Full Details

INTRODUCTION Wellington Wise Exclusive Collection is delighted to offer for sale, Owls Wood Cottage, a truly wonderful thatched family home set within the idyllic village of Newsells, North Hertfordshire. This fairy tale property is set over three levels and boasts a wealth of period features which the current owners have spent 15 years extending, restoring and updating, including a re-thatching, a modern country-style kitchen and utility room, a fully landscaped garden, new bathrooms with heated marble tiled floors, and an ensuite in the master bedroom-a rare feature in a home of this age. It's challenging nowadays to find such a wonderfully presented property in this sort of rural location, so close to the train station that takes you directly to either London or Cambridge. A genuinely rare find!

STEP INSIDE After stepping into the beautifully decorated country kitchen/diner, you discover the heart of this wonderful home. The current owners have taken good care in renovating this space to a high standard but have ensured it remains in keeping with the age of the property. With traditional flagstone flooring (with water under-floor heating), antique-cream base and wall units, and a Rayburn-Aga, this room is both visually stunning and incredibly welcoming. It enjoys more modern features too, including an integrated oven and microwave, a cream and pinewood island/breakfast bar with built-in wine racks, fridge draws and an integrated dishwasher, vast amounts of storage space, and soft spotlights and lanterns in the ceiling. There are three windows to a dual aspect, a door to the front garden, French doors to the rear, and an archway into a particularly large utility room.
The utility room benefits from a matching design to the kitchen/diner, with flagstone flooring, antique-cream and pinewood cabinets, a large storage cupboard with attractive oak doors, a window to a side aspect, room for an American-style fridge/freezer, and lots of space for further furniture or equipment. Another door leads into a rear hallway, providing access to the rear garden, as well as a cloakroom, featuring WC, hand wash basin and window to a rear aspect.
The most tranquil room of Owls Wood Cottage has to be the sitting room with its magnificent inglenook fireplace, wood storage compartments, and wood-burning stove. The stunning oak beams are a wonderful feature, and alongside the neutral décor and cream carpets, it truly creates a wonderful spot to relax and unwind. There are two cottage windows to a dual aspect, doors to the front and rear gardens, and doors leading upstairs to the first floor and through to the large downstairs study.
The study is a particularly attractive room, boasting beautiful oakwood beams, an inglenook fireplace, two windows to a dual aspect, and provides the perfect quiet spot to work or relax. It's of a very generous size, allowing for a variety of furniture, including storage cupboards, chests of drawers, armchairs, and a large office desk.
Upstairs to the first floor, Owls Wood Cottage maintains its stunning period features, including bare oak beams, open brickwork and tranquil décor, as well as generous living accommodation. Another rare quality of a house of this age is how the current owners have adapted the space so that there is a separate landing leading to each bedroom and bathroom.
The master suite is exceptionally attractive and bright, with two Dorma windows to a dual aspect, an integrated oak cupboard, bare brickwork, and offers a large area for a variety of bedroom furniture. There is also the very unique feature of an ensuite, which has been decorated to a very high standard and includes a rolltop, claw-foot bath, WC, hand wash basin, and a window to the rear aspect. Bedroom two, three and four are all very bright and large double rooms with pretty cottage windows to a variety of aspects and offer more than enough space for a range of bedroom furniture. Bedroom three and four also enjoy the added beauty of stunning bare oak wood beams. The family bathroom is a very good size, and has been decorated exceptionally, boasting a corner shower, bath, WC and hand washbasin.
The owners have also installed a basement room to the property accessed via a hand crafted oak spiral staircase. The flagstone flooring matches the rest of the house, as do the cream-coloured cupboards which offer extensive storage. The basement also has water based underfloor heating.


STEP OUTSIDE Owls Wood Cottage is situated at the end of a tree-lined lane, surrounded by open countryside, and can be accessed via a double electric 5-bar gate which leads onto a large gravelled parking area, perfect for at least four vehicles. There is a pretty flagstone pathway and a gate to the front of the property, and there are lovely gardens-both grassed and patio-as well as a BBQ area. A sweet flower border, made up of a variety of plants and small shrubs, runs along the front edge of the cottage, and to the side, there is a wide courtyard with a BBQ area that leads to the rear.
The rear garden has been beautifully landscaped by the owners and offers a wonderful, relaxing atmosphere as soon as you step into it. There is a long flagstone patio which is perfect for entertaining guests or unwinding in the sun, and a wide stretch of grass, featuring many trees, hedges, shrubs and flower borders, as well as a large summerhouse (supplied by Crane Garden Buildings).
Located in the highly sought-after village of Newsells, North Hertfordshire, the cottage is surrounded by glorious countryside, which is perfect for long walks, but the village is still only 15 minutes away from Royston train station, offering fast trains to both London and Cambridge. There are many local schools in neighbouring villages, as well as shops, pubs, gyms, doctor's surgeries, dentists and other amenities.



SELLERS INSIGHT "We originally purchased Owls Wood Cottage not long after getting married in 2006," says the owners. "We thought it was something on a chocolate box or straight out of a fairy tale. And over the years, it's been such a happy home; so peaceful, so close to nature, offering endless walks and views of horses running in the fields nearby. Sometimes deer even visit and look at us over the fence!
"The village of Newsells actually appears in the Doomsday Book, and a couple of interesting facts about Owls Wood Cottage are that it has a priest hole and that Dick Turpin is said to have found refuge here on his travels between London and Royston.
"Our favourite rooms really depend on the type of day it is, but on a cold winter's evening, by the fire in the sitting room is such a wonderful place to be, or in the kitchen/diner, cooking with the whole family. The house offers so many lovely possibilities.
"We have made enormous improvements to Owls Wood Cottage over the years. We even moved out in 2011 for 13 months while the extension was being built and the entire house renovated. We put in underfloor heating, a basement, a utility room and a cloakroom, as well as the master suite with a beautiful roll-top bath. The kitchen was taken back to bare brick and replaced, we've lain new wool carpets throughout, stone floors, replaced the thatch roof, and even installed a smart heating system and a state-of-the-art alarm and fire monitoring system. The village also benefits from fibre-optic broadband, perfect for working from home. At one point, we received planning permission for a garage with a room on top of it-this has recently expired, but it could certainly be sought again!
"We have loved, and still love, Owls Wood Cottage very much, but plan to move for work reasons, so now it's time to move on and let a new family make some lovely memories just like we have done. We are certain that the cottage's future owners will have a wonderful life here."