Balsham, Cambridge

OPEN COUNTRYSIDE AND BREATHTAKING VIEWS... A stunning and immaculately presented barn conversion with a beautifully appointed kitchen, an impressive sitting room with dining area, four bedrooms, three bathrooms (two en-suite) plus a cloakroom. Set on a plot of some 0.20 acres directly overlooking paddocks and ideal for any family configuration there is generous parking, a pretty garden with panoramic views of the countryside beyond. With a wonderfully light, versatile and inviting interior sympathetically designed to retain many original features, this is an absolutely delightful family home. 

The village of Balsham is located equidistant between Cambridge and Haverhill and fourteen and a half miles from the historic market town of Saffron Walden. It has a primary school (high school children generally attend Linton Village College nearby), two pubs, a Post Office and general store, a coffee shop, a large recreation ground and bowling green and the parish church of Holy Trinity, Grade I listed and dating back to the thirteenth century. The Icknield Way Path passes through the village and there are plenty of lovely walks and footpaths. Audley End and Whittlesford Parkway on the West Anglia Main Line into London Liverpool Street are the closest stations and Stansted airport is an easy drive away.

Standing in open countryside is this immaculate barn conversion, one of five clustered around an original farmyard by the farmhouse. The complex was converted to a very high standard by a local builder five years ago. The present owners have lived there for four years, having been attracted by the incredible, light filled interior, wonderful views and proximity to Cambridge and the M11. Standing well off the road, there is enough room for four cars to park by the front entrance. A door opens into the entrance porch with room to hang coats and stow shoes and flows into the stunning open plan sitting room with its exposed beams, light oak floor, oak and glass staircase and built in cupboard. The space is zoned into a sitting and dining area and there is plenty of room for both. This room is flooded with natural light pouring through the two sets of double doors out on to the garden. Shallow steps rise up to a reading area where the owners love to relax with a book. The generous open interior lends itself very well to comfortable family living and entertaining. All the original beams have been retained and there are also two original barn doors which have been repurposed into solid walls on the ground floor with niche storage. With light oak, glass, natural light and a high ceiling, the interior of the barn is an enticing place. A pair of double doors leads off the sitting room into the generous dual aspect kitchen with its green/grey cabinets, marble worktops, integrated dishwasher, integrated double Siemens oven, fridge and freezer, large island with seating and integrated Siemens induction hob and wine fridge and two sets of double doors to the garden and the front. The owners spend a great deal of time in their lovely kitchen, cooking, relaxing, chatting and socialising. Next door is a handy utility room with a second sink and plumbing for a washing machine. Leading off the sitting room is a useful cloakroom. To the right is a small hallway which leads to a four piece family bathroom with shower and bath and two accessible double bedrooms. One has double doors leading on to the garden and a wall made from an original barn door. Both are light and airy and would make excellent guest accommodation, although if desired, they could also be used as extra reception rooms.
 

To the front of the barn is a grass verge and space to park four cars. To the rear is a paved terrace, ideal for family barbecues, al fresco dining or a relaxing glass of wine at the end of the day. The rest of the garden is laid to lawn with hedging, shrubs, perennials and bushes. A five bar gate leads into the garden and there are wonderful views of unspoilt countryside. The neighbours in the other barns are a mixture of ages and family configurations but as a community, it is friendly and close knit.

The open unspoilt countryside of south Cambridgeshire has the level horizon, endless fields and huge skies so typical of this region and this is one of the reasons it is so popular with those who wish to live in a relatively rural area yet commute to work. Its proximity to Cambridge, Saffron Walden and Haverhill and its excellent transport links add to its attractiveness to families and commuters alike. The M11 and A11 run south, converging at Great Chesterford, the A14 bisects the region from east to west connecting Felixstowe and Cambridge and there are regular fast trains to Cambridge and London Liverpool Street from many villages in this part of the county. The population is relatively scattered with vast expanses of unspoilt countryside and farms dotted across the landscape.

Balsham itself is just a few minutes away, there is a Tesco in Fulbourn, ten minutes away and Cambridge is a fifteen minute drive as is Addenbrookes. All the amenities anyone could need are on the doorstep and with wonderful rural views, off street parking, a pretty enclosed garden, a versatile interior bathed in natural light and excellent transport links, this charming converted barn has everything anyone could ask for in a family home.