Bedford Road, Great Barford, MK44

Nearly a century old, yet very well suited to modern-day life, this detached property is perfect for a family, situated in a quiet riverside village with everyday amenities and excellent connections.

Built in 1927, there’s traditional character and qualities, alongside changes made to adapt the home with the times. An extension was added in the 1990s, and the current owners have undertaken works to both improve and update the property. Since purchasing in 2015, they’ve replaced all the windows, the front and side doors, the garage roller door, the fuseboard and the boiler, as well as refitting the bathroom and shower room, reworking the conservatory, and adding a garden office.

The accommodation consists of separate spaces that flow into each other, providing the option to spend time together or apart as needed. When not busy with school runs and activities for the kids, the owners will read in the snug, which they use as a library. On a work day, they can be found in the garden office. With working from home now the norm, this gives somewhere to properly focus, before heading into the house and shutting the screen away when the day’s done. Both these areas offer flexibility for a family, whether to work, play, read or relax. The snug could be a formal dining room as previous owners have used it, or a playroom easily seen by parents from the lounge or garden room, and the garden office affords possibility as premises to run a business from home.

The largest space is the lounge, allowing for sofas to seat everyone comfortably in front of a film, and equally for friends and family to gather when they come to visit. The owners have made great efforts to turn the conservatory into a useable garden room, which has really paid off. There’s a ceiling now to stop it getting too hot or cold, bi-fold doors connect it to the lounge, French doors open onto the patio, and the surrounding windows mean a constant view of the garden.

To the front of the house, the kitchen is again ideal for a family. There’s lots of storage to painted Shaker-style cabinetry, plenty of surfacing for prepping, and capacity for a breakfast table too. Integrated appliances include a gas hob, an electric oven, an undercounter fridge and a dishwasher, and the utility room at the end of the hall has gaps for a freezer, washing machine and tumble dryer. The utility has a stable door onto the garden, and the very cool cloakroom is tucked into the corner. We love the Victorian-style tiled flooring that runs through the high-traffic areas of the home.

Coming upstairs, three of the four bedrooms are generous doubles, while the fourth bedroom is a good-sized single, currently used as a playroom for the kids, where mess and noise can be contained. The primary bedroom at the front has far-reaching outlooks to fields, and the two at the back overlook the garden. As mentioned, the bathroom and shower room are recently refitted, the bathroom in a modern monochrome, and the shower room in neutral shades. Having the shower room saves queues to get ready during the morning rush, and the stunning freestanding bath is a little bit of luxury after a long day.

Last but not least, we have the garden. This is delightful, with dense planting, many mature trees, and so much to see when it’s all coming into bloom. The lawn is plenty large enough for a trampoline, a paddling pool, swings and a slide, and the patio has been increased to ensure everyone can sit outside on a sunny day. There are two additional patios, one with space for a greenhouse to potter about in, the other underneath the tallest tree for sitting in some shade.

To the front of the plot, the house is hidden by a high hedge and behind gates. There’s a driveway for multiple cars, with a tap to wash them, and a power point to charge EVs if needed. The detached garage gives covered parking, or for the substantial storage a family requires. There’s a side door into the garage from the garden, and both sides of the house provide front-to-back access.

The property is set back from Bedford Road, on the edge of Great Barford, but still within minutes on foot of amenities, including a primary school, shops and pubs, as well as a village hall, and parks. Running alongside the village, the River Great Ouse bankside is a popular spot. The location is highly convenient for Bedford town centre just a few miles away, St Neots around 20 minutes away, Milton Keynes half an hour away, and London via mainline services from Bedford and Sandy stations.