Spacious family detached house with good sized garden in countryside town near London, St Albans and Harry Potter tour

Just 26 minutes from central London (and Eurostar to Europe), Harpenden mixes English charm with a good variety of shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants. The leafy village atmosphere, proximity to London, and great connections to the rest of the UK, means it has been voted the Number 1 in “Britain’s Most Desirable Places to Live”.

Our large family house is a recently-modernised and renovated period house, originally built in 1926. It’s perfect for families and has a bright, open-plan kitchen and living area opening up onto the patio and large family garden. It’s also got cosy living rooms and a working fireplace for cosy nights in. We’re on a leafy, friendly street, with large views over mature trees and green school playing fields. Our large child-friendly garden has direct access onto woodland footpaths. Our local shops, restaurants and pubs are just 1/3 mile away.

Our house is a great base for exploring some of England’s finest cities (London, Cambridge, Oxford, Windsor, St Albans are all easy daytrips), the nearby Harry Potter world, as well as the gentle delights of the English countryside and its pretty villages.

Here is some detailed information about our home:

Ground floor:
• Large open plan living/ kitchen/ dining area opening out onto the patio and garden. Very bright and soaks up the afternoon and evening sunshine. Dishwasher, two ovens, induction hob, American style fridge, kitchen island with quartz worktop and seating, separate dining table, sofa and armchair, Samsung Smart TV with sound bar and woofer, two sets of large bifold doors, large roof lantern, Sonos wifi speakers.
• Sheltered front porch with integrated bench seats and security CCTV.
• Entrance hallway with understairs shoe storage, coat hanging, and stairs to first floor.
• Cosy living room with two sofas and armchair. Another Samsung Smart TV with sound bar and woofer, ambient lighting, fireplace with working gas fire. Double aspect windows. Double doors open onto open plan living area.
• Play room with period fireplace, writing desk, Yamaha clavinova piano, electric drum kit, organised boxes and shelves with large array of toys (dressing up, dolls houses, vehicles, soft toys, train sets, games and puzzles, musical instruments, children’s books). Enjoys morning sunshine.
• Modern utility room with additional sink, washing machine / dryer, drying racks, shelving, modern combi boiler, stable door opening to side alley.
• Large paved patio with steps leading to lawn. Outdoor sofa and chairs, sun umbrella, outdoor lighting, freestanding basketball hoop.
• Understairs cloakroom toilet with sink.

First floor (4 bedrooms):
• Large double aspect guest bedroom overlooking street to front and garden to rear. Double bed. En suite with electric shower, sink and toilet.
• Children’s bedroom with raised single bed and den underneath (lit with fairy lights and with book shelves). We often put an additional mattress in the den area for sleepovers to create a bunk bed arrangement. Small writing desk, open bookshelves. Period fireplace. View onto street. Enjoys morning sunshine.
• Children’s bedroom with bunk bed (two singles), writing desk, bookshelves, period fireplace, view onto rear garden, enjoys evening sunshine.
• Small children’s bedroom with small children’s bed (extendable to full length single), bookshelves, view onto rear garden, enjoys evening sunshine.
• Family bathroom with double aspect frosted windows, roll-top bath, over-bath shower, heated towel radiator, toilet, sink unit.

Second floor (2 bedrooms)
• Large master bedroom with full-height sloping ceilings. Triple aspect windows/skylights with expansive views of rear garden, mature trees and green view of Harpenden and setting sun. Super kingsize bed with carved oak wood and padded headboard.
• Large en-suite bathroom with roll-top bath, separate rain shower, double sink unit, toilet and under-eaves storage.
• Guest bedroom / office with day bed sofa (converts to kingside double bed), double aspect windows/skylights, large office desk overlooking garden, printer, 2x 24" computer monitors (connect to your laptop with USB-C socket) bookshelves and large skylights.

Rear Garden and outbuildings:
• Very sunny and private rear garden with large array of equipment for adults and children.
• Large patio with outdoor dining table and benches (seats 6 to 8) and steps leading to large lawned area.
• Direct access through private locked gate to woodland pathway (see photos) leading to community-run woodland play area known as Greenway Spinney. (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064251897238)
• Gas barbecue, gas pizza oven, sun umbrella, outdoor sofa and chairs, deckchairs.
• Small wooden climbing frame with slide, den, bucket on pulley, rope climb.
• Mature plum tree with two wooden/rope swings.
• 12 foot trampoline.
• Wooden wendy house for young children.
• Landscaped enclosure for Jack the tortoise.
• Outdoor hose and sprinkler. Paddling pool available, with electric pump.
• Brick and timber-clad free-standing outhouse building with mains electricity and lighting, garden equipment, workbench, family bicycles and scooters (you’re welcome to borrow these, with helmets etc).
• Lean-to shelter with further storage for bicycles and garden equipment.
• Greenhouse with mains electricity and lighting.
• Bug hotel (natural structure constructed for insects and wildlife)
• Raised vegetable patch and various alpine beds.
• Hidden garden area with archway and bench for secret picnics (for some reason we call this the “dinosaur garden”).
• Wooden bin enclosure.
• Fire pit chimney (patio heater) with wood store and kindling.
• Side alleyways with gate on both sides leading to front of house.
• Large freestanding garage with mains electricity and lighting – used for spare fridge freezer and for storage.
• Rotary clothes airer
• Football goal post.

Front Garden:
• Private off-street parking for up to three cars.
• Electric vehicle charging point (3kW).
• Small lawn and flowerbeds with roses, lavender hedges, olive tree and cherry blossom tree.

