Chaucer Road, Bedford

*Guide price £850,000- £875,000*
Polam House is a stunning Victorian villa showcasing history, high character and exquisite style. The outside space is superb, there’s a driveway for private parking, and the Poets’ area is perfect for commuters.

Built in 1876 and once part of Polam School, Polam House was designed by Basil Champneys, the same architect as Bedford Girls’ School, Oxford and Cambridge colleges and Manchester’s John Rylands Library. There’s lots to learn about the home, with much of its earlier life still seen. Original features have been wonderfully preserved, including tiled floors, working fireplaces, high skirtings and ornate cornices and ceiling roses. Wooden floors have been recently varnished too. The accommodation is decorated in Farrow & Ball and beautifully bright including tall bays and high ceilings. Each room is individual, with interiors distinctive of the Victorian era.

The large living areas are versatile, with options for both formal and informal use. At the back of the house is the newly fitted kitchen, connected to a dining/snug space and united with the garden via bi-fold doors. There’s extensive blue Shaker cabinetry and white veined surfacing, a ceramic Belfast sink and gaps for appliances. Adjacent to the kitchen is a conservatory, creating a sunny breakfast spot.

Upstairs are seven double bedrooms, with the full-width principal to the front, a guest bedroom tucked at the back and the second-floor space ideal for granting older children independence, whether for homework or to hang out. Many of the bedrooms have built-in cupboards, there’s a loft from the landing and a cupboard under the stairs and the cellar affords substantial storage. The first-floor laundry room means no carrying a full basket up and down stairs and this also acts as a plant room, housing the boiler and the hot water tank.

There’s both a bathroom and a shower room here, plus two cloakrooms. The bathroom was recently replaced in a period style fitting for the home. There are dual Burlington basins and a roll top, claw foot bath with a waterfall shower over.

The rear garden at Polam House is stocked with all sorts, from redcurrants and rosemary, to newly planted eucalyptus and magnolia. The huge fig tree produced 150 figs last year! Trees, hedging and walled boundaries screen the garden, providing privacy. From the house, there’s a deck with inset lighting, followed by an artificial lawn. To the end is a generous and secluded seating area, where trickling water from a small pond adds to the tranquillity and power allows for plugging in heaters.

To the front is a gravelled driveway for off-road parking, with one of two spaces behind gates. There’s a tiled path to the porch and the stained-glass front door and a side passageway with space for sheds, more seating and to store bins out of sight.

Chaucer Road is a tree-lined street just half a mile from the station. London can be reached by rail in as little as 40 minutes and Bedford is well connected by major roads such as the M1 and the A1.
Just over a mile away are Bedford’s popular parks and riverside embankment. All the town has to offer is on the doorstep, including wide-ranging restaurants, cafés and bars, events for all ages and interests and a fantastic sports’ scene.

Families are well served not only by an array of entertainment, but excellent education as well. There’s the Harpur Trust for independent schooling, alongside nurseries, primaries and secondaries within close proximity.