Church View, Lawford, CO11

Church View is one of those homes where the setting and the design work together. Built by Rose Builders in 2015 as their Barbier design at Summers Park, it has the clean proportions and traditional detailing expected of the development, but with a position that feels far more open than many modern homes. From the front, the outlook stretches beyond the landscaped edge of the development towards undulating Constable Country fields, mature trees and the church beyond, giving the house its name and a sense of place that is immediately apparent.

The house is approached across a generous frontage, with planted borders softening the red brick elevation, sash-style windows, clay tiled roof and blue front door. To the side, a wide driveway provides excellent off-street parking and leads to the detached double garage, a significant advantage for a three-bedroom home and useful for parking, storage, hobbies or day-to-day family life.

Inside, the entrance hall is bright and neatly arranged, with a part-glazed front door, matching top light and staircase rising to the first floor. There is a ground-floor cloakroom positioned off the hall, before the layout opens into the main living space at the rear. This is where the Barbier design really earns its reputation. The kitchen, dining and living areas are connected in one continuous arrangement, giving the ground floor a sociable, practical flow rather than a series of separate rooms.

The kitchen sits towards the front section of the space and is fitted with gloss white cabinetry, dark work surfaces and large floor tiles. It wraps around three sides, providing good storage and preparation space, with a stainless-steel sink, integrated oven, gas hob, extractor, wine cooler and integrated dishwasher and washing machine. The layout keeps the kitchen connected to the wider room, so cooking, dining and relaxing all feel part of the same everyday space.

Beyond the kitchen, the room opens out into a generous living and dining area, with a wide rear section that gives the house its real architectural lift. A vaulted ceiling, large rooflights and full-width bi-folding doors draw natural light deep into the room and create a direct connection with the garden. It feels more individual than a typical modern three-bedroom layout, with space for sofas, dining furniture and family use without the room feeling cramped or forced. The garden becomes part of the living experience, particularly in the warmer months when the doors can be opened onto the terrace.

Upstairs, the landing is arranged around the staircase and gives access to all three bedrooms and the family bathroom. The principal bedroom sits at the front of the house and enjoys the same open outlook that defines Church View, looking across the landscaped frontage and towards the fields beyond. It is a comfortable double room with a wall of mirrored sliding wardrobes and its own en-suite shower room. The en-suite is fitted with a glazed shower enclosure, WC and vanity wash basin, with natural light from the window.

There are two further bedrooms to the rear, one with a fitted wardrobe, giving flexibility for children, guests, home working or dressing space. The family bathroom is finished in a smart contemporary style, with dark grey wall tiling, pale floor tiles, a bath with shower over and glazed screen, WC and wash basin.

The rear garden feels private and established, with the house opening directly onto a paved terrace from the living space. A central lawn is framed by mature planting, shrubs and small trees, giving the garden more texture and screening than many newer homes. A further seating area sits towards the rear corner, creating a second place to sit away from the house. Importantly, the garden is not directly overlooked from the rear, giving it a more settled and secluded feel. The detached double garage also has a personal door from the garden, adding useful practicality.

Church View combines the advantages of a modern, energy-conscious home with the stronger character of a well-planned Rose Builders design. With gas central heating, double glazing, an insulated boarded loft with fixed ladder and lighting, generous parking, a double garage and a distinctive edge-of-development outlook, it offers much more than a standard three-bedroom semi-detached house.

Summers Park is well placed for Lawford, Manningtree and Mistley, with local amenities, schooling, countryside and riverside walks all within reach. Manningtree Station provides mainline rail links towards Colchester and London Liverpool Street, making the position particularly appealing for buyers wanting village-edge surroundings without losing commuter convenience.

Entrance Hall

4.17m x 1.9m

A bright entrance hall sets a calm, practical tone on arrival, with a part-glazed front door and matching top light drawing daylight into the space. The staircase rises immediately to one side with white balustrading and a natural timber handrail, while the hall continues through to the main ground-floor accommodation with a cloakroom on your right.

Living Room

6.25m x 4.92m

This is the room that gives the Barbier design its impact. The main living area opens out from the kitchen and dining space into a wide, vaulted garden room, with two large rooflights pulling sunlight down into the centre of the room and full-width bi-folding doors opening directly onto the rear garden. The proportions are excellent, measuring over 20ft in length, with defined areas for sofas, dining and everyday family use without the room feeling divided. The rear section has a noticeably lighter, more architectural feel, with the pitched ceiling, glazing and garden connection giving it the sense of a proper extension-style living space rather than a standard new-build reception room. It is a standout feature of the house and the space that makes the home feel larger, brighter and more individual than many three-bedroom layouts.

