Lime Tree Farm, Cromer, SG2

Lime Tree Farm is an utterly charming Grade ll listed farmhouse which dates back to the 17th Century.  Set in the rural hamlet of Cromer, this property is nestled between Walkern and Cottered in the Hertfordshire countryside.  Its three reception rooms, four large double bedrooms and stunning garden make it a perfect family home with just under 3000 sq ft of living accommodation.  Under 6 miles from Stevenage station, this location is perfectly situated for commuters, with fast trains taking you into London within 22-41 minutes!   It is also offers great links to some excellent schools, with Heath Mount just 7.5 miles, St Christopher’s in Letchworth 9 miles, and Kingshott in Hitchin just a 10 mile drive.  

The generous front porch offers shelter and shade opening into a small hall area where you can choose to turn either way as this house has a circular layout, with each room leading into another, rather than off corridors.  Turning right leads you straight into a characterful ‘family room’ where the wood burning stove is set into a large open fireplace and the oak beams bring the feeling of warmth and comfort.  The wooden floorboards are beautiful, yet practical, and the mustard walls bring a contemporary feel to this versatile room.    Up one step to the kitchen, where the central island, tiled flooring, granite worktops and oil fuelled Rayburner stove are focal points and space allows for a table, perfect for daily family dinners.  There is a large walk in pantry and ceramic sink that overlooks the garden.  At the rear of the kitchen, there is a utility space leading to the garden.  This area houses a large cloakroom, a generous ‘boot room’, space for a washing machine and another useful sink.  Plenty of storage for wellies, coats and everything you need when living in the countryside!

Moving back through the kitchen you find the formal dining room, which is adorned with stunning beams and natural sisal flooring.  The window overlooks the garden and lets in a huge amount of light.  This room comfortably fits a dining table, sideboard and dresser and is the perfect place to host family meals and celebrations.  The formal lounge is another generous room with an impressive Inglenook fireplace, complete with wood burner.  This room is made for entertaining with electric underfloor heating for extra warmth. 

The wide staircase off the kitchen leads you up to a small landing and doorways leading to four large double bedrooms, all blessed with characterful oak beams and wooden floorboards. First is a beautiful room overlooking the garden with space for freestanding wardrobes and furniture.  The luxurious family bathroom is central to the upstairs, with a stunning bath and views over the garden. The second double room has a cosy seating area and en suite shower room.  The third bedroom, which overlooks the front drive, has been tastefully transformed into a large dressing room, but could easily be returned to a double bedroom.  Finally, the master bedroom is a gorgeous, spacious retreat with a beautiful fireplace and its own en suite shower room.  

Approaching this beautiful 17th Century home from the shared access road, the gated entrance takes you onto a large gravel driveway, where there is parking for up to 6 vehicles.  The double garage is the perfect workshop or storage and has its own cloakroom.  Above the garage is an insulated room, currently used as an office but could be a den or spare guest room. Next to the garage is a handy, sizeable shed which houses a ride on mower and various garden tools.  Walking down the side of the house, there is a lovely rose garden and an arbor hugs the length of the property where clematis and virginia creeper bring colour and blooms.

The rear of the property boasts a gorgeously sunny patio with a garden table which has been built around an apple blossom tree.  An elevated wall borders the garden, with a gate giving access to the shared lane to the right, edged with beds of established shrubs and flowers, and a built in seat, making this a very easy entertaining space.  The circular patio steps up to the lawn and a gravel path leads you to the top of the garden where a wooden gate accesses a public footpath, and the neighbouring stables and horse paddocks.  This gate has mature hedging on either side, a small orchard to the right, where you will find plum, pear and apple trees, and a beautiful Victorian style greenhouse on a brick base. The rest of the garden is set to grass and makes up about 0.15 acres of this 0.38 acre plot.  This garden really has it all; a large lawn to enjoy, an orchard and space for growing vegetables, beautiful mature trees, shrubs and flowers and entertainment space in abundance!

Location

Cromer is a small hamlet of around 35 properties, set between the villages of Cottered and Walkern.  It is equidistant between the A10 and the A1 motorway, giving excellent access to link roads into London and Cambridge.  This location is also perfectly situated for commuters, being under 6 miles to Stevenage station where fast trains can take you into London within 22-41 minutes!   There are also some excellent schools within easy reach; Heath Mount is 7.5 miles, St Christopher’s in Letchworth 9 miles, and Kingshott in Hitchin just a 10 mile drive.  The closest village is Walkern which has a handy village shop for that forgotten pint of milk and a leisurely half an hour walk from your back gate gives you the options of 3 local pubs serving delicious Sunday lunches; in Ardeley, Walkern or Halls Green.  This hamlet will really give you and your family the opportunity to embrace a fantastic countryside lifestyle without missing out on the conveniences of modern life.