The Property:

A rare opportunity to acquire this stunning five bedroom detached residence in a prime West Side setting. The property benefits from well-balanced accommodation, ample off-street parking and a large rear garden.

Description:

This unique, light-filled, five bedroom home was one of the first to be built in carefully planned Welwyn Garden City. Built in 1920, it was designed by the architect who created the masterplan for the city, Louis de Soissons.
Originally a four bedroom home on a large plot, the house has been sympathetically extended to include an extra reception room, a fifth bedroom and a beautifully designed conservatory.

The spectacular heart of the home is the huge, double-height sitting room with its high vaulted ceiling, exposed beams and a stunning tall window with more than 80 small panes. This room also has original double patio doors to the garden, an open fireplace and a separate dining area. Double internal glazed doors lead to a second spacious sitting room, another light-filled room with a large window to the front and four-panel glazed doors opening onto the garden. Beyond this room is a guest bedroom with further patio doors onto the garden and an en-suite bathroom. At the front of the house is a very large double aspect study, which could be used as a family room or playroom, with an Art Deco cast iron open fireplace.

The bespoke kitchen forms an L-shape with the double-height Amdega conservatory, which faces east, and is flooded with morning light. The handmade kitchen has pale brown granite work surfaces, a double Butler sink and a six-hob range, with its original floor tiles still. The remainder of the flooring on the ground floor is American Oak, put in by the current owners. A cloakroom and utility room complete the ground floor layout.

The four first floor bedrooms each have a different character, with the large main bedroom benefiting from double windows to the front and glazed doors onto a Juliette balcony overlooking the garden. The en-suite to this bedroom and the main bathroom both have freestanding baths and separate shower cubicles.

The beautifully landscaped rear garden faces south-east and gets plenty of sunshine throughout the day, with two decked and paved dining areas to take advantage of the changing light. The garden is enclosed by mature trees and shrubs, with the borders expertly planted to create a floral display nearly all year round and benefits from an irrigation system with the lawn and beds on timers. A magnificent wisteria covers the pergola over one of the dining spaces, creating a magical setting for spring and summer days and evenings. There is a garage and space for parking for several cars at the front of the house.

THE OWNER'S STORY

'When I saw the vaulted ceiling in the sitting room I knew I wanted this house. The height in the room and the amazing floor-to-ceiling window with its coloured panes are really special. It was originally designed for an artist who appreciated the northern light favoured by painters. Windows are a really big feature of the house, there are masses of them and every room is flooded with sunshine and light.

When we bought the house 25 years ago it needed a lot of work, nothing much had been done to it since the 1970s. Since then there isn't a room we haven't touched. We made improvements gradually over about 10 years, extending twice with a kitchen added to the conservatory and later with a second reception room and new bedroom above. We kept original features wherever we could, including all the doors and even the basin in the main bathroom. We reinstated other features that had been covered up, such as beams and fireplaces. When we extended the house we made sure the new windows matched the original timber multi-paned ones.
This has been a wonderful house to live in and bring up a family, we have had so many memorable occasions here, including the birth of my youngest child. The house never feels full even when we have a lot of people here, like our Boxing Day parties when 25 members of the extended family come over. It's also a great location because it's only a 10 minute walk to the station and a five minute walk into town so I rarely need to use the car.
It will be a wrench to leave this house but all the children have left home and it's time to downsize. This is very much a family home so I'm ready to hand it on to someone new.

Location:

The house is on the West Side of Welwyn Garden City in a conservation area, where the larger houses were built 100 years ago when the City was first established. This leafy area is very close to extensive green spaces including the ancient Sherrardspark Wood and Stanborough Lakes, with its nature reserve and boating lake, both of which are a few minutes' walk away. Surprisingly, the house's peaceful location is also only a five minute walk to the town centre, with its shops, cinema and growing number of stylish cafes and restaurants. The station is also just a 10 minute walk away, from where you can reach St Pancras and Kings Cross in 25 minutes. There are excellent state primary and secondary schools in the city as well as the independent Sherrarswood School, with St Albans schools a 20 minute drive. Welwyn Garden City is surrounded by beautiful Hertfordshire countryside dotted with pretty villages and country pubs.