Clouds Hill

A wonderful country house surrounded by its own parkland
and grounds, in approximately 81 acres.


Description

Approached along a delightful country lane with astonishing views over the surrounding countryside, a lengthy driveway leads through private parkland to the front of the property. Clouds Hill has come to the market for the first time since the thirties and has been a much cherished home to three generations of the same family.

The main section of Clouds Hill was built originally in the 1700’s as The Vicarage to Offley, the house was sold by the Church to Lord Lloyd in 1935 who came to settle in England after serving as the High Commissioner in Egypt.

A charming home with beautiful proportions and delightful period features, with the necessary consents could provide a new owner potential to carry out alterations to bring the house into the 21st Century. With accommodation extending to nearly 7000 sq ft this would make a fine family home embracing its elegant lines.

Surrounded by private manicured formal gardens bordered by parkland and pastureland this is the perfect country retreat for those seeking privacy close to amenities.

A grand and welcoming entrance hall with narrow profile timber flooring spans the middle part of the house giving access to both the drawing room and kitchen/family room.

The drawing room extends to over 36ft and is most elegant with a wall dedicated to book shelves which is more than adequate to house a fine library collection. Opposite is a grand fireplace, ideal to warm the space during those chilly winter evenings. The room is beautifully light with tall windows and a French door leading out to the rear terrace and boasting views over the attractive gardens.

The kitchen/breakfast room is located at one end of the hallway and overlooks both the parkland to the front and the gardens to the rear. There is a good bank of fitted units and a marble fireplace, with substantial wood burner, which takes pride of place facing the breakfast area. This is a sizeable room with space for a large farmhouse table and easy chairs.

To the eastern side of the house, a secondary hallway off the main hallway gives access to further accommodation. The ground floor area has always been known by the family as the ‘Butlers Flat’, and as one will see from the floor plan, this wing of the house offers the option for independent living or just integral to the main body of the house. On the first floor to both the main section of house and the ‘Butlers Flat, seven bedrooms can be found as well as three bathrooms.

Attached to the house on the western side is ‘The Annexe’ which was separated off many years ago with basic stud walls to create further independent living space, again as one will identify on the floor plans. However, it should be noted that access points remain behind the stud walls and therefore, could easily be taken out to reinstate the house as it was once built.

Location

Approx mileages:
Hitchin 3.7 miles • Hitchin Station 5 miles • Harpenden 11 miles • London Luton Airport 6.7 miles • Luton Parkway Station 7.1 miles • A505 1.1 miles • M1 (J10) 10 miles

Tucked away on the edge of Hertfordshire, Great Offley is a delightful village brought to life by its rich history.

Sitting on the top of a hill in the parish of Offley, this quietly situated village is moments from a main dual carriageway leading residents to the local market town of Hitchin. An idyllic situation - the attraction of peace and quiet of pleasant rural surroundings with access to great road links.

Formerly a farming village, the traditional employment in Great Offley has declined but the vestiges of the trade are still visible in the rolling fields that enfold the area. Beautifully converted barns and old farm buildings are a modern tribute to the area’s beginnings along with the old chapel that has also been transformed into housing, whilst retaining its historic facade.

Amongst the pretty housing and scenery there are amenities to keep residents away from the major towns for a few days with a village butcher, hairdresser, a village shop, a village primary school and two pubs. The latter offer a great place to meet up, and a welcome rest stop for weekend walkers.

For a wider range of amenities, the property is less than 4 miles from the elegant market town of Hitchin which has a range of shops, regular street markets, and independent cafes, restaurants and boutiques. Leisure facilities include a swimming pool and the Queen Mother Theatre. Hitchin’s boys’ and girls’ schools are both rated outstanding by Ofsted. Hitchin has a great community spirit, with a variety of community groups and sports clubs, including football, rugby, cycling, tennis, badminton, fencing and running. Hitchin railway station is on the Great Northern Line and journeys to London and Cambridge both take around 30 minutes. Thameslink trains have direct routes to stations including Kings Cross, St Pancras, Blackfriars and London Bridge and onto Gatwick and Brighton. For overseas travel the property is just over 7 miles from London Luton Airport.

Square Footage: 9,115 sq ft




Acreage: 81 Acres


Additional Info

Set beyond the house further along the main driveway is a lovely old and original Coach House which extends to nearly 1500sq ft. This could, subject to the necessary planning consents, provide a great opportunity to convert into ancillary accommodation to the main house, if required. There is a lovely private courtyard to the rear where there is a long wood store and other storage sheds.

The grounds are extensive and an absolute delight with sizable manicured lawns with robust yew hedging and mature parkland bordered by various mature woodlands and pastureland. Formal gardens border the house on three sides and are an absolute delight in their design. Cleverly conceived and planted to provide a series of outdoor ‘’rooms’’, they have a clear structure based on geometric shapes. From the courtyard garden on one side with its covered brickwork verandah providing welcome shade on a summer’s day, to the extensive terrace overlooking lawns, there is plenty of space to entertain outside.

There is a decommissioned swimming pool set a short distance from the house, which could be reinstated or perhaps even extended to provide somewhere for those early morning lengths!

Now overgrown by lawns, there is a former hard surface tennis court, which, again, could be reinstated, if required.

The beautiful woodlands that flank the parklands and feature numerous mown footpaths that meander throughout and provide wonderful peaceful walks as well as a great place for children to explore. With the land being managed under an Environmental Stewardship scheme, wildlife is in abundance and this really is a haven for many of our indigenous species of plants and animals.

Overlooking the shallow valley below, an area for a pollen and nectar field, with an array of wild flowers including the rare native bee orchid, has been created to support the butterflies, bees and hoverflies. Rolling pastureland and woodland extend down to the two arable fields, which have been crop farmed by the current owner.

Marketed by: Savills, Harpenden