Mulberry Green, Old Harlow, CM17

This one-of-a-kind 17th Century Grade II listed family home features five double bedrooms, Farrow & Ball décor, and a private garden. Full of character and beautiful period details, it offers a country cottage lifestyle within an easy commute to the city.

Situated in the Conservation Area of Mulberry Green, the property lies just a ten-minute walk from Harlow Mill station, local shops and the historic town of Old Harlow. The house itself is set back from the road, on a leafy street with a lovely village green feel and has kerb appeal in abundance.

Hugged by a white-painted picket fence, the rendered exterior has been painted a warm cream. Two large bays with Edwardian glazing bars, three timber sash windows, and three pedimented dormers with small-paned casement windows complement a white-painted timber panelled front door, which has a triangular entrance pediment and a transom window complete with gilded house name.

Inside, the wide and welcoming hallway has original floorboards and walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s Strong White. Ahead is a carpeted staircase with a wooden bannister rail and white-painted spindles, while a useful storage cupboard is tucked away under the stairs.

For now, take the panelled door to your left into the living room. Filled with light from a large front-facing timber sash bay fitted with bespoke grey Roman blinds and a radiator beneath, the space has been painted in Lick’s Greige 02 – a soft green-grey that echoes the trees outside.

Neutral carpet runs underfoot, while custom-built sleeper shelves along one wall provide attractive storage. As with every room in the house, you’ll find charming period details – here, it’s a coved ceiling and an original fireplace with tiled surround.

Returning to the hallway, take the door to your right into the dining room, where another large timber sash bay creates the perfect spot to sit and read or watch the world go by, the current owners report.

The walls here are Farrow & Ball’s Cornforth White, and as in the living room, there’s a neutral carpet, radiator beneath the bay, and another stunning original fireplace – this time in cast iron with decorative tiled surround. To the left of the chimney breast is an arched inbuilt cupboard and shelving; to the right, an arched entranceway leads into the kitchen.

Step through into the heart of the home, where the current owners retreat during the autumn and winter to enjoy the warmth imbued by a fabulous grey electric AGA. With original terracotta floor tiles, open shelving and shaker-style units in dove grey with brass knobs, a granite worktop and upstand, and a butler sink with chrome mixer tap sitting beneath a triple casement window, the kitchen has a modern country feel.

There’s also an integrated Neff dishwasher and Indesit fridge/freezer and in the corner is a roomy inbuilt walk-in larder cupboard. Should you wish for even more space, the current owners are happy to share early architect’s drawings to extend the kitchen into the garden and add bifold doors.

An original wide door with a glazed panel leads through to a small connecting hallway with a nook at one end, lit by a characterful small window. Charming white clapboard details on the wall mirror those used on the back of the house.

The terracotta floor tiles also continue into the utility room, where you’ll find more shaker-style cream-painted units with a wood-effect laminate worktop and space for appliances, such as a washing machine and tumble dryer. From here, one door leads to the useful storage cellar, while another leads to a downstairs cloakroom with a traditional-style loo and basin.

Back in the entrance hallway, the stairs rise to a small landing. Beyond, you’ll find the premier bedroom, which enjoys a peaceful garden view through an original timber sash window with curtain pelmet above and radiator below. Period features – including original integrated cupboards on either side of a fantastic original cast-iron fireplace with bottle green tiled surround – pair with Farrow & Ball Cornforth White walls and a neutral carpet.

Cornforth White also complements the original dark-stained floorboards in the large family bathroom next door. The centrepiece is a luxurious newly enamelled roll-top bath with an overhead shower, traditional-style ceramic-handled taps, and an oval chrome ceiling-hung shower curtain rail.

Two traditional Staffordshire Charlotte pedestal basins with white tiled splashbacks and mirrored overhead cabinets flank the bath, while vintage-style wall lights and a pendant fitting provide mood lighting. There’s also plenty of natural light from the sash window and charming tiny original window over the traditional low-level toilet.

A few steps take you to another landing with an elegant front-facing window. The second and third bedrooms lie on either side. One features soft powder blue and the other Farrow & Ball Borrowed Light walls, neutral carpets, and timber sash windows with radiators beneath. The second bedroom has an original cast-iron fireplace with black stone hearth and wide white-painted timber surround, while bedroom three has an original floor-to-ceiling inbuilt wardrobe.

Take a final set of stairs to find bedrooms four and five on either side of a light-filled landing with a dormer window and hatch access to a storage loft. Both rooms are doubles and feature a charming dormer window, a radiator, and exposed beams.

Outside, the rear of the house is clad in pretty, white-painted clapboard, while the mature garden extends to 69ft and feels wonderfully private thanks to original brick garden walls on either side (the left-hand wall was repointed in 2021).

Borders on both sides are filled with flowers and plants, including lavender, fuchsia, salvia ‘hot lips’, holly and roses, while the neighbouring cedar tree provides a spot of evergreen shade.

A brick path leads past the large central lawn to a gravelled seating spot with a low dividing wall made of reclaimed sleepers and box bushes, plus there’s also a woodchipped play area. The current owners tell us the sun hits the garden from mid-morning and is a haven for wildlife, including hedgehogs and even birds of prey.

A NOTE FROM THE OWNERS

‘This is very much a family home that will always have our hearts. Walking up this beautiful street every day can't help but make you feel proud, and the approach to the house fills you with warmth, particularly when it’s full of family and friends, and the two front bays are illuminated with candles in the evening.

‘We love all the different elements and moods here, from the equally good-sized bedrooms where our young children have grown up to the character of the 17th Century spaces, particularly the kitchen and bathroom. Enjoying the sunshine in the front bays, cooking up a storm for friends and family on the AGA, unwinding in the roll-top bath, warm summer evenings in the garden... we have no doubt that it'll continue to hold just as many special memories for its next family.’

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Dormer Cottage is ideally suited for travel into London. Harlow Mill train station is a 10-minute walk away, with trains taking around 39 minutes to reach Liverpool St. Old Harlow is also ideally located for the M11 and M25.

Foodies are well-served in the area, with New Ground (winner of Boutique Café of the Year 2021/22) about a 15-minute walk and the popular The Green Man pub just across the road. The current owners say it has a lovely warm atmosphere and is perfect for big family gatherings as it also has guestrooms.

Alternatively, head to The Queen’s Head – a great drinking spot famous for being a favourite of Rod Stewart – also a few minutes away. Award-winning Mayfield Farm Bakery is another lovely walk to buy freshly-baked croissants, particularly on a weekend morning. There’s also a café and bakery school.

Further afield, the town of Bishop's Stortford is a 15–20-minute drive away, where you’ll find several great bars and restaurants, including Franco Manca, Giggling Squid and a branch of Eat 17, similar to the one in Walthamstow.

If you’re feeling active, Old Harlow has a great children's play park with a paddling pool in the summer. There’s a cricket club with a recently renovated clubhouse, while Harlow Town Centre has a popular rugby club.

Harlow Town Park is one of the biggest urban parks in the country and offers everything from an adventure playground to a petting zoo, as well as beautiful walks and a Park Run every weekend. Hatfield Forest, managed by the National Trust, is a short drive away and ideal for woodland walks or runs.

And if you’re after a bit of culture, Harlow Playhouse is a leading theatre with many strong bookings, while The Gallery at Parndon Mill has mini-exhibitions running throughout the year.

Nearby schools include Harlowbury Primary (a 4-minute walk) and Fawbert & Barnard’s Primary (an 11-minute walk), both rated Good by Ofsted, while Little Fishes Pre-School is just 7 minutes by foot. Saint Nicholas Independent School and nursery is a 10-minute walk.