'The Old Barn' Thundridge, SG12

DESCRIPTION A fine conversion of former brick barns and stables into a spectacular country home with beautifully proportioned rooms, ideal for family life and offering great flexibility. The accommodation approaches some 6,500 square feet and includes a wonderful indoor leisure complex with vaulted full height ceiling and stunning swimming pool with glazed mezzanine level/gym.

Many of the rooms are on a truly grand scale with high vaulted ceilings, exposed timbers and brickwork. The Old Barn provides everything a family could want with the accommodation cleverly combining original character features with contemporary design and yet also offering a homely feel throughout.

STEP INSIDE The main sitting room enjoys a large redbrick fireplace and chimney breast and is complimented by the adjoining family/games room. There is a study area and Oak stairs rise to a first floor bedroom suite. A door and inner hallway leads off the sitting room into the bedroom wing. The Master bedroom is set on the ground floor, is double aspect and enjoys a lovely luxurious en suite bathroom. On the first floor are two double bedrooms each with en suite shower rooms.

The hub of many homes is the kitchen/breakfast room and here The Old Barn excels. The vaulted and timbered ceiling really sets off the room.The kitchen is fitted with an extensive range of units complimented by granite worktops incorporating all the usual appliances one would expect. There is a large breakfast bar and the kitchen is open plan to the dining/family area. Large enough for a generous family sized table and chairs and ideal for entertaining. French doors open onto the gardens. Adjoining the kitchen/breakfast room is a useful utility room with downstairs wc off.

Returning to the reception rooms, off the living room, is a fantastic family/games room that has a high vaulted ceiling, tiled floor and full width windows and doors that open onto the inner courtyard. This is a wonderful room that is large enough for a variety of uses and easily accommodates a sitting/lounge area as well as having space for a snooker table, pool table and/or table tennis. This really is a room that everyone will enjoy. From here a glazed screen and doors open into a large family room. Another room that has windows overlooking the courtyard and is perfect for parties.

At this end of the house another staircase rises to the guest bedroom suite. This is luxury personified. The area for the bed is on a slightly raised plinth with a beautiful designer roll top bath and en suite being open plan to the bedroom. A glazed screen overlooks the family/games room and a door opens into a large dressing room.

Returning to the ground floor and off the family room, one enters the leisure complex. Here one finds the stunning indoor heated swimming pool with windows and doors opening onto the inner courtyard. The ceiling is double height, there is a luxuriously appointed shower /changing room with twin showers, a pump room and storage. Stairs rise up to the mezzanine floor which is an ideal gym with glazed panels overlooking the pool.

The inner courtyard is a quite beautiful and enviable feature we seldom find. It has a real Mediterranean feel and really compliments the house. Windows and doors open into the courtyard and link the leisure complex and the family/games room and bring the outside into the house. Wonderful for summer evenings and for entertaining throughout the year as it is sheltered from the wind.

In addition there is a laundry room, boiler room and cloakrooms.

STEP OUTSIDE The Old Barn is approached via a long driveway adjoining countryside that leads up to the property. There is ample parking at the front for many vehicles and a double garage with store room to the side.

The grounds approach approximately 3.50 acres in all and are made up by formal garden with patio and lawns that adjoins the property beyond which is a paddock. In addition is an area of wooded scrub land and a large natural pond.

Set amidst beautiful undulating Hertfordshire countryside, this is a wonderful home being semi rural but in no way isolated. Just perfect to come home to after a busy day.

LOCATION Thundridge is a small village just a mile or two north of the historic riverside market town of Ware. One of the many benefits of the setting is the accessibility to both beautiful countryside and the neighbouring towns and their excellent facilities. Both Ware and Hertford are pretty market towns with a 'café bar society' feel complemented by stations that provide frequent services into London. The A10 is a few minutes drive away and provides easy access to the M25, London and Cambridge.

Education in the area is first class with many highly rated state schools (Presdales, Simon Balle, Richard Hale) and first class private schools nearby including Heathmount, Duncombe, Haileybury, St Edmunds and Bishops Stortford College.

The area also enjoys some fine recreational facilities with numerous bars and restaurants found in nearby Ware, Bishops Stortford and Hertford. Challenging golf courses abound with Hanbury Manor, East Herts, Whitehills and Brickendon all within a few minutes drive. For those with equestrian interests there are many excellent bridleways and stables in the nearby villages and dog walkers will love the numerous country and riverside footpaths.

GENERAL INFORMATION Local Authority: East Herts DC
Council Tax Band: H
Grade II listed by means of being within the curtilage of a listed building.
Mains water and electricity are connected
Oil fired central heating
Private drainage