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£9,500,000

Ayot St. Peter, Welwyn

Land size
21 acres
Bedrooms
7
Bathrooms
6

Key Features

  • Private yet accessible position within some of Hertfordshire’s most attractive countryside
  • Garaging, workshops, offices and stabling arranged around a striking courtyard
  • Heated outdoor swimming pool, croquet lawn, orchard and arboretum
  • Ornamental lake with Arts and Crafts style boathouse
  • Established landscaped gardens and grounds extending to around 21 acres
  • Elegant reception rooms including a spectacular Great Hall and minstrel’s gallery
  • Extensive ancillary accommodation including cottages, flats and estate buildings
  • Beautifully restored principal house with outstanding period detail throughout
  • One of Hertfordshire’s finest private country houses
  • Exceptional Grade II listed country estate dating in part to circa 1485

Description

An exceptional Grade II listed country estate of immense architectural character and historical significance, set within some of Hertfordshire’s most attractive countryside.

Believed to date in part from around 1485, the house has evolved over centuries into a remarkable private residence of extraordinary atmosphere and scale. The principal house combines Tudor, Jacobean and later architectural influences, resulting in a home of immense warmth, elegance and individuality.

The interiors are beautifully balanced between historic character and modern comfort. Fine original detailing including stone archways, carved timberwork, linenfold paneling, grand fireplaces and a striking minstrel’s gallery sit comfortably alongside later sympathetic additions and carefully considered modernisation.

The principal reception rooms are wonderfully proportioned and include a spectacular Great Hall, elegant formal drawing and sitting rooms, library, dining room and beautifully appointed kitchen and breakfast spaces designed for modern family living and entertaining alike. The bedroom accommodation is equally impressive, with a number of luxurious suites enjoying far-reaching views across the gardens and grounds.

Beyond the principal house, the estate continues to unfold beautifully. A substantial courtyard complex provides extensive ancillary accommodation including staff and guest cottages, flats, offices, garaging, workshops and stabling, centered around an attractive clock tower and Grade II listed dovecot. The estate also benefits from a detached Gardener’s Cottage together with extensive storage and estate facilities.

The grounds are exceptional and have been thoughtfully curated over many years. Extending to around 21 acres, they include formal gardens, rolling lawns, mature parkland, ancient trees, a croquet lawn, rose gardens, wildflower meadow, orchard, ornamental lake with Arts and Crafts boathouse, arboretum and a heated outdoor swimming pool enclosed by yew hedging and brick walls.

Approached via wrought iron gates and a sweeping tree-lined drive, possessing a rare sense of arrival and seclusion, whilst remaining conveniently positioned for access into London and the surrounding Hertfordshire countryside.

A deeply atmospheric English country estate of rare quality and provenance.

Material information pack; 

Map Location

Property details

Tenure
Freehold
Council Tax Band
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Date Posted
2026-06-08

Market Value Analysis

Compared with 84 Homes with Land listings in East Anglia (10+ acres).

This Property£452,381 / acre
Homes with Land Average (10+ acres) £148,242 / acre
View full market data

Utilities & Restrictions

Utilities

Electricity
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Water
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Heating
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Broadband
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Sewerage
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Rights & Restrictions

Public Rights of Way
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Private Rights of Way
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Listed Property
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Restrictions
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Listed status, conservation areas and planning constraints for this location are in the full report.

Property Features

Accessibility
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Parking
Parking Available
Garden
Garden

Beyond the particulars: planning activity, flood history, heritage and ground risks, checked for this exact spot.

Connectivity

Broadband

Fastest speed available at this postcode

1.8 Gbps

Gigabit full fibre

Suitable for

  • 4K streaming on every screen
  • Full-time home working
  • Online gaming & big downloads

Mobile signal

CallsDataEE Good GoodO2 Good GoodThree Good GoodVodafone Good Good

Outdoor predictions; indoor signal depends on building materials.

Ofcom Connected Nations postcode-level predictions. Speeds and signal are modelled, not measured, and vary between addresses and providers.

Signal is the easy part. Planning activity, flood history and protected designations here are in the full report.

