High Street, Saffron Walden

An imposing Grade II Listed Georgian residence set in Saffron Walden's iconic tree-lined High Street. The property enjoys a wealth of original period features and accommodation over three floors, plus an impressive cellar. Outside is a beautiful walled garden and a large timber-framed barn. The property comes to the market for the first time in over fifty years.

With its Virginia creeper clad Georgian façade, 72 High Street is one of the most admired properties on Saffron Walden’s iconic High Street. An imposing property, this architectural masterpiece has featured in magazines and postcards the world over, and now is available to purchase for the first time in over fifty years. Sold by Cheffins Auctioneers to the current family in 1971, this wonderful property has only been in ownership of a handful of families, with the first occupier being recorded as a Mr Henry Archer in 1790.

Described by Country Life Magazine in 1964 as an ‘imposing and attractive Georgian town residence, being of particular architectural merit,’ this unadulterated jewel in Saffron Walden’s crown has been meticulously cared for by its previous owners and now offers the opportunity for someone to own one of the most significant and important properties in this popular market town. With a Flemish bond brick front, 72 High Street is packed with fascinating details, with five stone steps with wrought-iron curved handrails leading up to the Doric pilasters which frame the front door to the street.

Inside are jewel-box interiors, with character and charm flowing through every room. Covered with stunning wallpapers from the likes of Colefax and Fowler and William Morris, every space is graced with period features, with high ceilings, grand fireplaces and large sash windows which flood the spaces with light. The front part of the house dates from the 18th century, and was added to a much older section to the rear, which is believed to date from the Tudor period. The two rooms to the front of the house have original internal folding shutters, as well as magnificent fireplaces and moulded cornicing. In later years, the house saw the addition of a Victorian kitchen and stunning orangery which is reminiscent of the glasshouses seen throughout the Georgian and Victorian eras. The house flows around a central, sweeping staircase, which leads up to a series of large bedrooms, each filled with light through large windows. These are topped off with two attic rooms, which in the eaves, present the cosiest of spaces with views over the gardens. With attractive elements at every turn, the property has original brick flooring in some places, and a fascinating curved wall where the Georgian section meets the Tudor part to the rear, not to mention the cavernous cellar, accessed via a stone spiral staircase and which runs the width of the property. The original service staircase is also still in existence, part spiral, it leads from the top floor all the way down to the brick entrance to the cellar.

The beauty of this house’s interior is matched by the delightful gardens, which are fully walled and filled with mature flower beds, as well as a large paved patio. Mature trees and rose bushes ensure the gardens are completely private, and create a tranquil space of calm right in the heart of Saffron Walden’s town centre. The house also benefits from a beautiful and large period barn, which is separated into two parts, one of which is vaulted, containing Victorian stables, the other is a garage. Above the garage is a party room.

Speaking about the property, the current owner says, “Our parents saw themselves as guardians of this very special house. They modernised it to some extent but it was important to them to keep it as it should have been. There have been many happy memories here over the past fifty years, and we hope that whoever buys it will be as happy here as our family has been.”

Material Information - • Tenure - Freehold
• Council tax band - F

Viewings - By appointment through the Agents.