House For Sale £425,000
Charming country cottage with lovely outlook
Only a growing family could wrench you away from Apple Tree Cottage in the historic, little Bedfordshire village of Melchbourne. And then only with a heavy heart - hence the first opportunity in nigh on two decades to own this delightful 2/3-bedroom cottage, with its gardens, plenty of parking, and its field views.
Originally built with its attached neighbour for estate workers in the late C17th or early C18th on the country lane between Knotting and Upper Dean, roads in more recent times, to the county town, St Neots and further afield, seem to have been planned to allow easy access to Apple Tree Cottage, yet leave this lovely home in a perfectly peaceful spot away from the madding crowd.
Wander down the lane to Sunday service at the superb Grade i-listed church, perhaps followed by a bite to eat at the former hunting lodge which is now a hugely popular village pub, with beer garden and open fire. Your dog has many beautiful walks to take you on, a particular favourite being through Melchbourne Woods to Riseley, and children will look forward each year to the feast day held at Melchbourne Park at the same time of year as the C13th Knights Hospitallers held their “annual fayre, vigil, feast and morrow” of St Mary Magdalene, who gave the church its name. Melchbourne used to be a village of some importance. It’s now, quite simply, a lovely, friendly place to live.
About the property
Relax in the cosy sitting room, with its wall and ceiling timbers, original old pine doors, and a woodburner which belies its size by throwing heat around the cottage, and contemplate days gone by when the space you’re sitting in was once where it all happened – apart, that is, from the two rooms above, one leading from another, both of which were, and still are, bedrooms, albeit one much larger than the other.
Children will love clambering up the staircases to these exciting rooms. More gorgeous timbers, super views toward the church across the horse paddocks and sheep fields adjoining the garden, space to sit with friends away from boring adults. This is where two children can avoid sharing a bedroom, or one child can have his bedroom separate from his den or study space in the attic. Or it’s a romantic bedroom for visitors who are happy with the steep steps.
Your downstairs bedroom is no less romantic, with its vaulted ceiling, beams saved from an old barn, and ceiling windows to fall asleep under the stars.
Weatherboarding and old clay tiles clad the extensions just as they did the former washhouse and coal store, so important to the estate worker’s family. Now, you have an up-to the-minute downstairs bathroom and a super hub of the home – kitchen and dining room open to each other, and still with space for a sofa. Fling open the French doors and look forward to that summer party, and barbecued suppers either on the terrace or in the lovely gazebo, ideal for both shelter and shade, sipping English garden cocktails made using your own apples from the old tree, sole survivor from an ancient orchard, which gave your home its name,
And hidden away, on the other side of the stable door from the hall, a lovely little courtyard, a sun trap, and the perfect place for coffee as you solve the cryptic crossword in the morning paper. You’ll no doubt wish to put your stamp on Apple Tree Cottage, inside and outside, but there’s also no doubt that you will love living here.
Only a growing family could wrench you away from Apple Tree Cottage in the historic, little Bedfordshire village of Melchbourne. And then only with a heavy heart - hence the first opportunity in nigh on two decades to own this delightful 2/3-bedroom cottage, with its gardens, plenty of parking, and its field views.
Originally built with its attached neighbour for estate workers in the late C17th or early C18th on the country lane between Knotting and Upper Dean, roads in more recent times, to the county town, St Neots and further afield, seem to have been planned to allow easy access to Apple Tree Cottage, yet leave this lovely home in a perfectly peaceful spot away from the madding crowd.
Wander down the lane to Sunday service at the superb Grade i-listed church, perhaps followed by a bite to eat at the former hunting lodge which is now a hugely popular village pub, with beer garden and open fire. Your dog has many beautiful walks to take you on, a particular favourite being through Melchbourne Woods to Riseley, and children will look forward each year to the feast day held at Melchbourne Park at the same time of year as the C13th Knights Hospitallers held their “annual fayre, vigil, feast and morrow” of St Mary Magdalene, who gave the church its name. Melchbourne used to be a village of some importance. It’s now, quite simply, a lovely, friendly place to live.
About the property
Relax in the cosy sitting room, with its wall and ceiling timbers, original old pine doors, and a woodburner which belies its size by throwing heat around the cottage, and contemplate days gone by when the space you’re sitting in was once where it all happened – apart, that is, from the two rooms above, one leading from another, both of which were, and still are, bedrooms, albeit one much larger than the other.
Children will love clambering up the staircases to these exciting rooms. More gorgeous timbers, super views toward the church across the horse paddocks and sheep fields adjoining the garden, space to sit with friends away from boring adults. This is where two children can avoid sharing a bedroom, or one child can have his bedroom separate from his den or study space in the attic. Or it’s a romantic bedroom for visitors who are happy with the steep steps.
Your downstairs bedroom is no less romantic, with its vaulted ceiling, beams saved from an old barn, and ceiling windows to fall asleep under the stars.
Weatherboarding and old clay tiles clad the extensions just as they did the former washhouse and coal store, so important to the estate worker’s family. Now, you have an up-to the-minute downstairs bathroom and a super hub of the home – kitchen and dining room open to each other, and still with space for a sofa. Fling open the French doors and look forward to that summer party, and barbecued suppers either on the terrace or in the lovely gazebo, ideal for both shelter and shade, sipping English garden cocktails made using your own apples from the old tree, sole survivor from an ancient orchard, which gave your home its name,
And hidden away, on the other side of the stable door from the hall, a lovely little courtyard, a sun trap, and the perfect place for coffee as you solve the cryptic crossword in the morning paper. You’ll no doubt wish to put your stamp on Apple Tree Cottage, inside and outside, but there’s also no doubt that you will love living here.
