Broom Road, Stanford, SG18

Extended period home, benefiting from a full rethatch in 2023, offering a tasteful blend of traditional period features and modern living.

Located on the periphery of the charming hamlet of Stanford which is ideally situated for the highly regarded Bedford schools and commuter access to London and the North from Arlesey, Sandy or the bustling market town of Biggleswade.

Approaching through the five-bar gate, there is ample parking on the driveway as well as a double-parking barn with a self-contained one-bedroom annexe.

The main house offers three very generous reception rooms and a stunning kitchen/dining/family area with glass walls to the rear, designed to maximise the views of the beautiful garden and the rolling Bedfordshire countryside beyond.

Upstairs are four well-appointed bedrooms with a modern and elegant family bathroom and an en suite shower room to the principal bedroom.

Planning permission has been granted for a single storey rear extension creating a study and increasing the living space. Full details can be found on the Central Bedfordshire planning website ref: CB/21/05060/FULL

Seller Insight
This picture-perfect Grade II listed country cottage occupies a really stunning rural location in the pretty Bedfordshire hamlet of Stanford. “Before buying the cottage in 2016, we’d been living in the Middle East for eleven years, but we decided that it would be really quite prudent to invest in a property in the UK, a place that we could move to once we decided to relocate back to England,” says the owner. “We came home on a bit of a scouting mission, drove past Old Inn Cottage, took one look and that was it, we were totally sold.”

“It’s such a beautiful-looking house, the archetypal chocolate box cottage with its thatched roof and pretty front porch… It’s just gorgeous, however it really wasn’t suitable for modern family life so we enlisted the help of a fantastic architect who helped us navigate our way through the planning process and sensitively redesigned the house. The original part retains every bit of its character and charm; features have been restored and enhanced and we’ve decorated using a pale, neutral palette that injects a tremendous amount of light and enhances the feeling of space no end. However, the real showstopper is the extension, which houses our huge and very stylish open-plan kitchen, dining and living space. We’ve added touches such as exposed brick and the steel beams have been clad in oak to link the new with the old, but it’s a fantastic modern space that makes the house as a whole much more conducive to modern family life. We love the transformation so much that it kick-started our decision to move home.”

“The extension has also allowed us to create a much better sense of connection between inside and out; it’s how we lived in the Middle East so we were very keen to recreate it here,” continues the owner. “The open-plan room has French and bi-folding doors that can be opened up to extend our living space out onto the huge patio terrace, and in the garden itself we’ve opened up the space and the breath-taking views of the countryside beyond by removing some large trees. We’ve made the garden as a whole much more family-friendly and it’s also really easy to maintain, which has given us more time to enjoy it.”

“My favourite room really depends on the time of year. When it’s cold and miserable outside there’s nowhere I’d rather be than curled up on the sofa by the log burner in the snug. However, when the sun is shining, we all tend to gravitate to the open-plan space. We can open up the doors and day-to-day life or summer get-togethers with family and friends can spill out into the garden.”

“In my opinion the location is just perfect. The house backs onto nothing but open fields so when you sit out in the garden you really do feel a million miles from anywhere. However, we have a lovely pub that does delicious food quite literally a stone’s throw away; nearby Shefford has a good array of shops that cater for day-to-day needs, and I can drive into Biggleswade in under ten minutes. It’s also a great location for a commuter. I travel into London a couple of times a week, and door-to-door I can be there in forty-five minutes if I travel by train.”

“Outside we have a double cart lodge which provides covered parking for two cars and attached to that is a really beautiful one-bedroom self-contained annexe. We’ve had a relative staying in it, but I suppose it could also be used as an Airbnb.”

“This is my dream house; I love absolutely everything about it and this stunning location; however we need a property with land for our horses,” says the owner. “I’m going to be so sad to leave, but I’ve absolutely no doubt that its new owners are going to love living here every bit as much as we have.”

Village Information
Stanford is a small hamlet lying between the market towns of Shefford and Biggleswade and is set around a central green surrounded by beautiful countryside. There is plenty of open space and ample opportunity for long walks for ramblers and dog walkers alike. The village boasts a traditional pub/restaurant with beer garden, The Green Man, and Parkside Farm Shop is about a mile away. The market towns of Shefford (1.5 miles approx.) and Biggleswade (4 miles approx.) provide a good selection of shops, restaurants and eateries together with sports and leisure facilities.

Transport
There is easy access to the A1M with links into the wider national motorway network. Hitchin, Biggleswade and Arlesey train stations are just a short drive away for direct links into London King’s Cross and to the North via Peterborough.

Schools
Primary:
Southill Lower School (1 mile approx.). Ofsted Rating: Good
Clifton All Saints Academy (1.5 miles approx.). Ofsted Rating: Good

Secondary:
Samuel Whitbread Academy (1.4 miles approx.). Ofsted Rating: Good
Robert Bloomfield Academy (2.1 miles approx.). Ofsted Rating: Outstanding

Agents Information
Tenure: Freehold
Council Tax Band: F
Central Bedfordshire Council
EPC: Exempt – Grade II Listed
Full rethatch 2023

BUYERS INFORMATION
To conform with government Money Laundering Regulations 2019, we are required to confirm the identity of all prospective buyers. We use the services of a third party, Lifetime Legal, who will contact you directly at an agreed time to do this. They will need the full name, date of birth and current address of all buyers. There is a nominal charge of £60 including VAT for this (for the transaction not per person), payable direct to Lifetime Legal. Please note, we are unable to issue a memorandum of sale until the checks are complete.
 

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