North Hill, Little Baddow, Essex

A timeless Queen Anne house with remarkable views, exquisite mature gardens and a rich architectural legacy in one of Essex’s finest villages.


ABOUT THIS HOUSE
Walters Cottage is one of those rare homes that stops you in your tracks. Queen Anne in style and early 18th century in origin, this handsome brick house stands proudly on North Hill—its whitewashed façade and elegant symmetry quietly commanding attention. A Grade II listed property, it has been part of the landscape of Little Baddow for over 300 years, originally built as a hunting lodge, its story woven into the fabric of the village.
Throughout their 70-year ownership, the current family have remained mindful of preserving the property’s period details and timeless character. The current owner, once a distinguished architect and early advocate of conservation, has enhanced the house with a series of sensitive and functional extensions—each one designed to complement the original architecture while improving the way the house lives and flows.
Inside, the house is every bit as pretty as its exterior. Original sash windows, exposed beams, period fireplaces, an AGA, and rare wide elm floorboards—worn smooth with age—speak to the history of the house and the many stories it holds. West-facing bedrooms enjoy far-reaching views across the Chelmer Valley.
The gardens, which surround the house on several levels, are exceptional: a life’s work for the current owner, who has created a tapestry of scent and colour among its streams, ponds, terraces, and wooded glades. Period stabling and a grazing field provide for horses.
Tucked away to one side is Little Walters—a separate, charming one-bedroom cottage with an established orchard, laden with fruit each year. Beyond lies a paddock and market garden.

ABOUT THIS AREA
Little Baddow is one of the most sought-after villages in Essex—a vibrant, friendly community centred around its 11th-century church and The Rodney pub, where countryside, connection and convenience come together. Surrounded by rolling fields, ancient woodland and big East Anglian skies, it offers a classic rural setting—peaceful, beautiful and remarkably well-connected.

The area is rich in natural beauty, with bluebell woods, miles of bridleways and a direct route to the Chelmer & Blackwater Canal. Paper Mill Lock, a local favourite on the canal, offers a tearoom, moorings and peaceful boat trips.

Despite its rural feel, Little Baddow offers excellent access to London. Hatfield Peverel station—which, a few decades ago, the current owners helped campaign to keep open—offers direct trains to London Liverpool Street in under an hour. The A12 is nearby, and Chelmsford is a short drive away, offering great shopping, restaurants, and rail links. Slightly further afield, but still within an hour, is Cambridge.

The nearby village of Danbury provides essentials including a GP, post office and pubs. Families are well served with both state and independent schools, including New Hall, Elm Green, Heathcote and Chelmsford’s grammar schools.
Homes here rarely change hands—a reflection of the lifestyle and location people hold onto.