A dream home straight from a fairytale (Picture: Cheffins)
Ever wanted to live in your very own fairytale cottage?
If you have a £1.4 million to spare, this could be your reality.
The five-bedroom house, based in Saffron Walden, is a ‘stunning Grade II Listed cottage orné set in the heart of town’ and dates back to 1820.
The unique residence, which also comes with approximately half an acre of land, was built by local bank manager Jabez Gibson and is currently known as Gloriana.
One of the home’s beautiful reception rooms (Picture: Cheffins)
The house used to have a secret tunnel, but you can still enjoy the half acre of land that comes with it (Picture: Cheffins)
A stunning place to work and live (Picture: Cheffins)
The kitchen offers amazing views of the garden (Picture: Cheffins)
According to history, the Gloriana was named ‘Reed Lodge’ by the owner, who first built it on the site of a tumbledown barn.
It’s packed with charming features, including a thatched roof, carved stone fireplaces, stone mullioned windows and three Tudor-style chimneystacks.
Plus, the property has a secret tunnel running from the house to one of the banks in the middle of Saffron Walden – although the entry has since been concreted over.
One of the four glorious bedrooms with sunlight coming in all directions (Picture: Cheffins)
Channelling cottagecore (Picture: Cheffins)
There are five bedrooms in total (Picture: Cheffins)
Plenty of space to host (Picture: Cheffins)
With five reception rooms and a home office, Gloriana the perfect place to entertain family and friends.
Hosts can enjoy a swanky kitchen with granite worktops and handmade units, a boot room, a cosy snug, a drawing room with an open fireplace and an office for working from home.
The windows also provide majestic views over the stunning garden, which makes for some picturesque scenery while cooking or socialising.
Below the house sits a cellar, which has the potential to be converted into a living space subject to approval, while a laundry room can be found upstairs.
One room has an ensuite bathroom (Picture: Cheffins)
There’s 1.5 acres of land included in the sale (Picture: Cheffins)
Each room has its own unique characteristics (Picture: Cheffins)
The five bedrooms – one of which is ensuite – are spacious and well-lit, with ornate window designs and sloped walls to add character.
If you prefer the great outdoors, the home boasts a south facing garden which is mainly laid to lawn, with a number of mature trees providing privacy as well as a timber shed.
In addition, a driveway with wrought iron gates provides off-street parking, but planning permission for a double garage has been obtained.
Plus, there’s a bath in the main bathroom (Picture: Cheffins)
The new owner certainly won’t be short of space (Picture: Cheffins)
They can enjoy a laundry room and boot room (Picture: Cheffins)
Imagine the BBQs and parties here (Picture: Cheffins)
The residence featured in the book Cottages Ornés: The Charms of the Simple Life by Roger White, which came out in 2017.
This style of architecture formed part of the Romantic movement in the 18th and 19th centuries, with Queen Charlotte’s Cottage in Kew Gardens serving as an early example. Cottage ornées were generally built as rustic homes for the wealthy, in the style of a typical chocolate box cottage.
That’s certainly the case here, as Gloriana looks like something straight from a storybook.
As for the location, it’s situated in the centre of Saffron Walden on Audley Road. The nearest station, Audley End, is roughly two miles away, with regular services to Liverpool Street taking just under an hour.
Check out the listing and enquire to view via Cheffins.
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It’s like something out of a storybook.
