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.
Arrange viewing
01727 530090
Strutt & Parker - St Albans, Hertfordshire
34 St Peter's Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3NA
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