A wonderful period property from the 15th century whose ancient features will surely inspire

(Image credit: Jackson-Stops)

published 14 March 2022

Dating back to the 15th century, when it was built during the Wars of the Roses, with 17th-century additions later added, Grade II-listed Henry VI Cottage sits right by the village church in Husborne Crawley—interesting words that translate to ‘warrior stream’ and ‘crow clearing’—bordering the Woburn Abbey estate.

The appealing thatched cottage is currently on the market via Jackson-Stops for offers over £650,000.

Period charm is abundant — which is unsurprising given its history — with its cruck frames, exposed beams and brickwork, a massive inglenook fireplace and a little porch with its own thatched roof to match that of the cottage.

Inside, the rooms are well-proportioned and comfortable, with a dual-aspect sitting room and inter-connecting dining room and kitchen — the latter of which has access out to the garden.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms evenly set out around a generous landing and views over the front and rear gardens which are flanked with mature trees and hedging.

Henry VI Cottage is currently on the market via Jackson-Stops for offers over £650,000 — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.

Husborne Crawley: What you need to know

Location: At the edge of the Woburn Estate, about 10 miles from Milton Keynes, just over 12 miles from Bedford and 16.5 mile from Luton. The M1 is easily accessible and trains from Aspley Guise link to Milton Keynes and Bedford where fast trains connect to London in under an hour.

Atmosphere: The quiet rural village has its own lower school and local shopping facilities can be found in neighbouring Woburn Sands, just over 3 miles away.

Things to do: Situated perfectly within rural countryside but close to shops and amenities, not least the famous Woburn Safari Park. Golfers are well catered for: the Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands Golf course is close by, while the world-renowned Woburn club is a short drive away. Milton Keynes is also situated nearby, home to one of Europe’s largest indoor covered shopping areas.

Schools: Husborne Crawley Lower School is situated within the village and rated 'good' by Ofsted — as is Rigmont Lower School. Aspley Guise Village School is rated 'Outstanding' in Ofsted reviews.

See more property for sale in the area.

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

Annunciata grew up in the wilds of Lancashire and now lives in Hampshire with a husband, two daughters and an awful pug called Parsley. She’s been floating round the Country Life office for more than a decade, her work winning the Property Magazine of the Year Award in 2022 (Property Press Awards). Before that, she had a two-year stint writing ‘all kinds of fiction’ for The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, worked in internal comms for Country Life’s publisher (which has had many names in recent years but was then called IPC Media), and spent another year researching for a historical biographer, whose then primary focus was Graham Greene and John Henry Newman and whose filing system was a collection of wardrobes and chests of drawers filled with torn scraps of paper. During this time, she regularly gave tours of 17th-century Milton Manor, Oxfordshire, which may or may not have been designed by Inigo Jones, and co-founded a literary, art and music festival, at which Johnny Flynn headlined. When not writing and editing for Country Life, Annunciata is also a director of TIN MAN ART, a contemporary art gallery founded in 2021 by her husband, James Elwes.

Country houses for sale

Husborne Crawley: What you need to know

Best country houses for sale this week