Kitchen

4.17m x 2.83m

The kitchen forms the front section of the open-plan ground floor, giving the room a practical working area before it opens naturally into the dining and living space beyond. Finished with gloss white units, dark work surfaces and large floor tiles, it has a clean, modern feel with good storage at both wall and base level. The layout wraps around three sides, giving generous preparation space, a stainless-steel sink beneath the side window, a further front-facing window, integrated oven, gas hob, extractor, wine cooler and assumed integrated dishwasher and washing machine. The kitchen remains connected to the rest of the room, so whoever is cooking is still part of the main living space, while the glazing and open layout keep the whole area bright and sociable.

Cloakroom

Fitted with WC, hand wash basin and extractor.

Landing

3.13m x 2m

The landing is arranged around the top of the staircase, with the white balustrading and timber handrail continuing up from the entrance hall below. It gives access to all three bedrooms and the family bathroom, keeping the first floor neatly ordered. The space is finished in the same light, neutral style as the hall, with soft carpet underfoot and a loft hatch above, leading to the boarded, insulated loft with fixed ladder and lighting.

First Bedroom

3.05m x 2.14m

The first bedroom sits at the front of the house, giving it the outlook that makes Church View feel distinct. A front-facing window looks out across the landscaped frontage and road towards open green fields, with mature trees and the wider Constable Country setting beyond. The room is arranged as a comfortable double, with space for freestanding bedroom furniture and a full wall of mirrored sliding wardrobes adding useful built-in storage. A bold feature wall gives the room character, while an en-suite is positioned directly off the bedroom.

En-suite

2.04m x 1.65m

The en-suite is neatly fitted and finished in a modern, practical style, with a glazed shower enclosure, WC and compact vanity wash basin with storage beneath. Light-toned tiling runs across the floor and part of the walls, giving the room a clean, cohesive look, while the window provides natural light and ventilation. It is a useful addition to the first bedroom and helps lift the house above a standard three-bedroom arrangement.

Second Bedroom

2.92m x 2.4m

Carpeted with fitted wardrobe and window to the rear.

Third Bedroom

2.65m x 1.99m

Carpeted with window to the rear elevation.

Bathroom

1.85m x 1.8m

The family bathroom is finished in a smart, contemporary style, with dark grey wall tiling, pale floor tiles and white sanitaryware giving it a clean contrast. It includes a panelled bath with glazed shower screen and shower over, WC and pedestal wash basin, with a broad mirror above helping the room feel brighter. A window brings in natural light and ventilation, while the tiling around the bath and main walls gives the space a practical, durable finish for family use.

Double Garage

5.66m x 5.53m

Twin up and over doors to the front and a personal door to the garden at its side.

Front Garden

The front of the house has a particularly strong setting within Summers Park, positioned at the edge of the development with an open outlook rather than facing directly into neighbouring homes. The red brick elevation, clay tiled roof and sash-style windows give the Barbier design a more traditional village-edge character, while the blue front door and planted borders add colour and softness on approach. A wide resin-style driveway sits to the side, leading to the detached double garage and providing generous parking.

What makes the frontage memorable is the view. Beyond the landscaped boundary planting and estate road, the outlook opens across undulating green fields, mature trees and the wider Constable Country landscape, with the church visible in the distance. From both the front of the house and the first bedroom, there is a real sense of space and separation, giving “Church View” its name and giving the home a setting that feels noticeably different from many modern developme...

Garden

The rear garden has a private, established feel, with the house opening directly onto a paved terrace from the bi-folding doors in the living area. The garden is arranged with a central lawn, mature planted borders and a strong mix of shrubs, small trees and architectural planting, giving it more texture and screening than many modern development gardens. The detached double garage forms one side of the garden, with a personal door from the garden into the garage, adding useful everyday practicality.

A further paved seating area sits towards the rear corner, creating a second spot to sit away from the house. The garden is enclosed by fencing and mature planting, and importantly it is not directly overlooked from the rear, giving the space a more settled and secluded feel.

Parking - Off street