City workers who operate across multiple time zones in the increasingly competitive global financial marketplace are conscious of the need, in times of crisis, to be at their desks at any time of day or night — hence the attraction of train-journey times to London King’s Cross or St Pancras International as short as 20 minutes from Stevenage or 30 minutes from Hitchin.
If that strikes a chord with you, Mark Rimell of Strutt & Parker’s country department has a house which might tick that box: Crunnells Green House. Sitting in the ancient, rural Hertfordshire village of Preston, which stands on a ridge of the Chiltern Hills, four miles from Hitchin and seven miles from Stevenage, this lovely home is fresh to the market with a guide price of £3.25m.
Built in the style of Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1919, the classic Arts-and-Crafts house, which is unlisted, combines typically light and spacious reception rooms, each notable for its high ceilings and large windows, which allow the passage of maximum light.
The drawing room is particularly elegant, with its large open fireplace and original herringbone wood-block floor, which has been restored here and throughout much of the house.
Upstairs, the first-floor bedroom suite has been remodelled by the owners to provide a large bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and dressing room, each of which enjoys views of the Jekyll-esque gardens, which are arranged as a series of rooms and studded with rare exotic trees.
In all, the house offers some 4,000sq ft of accommodation, including four reception rooms, five bedrooms and a family bathroom.
An extensive range of outbuildings could be incorporated into the main house to provide additional living space, subject to planning consent.
Crunnells Green House is for sale at £3.25 million — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
Dawn Chorus: A Blue Plaque for Marc Bolan, holidaying in the Caribbean with Francis Ford Coppola and a history of the National Gallery in 25 picturesPlus the best of the property pages, and how the railways will save the countryside.
-
Game, set, match: 12 of the world’s most beautiful tennis courtsFrom Italy to Indonesia, when it comes to hotel amenities, a picturesque tennis court will always trump a 24-hour gym. So, before you book your next holiday, take a look at our pick of the 12 best.
-
Five palatial mansions for sale, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country LifeSometimes bigger really is better.
-
Gaze over Cap Ferrat in this four-bedroom French villaIgnore the wind and the rain. Imagine yourself in this hillside home with some of the best views the Mediterranean can offer.
-
Classical style meets fun and flair in a seven-bedroom manor in CornwallAt Polstrong Manor, the current owners have combined period charm and elegant modern interiors to create a flamboyant country home 10-minutes from the beach.
-
Two halves make a sublime four-bedroom home in Kent's North DownsA contemporary extension to a traditional clapboard house brings light and life to Lavington House.
-
The week in property statistics: Service charges reach record highPlus, how first-time buyers prop up the mortgage market, why you need to move north if you want to live by yourself, and house-price growth slows
-
A seven-bedroom oast house for sale in East Sussex, where your dreams can run riotUnlisted, yet full of character, this property in the High Weald National Landscape is an eccentrically furnished family home that screams fun.
-
Character, history and comfort combine in a four-bedroom farmhouse in NorfolkWillow Farm near Southburgh is that rarest of things — a perfect combination of period charm and modern elegance in some of England's best countryside.
-
A Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse that's part of the fabric of Bath's historyWith 5,500sq ft set over six floors in the centre of Britain's most architecturally rich city, there is much to love here.
