6 bedroom house for sale

Tenure: Freehold

Situation

The Great Barn is situated on the outskirts of Berkhamsted, a picturesque and popular historic market town. Nestling in the Chiltern Hills on the Hertfordshire/Buckinghamshire border. The town offers an array of shopping facilities on and around its high street, including Waitrose and Tesco supermarkets along with an impressive choice of cafes, restaurants and public houses and the famous art deco Rex cinema.

The Ashridge Estate to the north of the town is owned by the National Trust and comprises approximately 4,000 acres of downland, common land and woodland.

Leisure facilities in the area include golf courses at Berkhamsted, Ashridge, Aldbury and Mentmore to name but a few. Leisure centres are to be found at both Berkhamsted and Tring and the Champneys Spa is also to be found in nearby Wiggington.

There is a wide choice of both state and private schools in the area including the renowned Berkhamsted School.

Road and rail communications are excellent with the A41 just south of the town offering a fast link to the M25 and the M1(J8) accesible at Hemel Hempstead some 7 miles away. Rail travel from Berkhamsted station offers a direct and fast service to London Euston with a journey time of approximately 35 minutes.

Description

Background
The Great Barn is a Grade II* listed timber framed barn which dates back to the 16th Century. It is the largest tithe barn in the Three Counties District and formed part of Castle Hill Farm, formerly the home farm for neighbouring Berkhamsted Place, a palatial Elizabethan mansion, which was demolished in the 1960's.

The Barn is a magnificent structure of great architectural and historical interest. Part of it has been retained in its original form, in order that one can appreciate the size and splendour of the exposed oak timbers and vaulted roof.

The Barn has been comprehensively refurbished by Thameside Homes Ltd, from 2006, to the highest standard, and has a Zurich 10 year building guarantee. Supported by a steel frame within the original timber framework, Thameside Homes and their architects have created a unique modern home. They worked closely with English Heritage and have been commended for their sympathetic design, which complements the original structure, yet provides a fabulous contemporary living space with capacious open plan entertaining areas and ample family bedrooms. The creation of such an imaginative and stylish home needs to be viewed to be fully appreciated.

Description:-
The property is approached via a driveway which provides access to the neighbouring barn style properties and leads to electrically operated gates into the private courtyard. Facing the gates are the glazed entrance doors into the hall which then leads to the single storey courtyard accommodation to the left and to the Great Barn accommodation on the right. The hall provides access to a cloakroom, boot room and utility room with steps into the fabulous spacious family room open plan to the stylish fitted kitchen/breakfast area. This has been fitted with an extensive range of stainless steel and white lacquered units with granite worktops and a central island incorporating one of the original timber posts. The kitchen incorporates integrated appliances, including a coffee maker, microwave oven, plate warmer, Britannia Range cooker, extractor hood, dishwasher, fridge drawers, wine cooler and free standing American style fridge/freezer.

Leading off the kitchen where the threshing equipment was once located is the dining area with exposed brick walls and vaulted ceiling retaining original mill wheels. Glazed doors from the kitchen leads to a raised platform area providing the first view of the unconverted section of the Great Barn, a vast area which has potential for a multitude of ancillary uses. Further steps from the kitchen lead down to two bedrooms, both with contemporary en suite facilities.

Above the kitchen/family room is the large living room, a wonderful area to relax and entertain. There is a wealth of beams and a high degree of natural light flooding through the floor to ceiling windows with views over the courtyard and farmland beyond. There are also further internal windows that overlook the Great Barn. A curved oak staircase leads from the living room up to the superb master bedroom suite with its beamed vaulted ceiling and large apex window again with far reaching views towards Ashridge Forest across the surrounding farmland. There is a luxurious en suite bathroom incorporating an oval shaped steel bath, twin basins and curved shower enclosure.

Also from the sitting room are steps leading to a passageway with useful storage cupboards leading to the study and a large window looking into the Great Barn.

The remaining accommodation is single storey set on three sides around the courtyard. There are a further two bedrooms with private en suites and linked by a covered walkway is a sixth bedroom/reception room with an adjacent WC and an office/entertainment room. This adaptable accommodation would provide an annexe if required.

Gardens and Grounds
As well as the courtyard in the centre of the property, there is a pretty patio garden to the north-west of the main house, accessed via a covered walkway from the courtyard, but also with separate vehicular access. This garden provides a delightful private area for outdoor entertaining and lawns lead from the patio around to the western side of the property and back towards the stables. A garage incorporated within the great barn is positioned to the north-east, accessed from the rear driveway.

The Stables
The Stables is a separate cottage with its own parking area and patio garden. It provides well refurbished accommodation for guests or staff and comprises a sitting room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.

Specification
The property has been built to a high specification, with great attention to detail, using cutting edge design and materials. Listed are some of the main features:-

Electric gate
Security system
Colour video door entry system
Pre-wired telephone system/intercom
Under floor heating throughout
Ventilation system
Prewired for Sky Plus
Getz oak avant-garde veneer flooring
Multi room Lurton graphic 3000 lighting
Multi room audio system
Fully fitted oak wardrobes
Individually designed contemporary bathrooms

Accommodation

Ground Floor:
Entrance Hall,Kitchen/Breakfast/Family room,Dining area,Two En suite Bedrooms
First Floor:-
Living room,Study
Second Floor:
Master Bedroom suite
Courtyard Accommodation:
Hall,Boot room,Utility room,Cloakroom,Two Further en suite bedrooms
Annexe Accommodation:
Bedroom six/reception room with WC,Office/entertainment room
The Great Barn
The Stables:
Sitting room, Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom
Outside:
Courtyard,Patio Garden,Lawns,Garage

Directions

From London on the A41, take the second turning to Berkhamsted signposted A416 Chesham, and follow the signs into Berkhamsted. At the crossroads with the High Street, go straight over towards the train station. At the bottom of Lower Kings Road, turn sharp left underneath the railway bridge, passing the station on the left hand side. Go over the mini roundabout passing the Castle ruins on your right, as the road bears to the right, go straight on into Castle Hill. Follow the road round to the left, up the hill and at the top, turn right into a gravel driveway. Proceed along the driveway and at the fork continue on (left fork) and The Great Barn will be found on the right hand side.