Ongar, Essex

Humphreys is set amongst open countryside on the edge of the village of Magdalen Laver and is a Grade II Listed and of significant age. The oldest part of the house is traditionally constructed with a timber frame and rendered elevations with exposed timbers internally. There are later additions to the house which have created a spacious family home with impressive room proportions, good ceiling heights and windows overlooking the gardens.
The accommodation is arranged over two floors with two staircases, a central entrance hall, a fine drawing room with an inglenook fireplace, alcove, woodburning stove and exposed timbers, a dining room with another inglenook fireplace and a staircase to the first floor and wine store. The kitchen/breakfast room is about 20ft long and has a four oven Aga, a propane gas hob and a good range of storage cupboards, there is also a utility room, sitting room, conservatory, ground floor shower room, pantry, store room and cloakroom. On the first floor, there are five bedrooms, one with a dressing room and two bathrooms.
Outside, beside the house a gravelled driveway leads to a parking and turning area and to two large outbuildings neither of any great age; a barn about 38ft wide with a potting shed, garaging and a first floor annexe with wooden flooring and a ground floor shower room. There is also a stable block close by about 19ft by 22ft which again is predominantly timber framed.
The formal grounds surround the house, there is also a meadow/paddock with a pond. The grounds in total extend to about 2.2 acres.
The Listing includes the following:- “House mainly 16th century incorporating a late medieval cross wing which has had alterations C1975. It is a timber framed building with rough cast render and hand made red clay tiles. The east end, service cross wing of late medieval hall house of which the remainder has gone. There is a chimney stack late 16th century with two hearths facing west backing onto the medieval cross entry which is still in use. There is a range of three bays to the west on the site of the medieval hall and the parlour and following the same plan. There is a stair tower to the rear of the hall/parlour partition with pitched roof”.
Agents note: The house been the subject of an insurance claim regarding the timber structure and there is some structural movement in the centre of the house to the flooring and the main chimney stack.