Utilities:
• Full fibre broadband with unlimited 500mbps upload and 500mbps download speed. We frequently work from home in our home office.
• Gas combi boiler which heats water on demand (so no running out of hot water).
• Central heating in colder months, and working open gas fire.
• Warm white LED lights throughout the house.
• Yale security alarm with code (although in practice we only use this when we go away for long periods).
• We have very strong 3G/4G mobile phone signals. We no longer have a working landline telephone.
• Our Samsung Smart TVs have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus subscriptions and access to BBC iplayer, YouTube etc.

Neighbours:
• Grove Avenue is a very popular and friendly street with well-loved family houses. Our neighbours are extremely trustworthy, considerate and kind, with young families. We can make introductions.

About the location

ABOUT HARPENDEN AND OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD

In 2023, Harpenden has again been ranked Number 1 in the Daily Telegraph / Savills survey of Britain’s Most Desirable Places to Live. (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/property/britains-50-most-desirable-places-to-live/)

Its popularity stems from its traditional village feel, large open spaces, array of independent shops, pubs and restaurants, safe family atmosphere, easy access to beautiful countryside, yet still being on the doorstep of London and St Albans.

Harpenden is exceptionally well connected. See below for details of the motorway, train and airport connections. It has easy road access to explore all parts of the country by road, and central London is just 25 minutes on the train.

Our house is located in south Harpenden, nearthe small cluster of Victorian and Edwardian shops known as Southdown. It’s a very popular area, with its own unique village feel. The local shops (which are just 1/3 mile (5 minutes walk) up the road) have a medium sized supermarket, newsagents, a butcher, baker, several cafes, Post Office, many restaurants (Indian streetfood, Asian, fish & chips, sushi, Lebanese, Turkish, greasy spoon), DIY, car repair, hairdressers, dentist, pharmacy etc. There are also several traditional English pubs (Carpenter’s Arms, Plough and Harrow, the Engineer and the Queen’s Head, all with attractive beer gardens).

PLACES TO VISIT

Harpenden Common is just half a mile away to the west. It is a famous place of natural scenic beauty. A Green Flag Award winning site since 2007, the Common stretches almost two miles over 233 acres of land from the centre of Harpenden southwards and provides residents and visitors with an unsurpassed amenity and recreational resource. The Common is home to over 400 species of flora and fauna and is recognised as a County Wildlife Site. It is a beautiful and historic area of open space and woodland. It is extremely popular for wildlife lovers, walking, sports, cycling, golf, running and hosting many public events (fairgrounds, vintage cars, art festivals, circuses, Oktoberfest etc).

Less than half a mile to the south is rolling open countryside with bluebell woods, wildflower meadows, rabbits, horses, alpacas and footpaths through wheat fields.

“Nomansland” common is another popular area of common land, with open gorseland and beautiful woodlands for bluebells, den-building, cycling, tree-climbing, picnics and swinging from tree branches.

From here, there is easy access to Heartwood Forest. (https://heartwood.woodlandtrust.org.uk/). This is a vast new forest of more than half a million trees managed by the Woodland Trust, with pockets of ancient woodland, wildflower meadows and fantastic wildlife spotting. The 858-acre site is now the largest continuous new native forest in England.

There are countless beautiful villages (e.g. Wheathampstead, Kimpton, Whitwell, Ayot St Lawrence, Flamstead) and rivers (the River Beane and the Lea valley) in the local countryside which provide an endless array of walks and cycle rides, with pubs and cafes along the way.

We are just 5 miles from the historical Roman city of St Albans, which has a stunning cathedral (www.stalbanscathedral.org), museum, a lively street market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, an array of restaurants and great shopping. The Verulanium museum explores the city’s rich Roman heritage (www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/visit/verulamium-museum) and the Roman theatre can be visited (www.gorhamburyestate.co.uk/The-Roman-Theatre)

The Chiltern Hills provide great views and walking / kite-flying / gliding opportunities (www.londonglidingclub.co.uk offers short flying experiences)

Whipsnade Zoo is perched on the edge of the Chilterns. (https://www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-zoo). We have family membership and we go regularly. It’s an easy 20 minute drive. This is London Zoo’s larger, more spacious sister zoo, with fantastic views from the top of the Chiltern hills.

The stunning historical cities of Cambridge, Oxford and Windsor are easy day-trips.

There are many beautiful country mansions and estates nearby, mostly operated by National Trust and English Heritage
• Wrest Park (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wrest-park/) - Wrest Park is a magnificent 18th-century mansion standing in 90 acres of magical gardens. Elegant gilded rooms inside the mansion and a wonderful light and airy Orangery.
• Hatfield House (www.hatfield-house.co.uk): grand house and gardens with 400 years of history.
• Knebworth House (www.knebworthhouse.com) – huge Tudor Gothic mansion with extensive grounds, dinosaur park, adventure playground, and music concerts.
• Luton Hoo (www.lutonhoo.co.uk) is a famous historic country house. It is now a luxury hotel which offers high tea in extremely grand surroundings. The Luton Hoo walled garden is open Wednesdays during summer months (lutonhooestate.co.uk/the-walled-garden)
• Others include Hughenden, Ascott Estate, Waddesdon Manor, Shaw’s Corner, Cliveden, Whipsnade Tree Cathedral, Dunstable Downs and Ashridge Estate.

The Royal Air Force Museum is located on the northern outskirts of London (35 mins drive) – free entry, plenty of space and lots of planes to explore.

The Harry Potter studio tour attracts visitors internationally (wbstudiotour.co.uk) and is located in nearby Watford. In addition, Platform 9 ¾ is at Kings Cross station in London (next to St Pancras) which is just 25 minutes on the train.

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