Grange Road, Pleshey, Chelmsford, CM3

Constructed of mellow red brick under a clay tile roof, Pleshey Grange is a handsome Edwardian house built in the Arts and Crafts style.

Internally Pleshey Grange combines light and spacious reception rooms with comfortable bedroom accommodation on the first and second floor. Of particular note is the drawing room, centred on an attractive open fireplace
and French doors opening onto the loggia
and the garden beyond. The kitchen has been significantly extended to add a bright and expansive dining and sitting area; whilst oak from the Pleshey Grange woods has been used to build the cupboards.

Considerable investment has been made in creating an eco-friendly environment, with the introduction of air source heat pumps, solar thermal and photovoltaic panels, significantly reducing the running costs of the house and swimming pool.

Pleshey Grange is set on the outskirts of the charming rural village of Pleshey, surrounded by well-maintained agricultural land. The village itself dates back to the 11th Century and before, and includes a church and a pub.

Comprehensive facilities are available in the county town of Chelmsford, 8 miles away, including extensive shopping and a wide variety of restaurants.

Communications are excellent by both road and rail. Fast and frequent trains leave Chelmsford reaching London Liverpool Street in 35 minutes. The M11 is about 13 miles west and Stansted Airport is 13 miles north west.

There is an excellent selection of schools in the district, both private and public, including Felsted School, Bishops Stortford College, New Hall School, King Edward VI Grammar School for Boys, and Chelmsford County High School for Girls.

Outbuildings
Situated to the east of the house is an extensive range of brick built outbuildings, including the old stables which retain their original partitions and fittings, the tack room with a corner fireplace and a substantial garage, with the former hay loft above. With the benefit of planning consent these buildings could create very useful secondary accommodation. To the rear, a new triple garage has been constructed with electric up and over doors. Beyond is the store for garden implements.

Adjoining the gardens is the large agricultural
barn, originally constructed as an aircraft hanger but providing good storage.

Gardens and grounds
A principal feature of the property are the gardens and grounds, which have been carefully planted and landscaped to maximise privacy. A chestnut tree avenue underplanted with snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils leads up the driveway, past the front lawns which are studded with a selection of mature specimen trees including a fine Wellingtonia and Spanish Chestnut, as well as numerous fruit trees.

To the south of the house is a paved terrace
overlooking further lawns with fine trees including three Cedar trees and a majestic Beech. A well established and productive walled garden with parterre box hedging lies to the east of the house, with a gate opening towards a lily pond and onto the magnificent Laburnum walk which provides striking colour in the spring and early summer months.

Scent is a theme of the Pleshey Grange grounds, with a hedged lavender garden and an established rose garden. At the southernmost point of the lawns is a thatched summer house with vistas back to the house.

Lot 2 comprises a level paddock with a field shelter, ideal for ponies and horses, and also a small woodland. Adjoining are open fields that currently provide a crop of hay and form part of Lot 3, together with a mature deciduous woodland providing a haven for an array of wildlife.

Lot 1: House with 7.03 acres
Lot 2: 7.85 acres
Lot 3: 23.77 acres