Goddards, Hunsdon Road, Widford, Ware, Hertfordshire

Entrance hall, drawing room, dining room, orangery, study

Kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, boot room, cloakroom, cellar

Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and dressing room

6 further bedrooms, 2 family bathrooms, kitchenette

Garage block, traditional outbuildings

Mature landscaped gardens and grounds

In all about 1.82 acres

SITUATION

Goddards lies on the edge of the rural

Hertfordshire village of Widford, east of Ware

and southwest of Bishops Stortford. Communications are excellent by both road

and rail. Fast and frequent trains leave Harlow

station reaching London, Liverpool Street 35

mins or to Tottenham Hale 20minutes for the

Victoria Line. There is easy access to the A10,

A1(M) and M11. Stansted Airport is about

13.5 miles distant.

There is a wide selection of schools in the

district including St Andrews Primary, Much

Hadham, Widford JMI School, St Edmunds

College, Bishop's Stortford College, Duncombe

School, Heath Mount School, St Joseph's in the

Park and Haileybury College.

HISTORICAL NOTE

The name associated with the site refers to

William Goddard mentioned in 1294. In the

early 19th Century it was the Young

Gentlewomen's Academy run by Elizabeth and

Jane Norris visited frequently by Charles Lamb

(1775 - 1834). Charles Lamb was an English

essayist with Welsh heritage, best known for his

Essays of Elia and for the children's book Tales

from Shakespeare. Elizabeth and Jane Norris

were daughters of Lamb's old and dear friend

Randall Norris.

DESCRIPTION

Constructed of red brick under a clay tile roof

and Listed Grade II, being of architectural or

historic importance, Goddards comprises a

substantial family house built in the early

eighteenth century with a late nineteenth

century northeast wing extension. The house

combines excellent light and spacious

reception rooms with comfortable bedroom

accommodation at first and second floor level.

Of particular note are the beautifully

proportioned rooms with panelled walls and

sash windows. A magnificent Orangery has

been added on the south elevation with lovely

views over the charming gardens and grounds.

Also of interest is the flexibility provided by the

second floor accommodation which could

provide a staff flat if required.

The gardens and grounds provide a mature and

tranquil setting for the house with boundaries

comprising holly and laurel hedging together

with specimen trees including beech, chestnut,

Corsican pine, oak and yew. The property is set

back from Hunsdon Road and is screened by

mature trees and shrubs. White picket fenced

electric double gates open on to a gravel

driveway culminating in a large parking and

turning area. There is a further electric gated

entrance to the northeast of the property. A

moulded door case with square open porch, of

slender Tuscan columns on high pedestals,

with full entablature and triangular pediment

provides access to Goddards.

GARDENS AND GROUNDS

Professionally landscaped the gardens and

grounds provide a tranquil setting for the

house and are a particular feature of the

property. To the rear a rectangular lily pond

runs away from the rear terrace in a westerly

direction towards a classical stone pavilion.

The pavilion is guarded by a pair of fastigiate

yews and flanked by beds of white flowering

Annabelle Hydrangeas and Rosa Snowdon.

The lily pond is surrounded by sweeping lawns

which are bordered to the south by a double

avenue of pleached hornbeams and to the

north by a large herbaceous border punctuated

by large box balls.

Beyond this border lies the Formal Garden

which is defined to the north and south by

rows of standard Robinia Pseudoacacia trees

(globe locusts) under planted with old roses,

nepeta and lavender. Within this garden, brick

edged gravel paths trace a symmetric pattern

around box edged parterre beds of white

Iceberg roses and herbaceous beds of blue,

pink, plum and silver. There is also an old well

within this area. The herb and kitchen gardens

lie to the north beyond a beech hedge.

The box and lavender fringed terrace adjoining

the Orangery overlooks the South Walk and

leads to a yew protected Doric stone pedestal.

The walk is bordered on either side by

perfumed shrubs and roses.

To the south of the Hornbeam Avenue and

defined by clipped yew hedges is the orange

and scarlet flowered Hot Garden. The

surrounding lawn area incorporates beds

designed for winter interest together with a row

of specimen Prunus Serrula trees and a small

copse of Betula utilis var. jacquemontii (white

stemmed silver birch). Rough grass with old

fruit and walnut trees complete the southern

border of the property, with a small wooded

area to the east.

OUTBUILDINGS

Garage block Brick under a slate roof

Traditional outbuildings

Gardeners W.C.

Directions

From Hertford take the A414 and follow signs

to the A10. At the roundabout turn right onto

the A10 and follow signs to Hoddesdon and

at the roundabout take the A414 to Harlow.

After approximately 3.5 miles turn left

signposted to Hunsdon. Continue straight

and follow signposts to Hunsdon. On

entering Hunsdon and at the T junction turn

right on to the B180 to Widford. On entering

Widford, Goddards can be found after a short

distance on the left.