More house for your money in Hitchin, Hertfordshire

As London house prices spiral, more and more home buyers are looking beyond the city boundaries for bigger homes and a better standard of living.

More space for less money is just one of the reasons why Toby and Anna Weller sold their west London flat and headed for Hertfordshire. Now with baby, Ellis, born in March 2007 the proud parents are settling into their new home at Bellway’s Ransom’s Yard in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

Toby (39) is a Senior Site Manager for Getty Images and Anna (34) is a picture editor for Anthony Blake Photo Library, paid £375,000 for their three storey, three bedroom converted mews house. They moved in on 9 of February 2007, just in time for the arrival of the third member of the family. Professional photographers in their own right, both Toby and Anna have made the most of their home by creating a photographic studio, home cinema and office in the basement.

Ransom’s Yard, in Bancroft, is a collection of 10 mews homes located in a private courtyard on the historic site of the former William Ransom pharmaceutical chemist factory.

Deciding on a new location for the family was carried out with almost military precision, Toby explains: “As my job is based in London, being able to commute within a reasonable time was essential, but aside from that we were very open to locations. We bought a very large map of London and the surrounding areas and armed with sticky labels and train timetables we set about find a suitable location. Hitchin was perfect”. Toby reports that his journey time to work has in fact been cut by 10 minutes compared with his former west London location.

Toby and Anna believe that Ransom’s Yard offers the best of new- and old-build. Toby adds: “New homes were far from our minds when considering our new house, after settling on a few areas we drove out to them on various occasions to assess the local amenities. We loved Hitchin from the very first visit. It has a great community spirit, with all the facilities that we could want; a wonderful local market, theatre and great independent boutiques along with the well known coffee shops and restaurants.

“We immediately fell in love with the house when we saw it. The Tudor shell has so much character, yet inside we have a modern sleek finish.

“The service we received from Bellway was excellent. The sales negotiators were very supportive throughout the process and provided us with exceptional after sales care”.

With just three properties remaining on this very individual site, this really is the last chance to buy a historic home, with a touch of modern glamour. One two-bedroom home and two two-bedroom maisonettes remain prices begin at £245,000. To make it even easier for prospective buyers to snap up their dream home on the site, Bellway is also offering to pay stamp duty on behalf of purchasers.

Bellway North London Sales Director Ian Sloan said: “All of our homes at Ransom’s Yard have been fitted out internally to a very high standard. Combining elements of the historic building which formerly stood on the site with luxury twenty-first century interiors such as high specification kitchens, bathrooms and ceramic tiling make the perfect partnership between old and new.

“The unique central location means that the development is literally yards away from all that Hitchin has to offer and transport links are great too. London’s Kings Cross is only 40 minutes away and the nearby A1 provides fast routes to the Midlands, The North and into London.”

For more information, visit bellway.co.uk and click on ‘North London’.