house with a terrace, heated swimming pool and a lavender and box border. This garden is almost entirely enclosed by a brick wall. A doorway opens to the water garden which is an historic feature and has a rectangular pool at one end and two fountains. Beyond there is a wooded area which has some potential. There is outside water and lighting.

Agents note: The first small section of the driveway is an adopted highway, the remainder a private drive which is owned by the neighbouring property. Residents have a right of way over this driveway and there is an informal arrangement for maintenance (contributions where required).

is a small village on the borders of Hertfordshire and Essex, well situated for access to the A120 East/West trunk road, and within convenient driving distance of Junction 8 of the M11 motorway which provides road communications with London, the M25, Cambridge and the Midlands. The market town of Bishop’s Stortford (approx 4 miles), provides shopping and educational facilities, including the Bishop’s Stortford College, together with various other recreational amenities. Howe Green, an independent junior school, is approximately 1.5 miles distant. Bishop’s Stortford has a mainline railway station with frequent services to London's Liverpool Street. Stansted Airport is approximately three miles away.