Victorian property with expanded interior in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire
Current owners Neil and Jacqueline Matten bought their home on London Road in Great Shelford for around £70,000 about 20 years ago.
In that time they have substantially enlarged the property, converting the loft to provide a third bedroom and extending the rear to accommodate an impressive kitchen/dining room with a high-vaulted ceiling.
It is on the market with Cooke Curtis & Co for £595,000.
The kitchen/dining area, which features roof lights and extensive glazing looking out onto the 75ft south-facing garden, is the standout feature.
“There was a galley kitchen which was very small,” said Neil. “And there was a downstairs bathroom which we knocked down. We rebuilt it using all the old bricks and put the extension on the back.”
The two reception rooms – one of which features an open fireplace – maintain the house’s period character, including moulded cornicing. There is also a utility room and ground-floor cloakroom.
Neil said: “There’s a small garden at the front and then the rear garden is typical of a Victorian terrace: long and thin. There’s a log cabin at the bottom of the garden which we put in – it’s a bit of a man cave, really! We’ve got wi-fi down there, a projector, that kind of thing.”
Upstairs, the handsome master bedroom at the front has two large windows and a period fireplace, and bedroom 3 is large enough to accommodate a double. There is a bright and spacious bathroom. The loft bedroom is a double with feature exposed brickwork.
The back garden is mature, secluded and beautifully planted, with a broad timber deck off the kitchen that drops down to the main lawn. There is a gated pedestrian access at the side.
The front garden is picket fenced and designed for low-maintenance with shrubs and slate chippings. A dropped kerb gives vehicular access where the Mattens currently park one car on the grass verge.
Although it is a decent-sized home, the family hope to find something more substantial. “We’re just looking for a bigger property,” said Neil.
■ cookecurtis.co.uk