Occupying a rural position on the southern fringe of Bishop’s Stortford is this rare and beautiful plot of land. Representing a wonderful opportunity to build a unique and expansive house configured across a single storey, StudioSDA’s design proposes a set of versatile, voluminous, light-filled spaces. Radiating around a central glazed circular courtyard, the living accommodation will seamlessly unfurl into an acre-and-a-half of surrounding landscaped gardens, conceived to enhance the natural biodiversity of the environment. Twyford Bury Lane is ideally located approximately a 10-minute walk or five minutes’ drive from Bishop’s Stortford station, with services to London Liverpool Street in under 40 minutes.

Full details of the planning documents can be found here.

The Designers

StudioSDA focuses on delivering intelligently considered, bespoke and site-specific architecture. Their inspirational buildings derive from a profound and intuitive understanding of space, resulting in designs that have conceptual clarity and reflect the Studio’s passion for sustainability.

The Tour

Approached via a quiet country road, this bucolic plot occupies a secluded position and includes existing timber stable buildings. Centrally positioned and strategically sunken into its gently sloping site, the planning allows for the creation of an exciting and entirely distinctive home.

The design is a bold and innovative piece of architecture inspired by the Venus’s flower basket, a deep sea sponge native to the Pacific Ocean. The internal spaces will have a holistic, calming and contemporary aesthetic and the material palette will be restrained and simple, with local clay tiles, flint rib walls, smooth polished concrete floors and large panes of glass that will flood the house with natural light.

A biophilic design, the house was conceived to enhance well-being and relaxation. It will be laid out on a radial plan and have, at its core, an interconnecting glazed courtyard. This will be encircled by a series of rooms, including expansive and fluid open-plan sociable living spaces and more private areas to retreat.

An outer ring of accommodation will include a large main suite with a dressing room and en suite bathroom, three more double bedrooms and a family bathroom. In addition, there will be opportunity to create an independently accessed space with its own private entrance, a kitchen, living and dining area and an en suite bedroom. This wing will also connect directly with the main body of the house.

Courtyard gardens will complete the circular plan. Lined in banks of glazing, these will amplify the smooth transition between indoors and out, allowing the internal spaces to merge with the open rolling parkland landscape.

Sustainability lies at the heart of the design. The layout of the house has been carefully planned to optimise solar orientation. Morning and afternoon sunlight will stream into the living spaces, while dappled evening light will enter the sleeping rooms. Throughout, external doors and windows are positioned to capitalise on the views while, at the same time, maximising sunlight and cleverly manipulating passive solar gain throughout the seasons.

The house will include a garage and off-road parking with space for several cars.

Outdoor Space

A detailed landscaping scheme, by DEP Landscape Architecture, for the surrounding gardens is included in the design and is key to the integrated approach to the site.

Extending across one-and-a-half acres of open land, the plot is bordered by hedgerows and more mature broad-leafed trees. These will be thinned on the eastern and western boundaries to give glimpsed views across the adjacent green belt land towards the river Stort, further strengthening the house’s relationship with its natural setting.

The ecological value and biodiversity of the plot will be augmented through an ambitious and varied planting layout comprising the intimate courtyard gardens, wildflower leas and calming water channels that will flow along the site. These will provide additional habitats for the local multifarious animals and insects. The considered planting will support the area’s rich wildlife and encourage local and migratory species of birds.

The Area

Twyford Bury Lane is bounded by rolling open countryside, perfectly positioned for rural walks and cycling the array of country roads. The river Stort lies nearby. A lovely spot for picnics, this encompasses Rushy Mead nature reserve, a beautiful wetland habitat that attracts abundant birdlife, including the willow tit.

The lane sits on the southern outskirts of Bishop’s Stortford, a historic market town favoured for its attractive architecture and quick transport links to London. The town has a broad range of shops and supermarkets and offers an array of high quality cafes and restaurants.

Bishop’s Stortford is also well served for entertainment care of The Empire cinema, and has a boutique bowling alley, Ace of Lanes. There are lots of sociable sporting clubs for rugby, football and hockey and a popular cricket, squash and tennis club sits by Cricketfield Lane. There are also several leisure centres, including Grange Paddock and the Herts and Essex Sports Centre.

There are many nearby options for a day out. The Henry Moore Foundation at Perry Green is a lovely place to wander among the gardens and sculptures or browse the house and galleries. The open-air immersive museum experiences at Mountfitchet Castle and Norman Village are close at hand, while the ancient royal hunting forest, Hatfield Forest, is a fantastic area to walk and picnic.

Bishop’s Stortford has a wide choice of great schools. The town is particularly well served at secondary level by Bishop’s Stortford College and the Hertfordshire and Essex High School for Girls and Boys. Additionally, the co-educational Hockerill Anglo-European College is a highly regarded international state boarding school offering the IB.

The train station is approximately a 10-minute walk or five minutes’ drive away and runs as many as seven services per hour to London Liverpool Street in approximately 38 minutes. Tottenham Hale is en route to London and provides a convenient link to the Victoria underground line. The M11 runs close to the town, giving access to London, Cambridge, Stansted Airport (five miles east), and the M25.

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. The Modern House has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.