Pennyfathers Lane, WELWYN

*** GUIDE PRICE £950,000 - £975,000 ***

Keeper’s Cottage, Harmer Green

Gorgeous Keeper’s Cottage is a truly magical character home, tucked away in a delightful countryside location yet within easy reach of all the necessities of modern-day life

Thinking back over the years she spent at Keeper’s Cottage, the current owner has nothing but fond memories. She spent her childhood here, playing games with her friends in the woods and fields and looking for frogs and newts in the garden pond. “My parents moved to the house in 1978 and I grew up there,” she recalls. “It was such a beautiful cottage – they just fell in love with it as soon as they saw it. They loved the way it looked and the way it felt when they stepped inside. My mum set her heart on it and neither of them ever wanted to live anywhere else. It was a chocolate-box cottage that offered them everything they wanted, from an English country garden to beautiful beams and an open fire.”

ORIGINAL FEATURES

Keeper’s Cottage is believed to date back to the 1870s and would originally have been home to the gamekeeper at a country estate. It still presents a wealth of original features, from its heavy oak beams and leaded windows to its rustic open fireplace. “My parents renovated the cottage when they moved in, working their way through everything from the roof to the garden but they retained its character. They also built a garage, which has an inspection pit, and is where my father used to keep his vintage cars. This was designed by an architect to blend in with the cottage,” she says.

ALL SEASONS

While new owners may choose to redecorate Keeper’s Cottage in a style of their choosing, the enticing, two-bedroom property is ready to move into. It is a cosy, welcoming home and the owner has nothing but fond memories of her time there. “The sitting room was a lovely place to relax, especially in the winter months, when the open fire was lit,” she recalls. “This was also where everyone would gather at Christmas time. There are also French windows on to the garden from the sitting room. We would open these up in the summer and have barbecues out in the garden.”

A PEACEFUL PLACE

Family meals were enjoyed in the dining room, which conveniently adjoins the kitchen. New owners may decide they wish to look into opening these two spaces up to create one larger kitchen breakfast room. “My mother liked the dining room,” she remembers. “She used to enjoy sitting at the table in there doing the crossword. It was always a very peaceful place.”
There is also an attractive bathroom at ground-floor level. This features a huge, clawfoot freestanding bath, installed shortly after the family moved in. “It is a lovely bathroom,” she agrees. “But there is also a good-sized shower room on the first floor, which is very convenient.”

POTENTIAL EXTENSION

Both cottage-style bedrooms are also upstairs. It could perhaps be possible (subject to the relevant planning permissions) to extend the house to add more bedroom and bathroom space should that be required, the owner observes. “New owners may, of course, wish to make their own mark on the cottage and there are all sorts of things that could potentially be done, from converting the garage into a games room or additional accommodation to extending out to the back of the house. My mother also often wondered about adding a garden room.”

A GENTLE PACE

More than anything, she says, the family savoured the unique location of Keeper’s Cottage. “It felt like being in the heart of the countryside and yet it was always so quick to get into Welwyn Garden City and to the train station – you could then be in London in 25 minutes. The road and motorway connections here are also very good. My father travelled for work for many years and always found it very easy – but he always loved returning to this house at the end of the day: this was where he and my mother could enjoy a much slower pace of life.” Sad though she is to leave her childhood home behind, the owner enjoys the thought of another family moving in and living at Keeper’s Cottage for the next chapter of its story. “It would be lovely to see another generation giving it a new lease of life,” she says. “My parents would also be happy to know someone else might move in now and really make it their own.”

SETTING THE SCENE

Keeper’s Cottage nestles in the most beautiful cottage gardens. There are lawns for children to play on and there is ample space for outdoor dining, entertaining and relaxation on the terrace. The grounds also encompass a driveway, garage and garden sheds.

“It was such a beautiful cottage – they just fell in love with it as soon as they saw it.”

“They loved the way it looked and the way it felt when they stepped inside.”

“My mum set her heart on it and neither of my parents ever wanted to live anywhere else.”

“It was a chocolate-box cottage that offered them everything they wanted, from an English country garden to beautiful beams and an open fire.”

“My parents renovated the cottage when they moved in, working their way through everything from the roof to the garden but they retained its character.”

“My parents built a garage, which has an inspection pit, and is where my father used to keep his vintage cars. This was designed by an architect to blend in with the cottage.”

“The sitting room was a lovely place to relax, especially in the winter months, when the open fire was lit. This was also where everyone would gather at Christmas time.”

“There are French windows on to the garden from the sitting room. We would open these up in the summer and have barbecues out in the garden.”

“My mother liked the dining room. She used to enjoy sitting at the table in there doing the crossword. It was always a very peaceful place.”

“There is an attractive bathroom at ground-floor level. This still features the huge, clawfoot, freestanding bath.”

“New owners may wish to make their own mark on the cottage and there are all sorts of things that could potentially be done, including converting the garage into a games room.”

“It felt like being in the heart of the countryside and yet it was always so quick to get into Welwyn Garden City and to the train station – you could then be in London in 25 minutes.”

“My father travelled for work for many years and always found it very easy – but he always loved returning to this house at the end of the day.”

“This was where my parents could enjoy a much slower pace of life.”

“It would be lovely to see another generation giving it a new lease of life. My parents would also be happy to know someone else might move in now and really make it their own.”