Location

The Summer House is situated in the heart of Balsham - an attractive village situated 10 miles to the east of the high tech University City of Cambridge. Within the village are two public house/restaurants, a butchers and small store/ post office with more everyday shopping facilities available in nearby Linton. Comprehensive shopping is available in the medieval market town of Saffron Walden including a Waitrose supermarket and there is a full retail experience in Cambridge including the Grand Arcade shopping mall with a large John Lewis.

Direct access from the village onto the A11 is 3 miles distant which in turn leads north to the A14 and south to the M11. The M11 leads south to Stansted airport, the M25 and east and central London via the A13. The A14 connects with the A1, M1 & M6 to the north and west.

Regular train services are available from nearby Whittlesford station leading into London's Liverpool Street Station. King's Cross services are available from Cambridge and Royston taking from around 40 minutes.

There is a primary school in the village and secondary schooling at Linton Village College together with a wide range of renowned independent schools in Cambridge and Saffron Walden.

Cambridge is now at the heart of the biggest cluster of technology companies in the UK, the Science Parks on the northern and eastern sides of the City have been joined by world class research institutes such as the Wellcome Trust's Genome campus at Hinxton, the Babraham Institute, Granta Park and the Biomedical campus which is being established alongside Addenbrookes and The Rosie, Cambridge's University Hospitals.

All distances and times are approximate.

Description

This is a contemporary, architect-designed family home which offers great flexibility. Traditionally built with predominantly brick elevations beneath a slate roof with bespoke Idigbo wood windows, its distinguishing external feature is an impressive oak gabled entrance which invites the visitor to the handcrafted, solid oak front door. This is a light-filled house with bi-fold doors in the main reception room and kitchen/breakfast room and there are a number of electrically operated roof lights together with glazed floor panels in the inner hall. There has been great attention to detail throughout the property built from vaulted ceilings to the well-planned contemporary fitted kitchen/breakfast room and snug/study above. Additional features include a 360 degree revolving Stuv 30 wood burner in the main reception room, Porcelanosa tiled flooring with oil fired underfloor heating on the ground floor (radiators to first floor), a fully fitted kitchen with Miele appliances planned with a layout to accommodate different work zones (including a central island incorporating a seating area), glass ballustrades to the turning staircase and Duravit sanitary ware throughout. The design of the house is flexible on both floors allowing for the ratio of reception rooms to bedrooms to be established to suit.

A private ground-floor bedroom wing offers three double bedrooms, each thoughtfully designed to maximise comfort. One of the bedrooms features French doors leading to the front garden, a fitted dressing room and an en suite bathroom with sleek contemporary fittings. A family bathroom serves the remaining two bedrooms or reception rooms. The utility room, equipped with ample cabinetry and space for laundry appliances, provides access to both the garden and the integral double garage with external WC. Ascending the oak staircase, the part-vaulted first floor is dedicated to a spacious principal bedroom suite. Accessed via a spacious galleried landing with impressive double-height glazing, this first floor sanctuary includes a wooden-floored bedroom, a dressing room, and a spacious well-appointed en suite bathroom provides the perfect retreat for relaxation.

With low-level boundary hedging, the property is approached through a five-bar gate over a gravelled driveway leading to the integral double garage. The front garden is mainly to lawn and interspersed with specimen trees, creating attractive frontage. The gardens to the front are laid to lawn with a number of Himalayan Birch trees and there is a shingled drive which leads up to the integral double garage with electric door. To the rear there is a walled courtyard along the full width of the plot. Accessed via the bi-folding doors in both the main reception and kitchen is a paved terrace with raised planting, a pergola for dining and a tall wall running along the rear boundary. The remainder is paved, will have some planting and is delightfully secluded and private.

Directions

On entering the village of Balsham from the west, proceed to the centre of the village where you will take a sharp right-hand bend, as you then take the immediate left bend, the property will be seen set back from the road on the left hand side.