The art and craft of the country house expert — be that an architect, builder or garden designer — really can be something of a marvel. Take the example of The Wyck, in the village of St. Ipployts, Hertfordshire, which is for sale via Strutt & Parker at £2.25 million.
The Wyck was originally built as a hall house during the reign of Elizabeth I, before being enlarged in the 19th century. It went on to feature in the pages of Country Life in 1905, and one of the images from that appearance is below.
The angles are a little different, of course, and the ivy that once draped the brickwork has been cleared away. But you can still clearly make out the building’s original lines, just as they were over a century ago — yet if you hadn’t had the benefit of the two images, how many of us would have known at first glance that the entire left-hand section of the house is so much newer than the rest?
The property, as it stands today, exudes Elizabethan charm with its timber-frame construction and is listed Grade II.
Inside, things are a bit more modern, with new bathrooms and a garden room with glass walls offering views of the gardens and grounds to the rear.
The kitchen, designed by Edwin Loxley, is a highlight, with granite worktops, twin integrated Miele ovens, two warming draws, a steam oven and coffee machine and a split Belfast sink.
There are four well-sized bedrooms, including a master with dressing room and en-suite.
The Wyck has various outbuildings, a greenhouse and a guest lodge, all set in just over three acres of gardens — part of which is taken up by an outdoor swimming pool and pool house.
The village of St Ipployts is a good-sized place with a primary school and village shop, plus a couple of pubs in the adjoining hamlet of Gosmore. Two miles away is the market town of Hitchin, with fast rail access to London.
The Wyck is for sale via Strutt & Parker at £2.25m — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
-
Suit yourself: I’m a 49 year-old man-about-town and I’ve never owned a suitWhen Hugh Smithson-Wright turned up to Country Life's annual Gentleman's Life party sans suit, it sparked a passionate conversation about why the formal fashion just isn't for everyone.
-
'The ugliness and craziness is a part of its charm': The Country Life guide to BangkokWhere to stay, where to eat and what to do in the Thai capital.
-
The wave of downsizing about to hit the property market in the UKThe Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget — and specifically the 'Mansion Tax' — has fired a starting pistol for downsizers, and the waves will wash across the entire property market. Annabel Dixon spoke to property experts across the country to gauge how it will play out.
-
A Georgian farmhouse that's an 'absolute gem' in an ancient village on Salisbury PlainJulie Harding takes a look at the beautiful West Farm in a gorgeous Wiltshire village.
-
It'd be crazy to buy this 500-year-old farmhouse just because of its utterly gorgeous Aga — so thank goodness that the rest of this place is also really nicePerry Mill Farm is an immaculate yet characterful four-bedroom dream home in the country at a price that will make city dwellers immediately start Googling 'working from Worcestershire'.
-
'A masterpiece of timeless elegance' for sale on the charmed Surrey estate once owned by Henry VIII and the Guinness familyThe Manor House in Burwood Park is a grand, enormous and undeniably impressive. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
A grand hall in Yorkshire with 400 years of historyCarlton Hall is a wonderful family home amid glorious gardens in a quaint village location. Penny Churchill looks inside.
-
Why don't more of us live in brightly coloured homes?It's not often that you see a home sporting the colour palette that you'd get if you hired a four-year old as your interior designer. But why not? The Blue House in Bethnal Green asks this and many more questions.
-
Five magnificent mansions, from a former monastery to an Art Deco wonder in the South Downs, as seen in Country LifeWonderful homes, including a superb beach home in Cornwall, all fresh on the market via Country Life.
-
A 14-bedroom 'miniature Downton Abbey' to call your own — and there's not a penny of Mansion Tax to be paidNorton Manor is an incredible period home that's on the market for £1.3 million.
