4 bed detached house for sale

High Street, Cottenham, Cambridge CB24

A remarkable Grade II Listed Medieval home in the heart of Cottenham. Historically rich home, beautifully preserved and thoughtfully adapted for modern living.

- Cambridge City Centre – approx. 7.8 miles
- Cambridge North Railway – approx. 6 miles
- A14 – approx. 4 miles

• Exceptional Grade II Listed property
• Four well-proportioned bedrooms, offering a flexible layout
• Unspoilt character, rich in period features throughout
• Versatile living spaces offering a flexible layout with rooms that adapt easily
• Charming village green outlook
• Off-street parking & double garage in central village location

Description:

Believed to be the oldest surviving house in Cottenham, this exceptional Grade II listed property offers a rare opportunity to own a piece of living history. Thought to date back to the 15th century, with origins most likely around 1450, the home is steeped in character and retains a wealth of unspoilt period features – all while offering the practicality and proportions of a versatile four-bedroom layout.

The downstairs accommodation includes a spacious dining room, where the inglenook fireplace forms a striking centrepiece. This leads into the kitchen, a more recent addition fitted with a range of wall and base units and finished with traditional stone flooring. Adjoining the kitchen is a delightful sun room, hand-crafted with oak beam work to complement the historic style of the property, and offering lovely views over the garden. A functional utility room is also accessed from the kitchen.

To the other side of the home, the generously sized living room enjoys dual-aspect windows with views over both the village green and the walled garden, and benefits from the other side of the inglenook fireplace. From here, you’ll find the fourth bedroom, which has an adjoining shower room and has previously served well as a playroom or home office.

Upstairs, the main staircase leads to a spacious landing that has previously been used as a study, as well as the principal bedroom, complete with a charming window seat overlooking the garden, and a bathroom. A secondary staircase from the living room provides access to two further double bedrooms, both of which showcase the original beam work and offer excellent proportions.

Notable Historical Features:

The property also retains several fascinating period details, including vertical scorch marks on the impressive dining room mantel beam, believed to be seventeenth-century taper burns made as a protective ritual. Beneath the same inglenook, a ‘witch bottle’, a type of historic charm said to protect against negative influences, was discovered during previous works and reburied under the hearth. Additional features include wooden panelling and a carved frieze above the door between the sitting room and hallway, thought to date from the sixteenth or seventeenth century, and a Tudor-style rose motif frieze visible above the door from the sitting room to the study.

The owner note that they ‘were seduced by the idea of being custodians or all this history - like living in our own tiny museum which is also a home - and by the thought of being part of such a long unbroken thread, of people and families living between these same walls, sitting by the same fireside’.

Outside:

The property benefits from off-street parking, a double garage, and a beautiful partially walled garden, offering privacy and a peaceful retreat.

Location:

Cottenham is one of the largest and most well-served villages in Cambridgeshire and is well-connected, just 3 miles (4.8 km) from the A10 and A14, with regular bus services to Cambridge and Ely. The village offers both primary and secondary schools at Cottenham Primary School is located and Cottenham Village College, which also offers a sixth form, adult education, and community activities. A wide range of amenities can be found in the village such as two doctors’ surgeries, a dental practice, a library, post office, pharmacy, mini supermarkets, a butcher, baker, greengrocer, hairdressers, barbers, beauty salon, coffee shop, fish & chip shop, two pubs, and an Indian restaurant. The village hall also hosts regular community events for all ages to be a part of.

Additional Information:

Tenure: Freehold

Services: Mains gas, water & electricity

Local Authority: South Cambridgeshire District Council

Council Tax: Band F

Viewings: Strictly by appointment with the Selling Agents, Carter Jonas