Nearest Schools

Primary

  • Welwyn St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School1.3 milesOfsted: Good *
    Ages
    4 to 11
    Pupils
    418
    Type
    Voluntary aided school
    Faith
    Church of England
  • Templewood Primary School1.6 milesOfsted: Good
    Ages
    3 to 11
    Pupils
    225
    Type
    Community school
  • St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford1.7 milesNo Ofsted rating
    Ages
    4 to 11
    Pupils
    102
    Type
    Voluntary aided school
    Faith
    Church of England
  • Homerswood Primary and Nursery School1.7 milesOfsted: Good *
    Ages
    3 to 11
    Pupils
    218
    Type
    Community school
  • Applecroft School1.9 milesOfsted: Good
    Ages
    3 to 11
    Pupils
    454
    Type
    Academy converter

Secondary

  • Monk's Walk School1.4 milesNo Ofsted rating
    Ages
    11 to 18
    Pupils
    1,440
    Type
    Academy converter
  • Stanborough School2.3 milesOfsted: Good
    Ages
    11 to 18
    Pupils
    1,287
    Type
    Academy converter
  • Ridgeway Academy3 milesOfsted: Good *
    Ages
    11 to 18
    Pupils
    875
    Type
    Academy sponsor led
  • Katherine Warington School3.8 milesOfsted: Good
    Ages
    11 to 19
    Pupils
    1,113
    Type
    Free schools
  • Onslow St Audrey's School4.2 milesOfsted: Good
    Ages
    11 to 18
    Pupils
    787
    Type
    Academy converter

* Latest graded judgement covers quality of education only; no overall grade was issued under the 2024-25 inspection framework.

Distances are straight-line from the advertised location. Source: the national school registers (DfE, Welsh Government, Scottish Government) and Ofsted.

Schools are just the start: sold prices nearby, planning activity and any flood history are in the full report.

Amenities

Supermarket

M&S Nodeway BP, Welwyn1.3 miles
Tesco Welwyn Express, Welwyn1.4 miles
Co-op Knightsfield, Welwyn Garden City1.8 miles

GP surgery

Bridge Cottage Surgery1.4 miles

Pharmacy

Barnes Pharmacy1.4 miles

Hospital

One Hatfield Hospital3.4 miles

Straight-line distances from the advertised location. Sources: NHS records, Geolytix supermarket locations, OS Open Greenspace and the national trails registers.

The area stacks up? Now check the location itself: planning nearby, protected designations and past flooding.

Getting Around

Nearest station

Welwyn Garden City Rail Station2.1 miles

Nearest bus stop

Red Lion PH0.9 miles

Typical drive times

Hatfield10 min · 5.7 miles
Harpenden13 min · 6.1 miles
Stevenage12 min · 7.7 miles
St Albans (city)15 min · 7.5 miles
Welwyn Garden City8 min · 3.6 miles

Straight-line distances from the advertised location; drive times are typical free-flow times over OpenStreetMap road data, so allow more at peak. Public transport locations from DfT NaPTAN.

Easy to reach matters. So do planning activity, flood history and ground risks: all in the full report.

Flood Risk

From Environment Agency flood map open data, checked around the advertised map pin and allowing for the listed acreage where known. This summary comes from LandSale, the advertising platform, not from the listing agent, and is not part of the agent's particulars. Risk can vary across a single holding, so verify anything critical through your own searches before committing.

Rivers and the sea

Flood Zone 1Lower risk

Surface water

A 1 in 30 or greater chance each yearHigher risk

Mapped within the area searched, not at the advertised map pin itself.

The detail behind these bandings

The full report pinpoints where this location sits on the flood maps, and runs the deeper checks that usually only surface after an offer.

  • Exact flood zones & annual chances (included in the full report)
  • Any recorded past flooding (included in the full report)
  • Planning activity nearby (included in the full report)
  • Heritage & conservation (included in the full report)
  • Protected nature designations (included in the full report)
  • Ground risks (included in the full report)
  • Sold prices nearby (included in the full report)

£14.99 · one-off purchase

By LandSale, the platform. Not provided by the listing agent. Ready in about a minute.

Important notice: Information, maps and tags on this page are drawn from the advertising agent's marketing materials or generated automatically. LandSale has not verified them. Relying on these details is at your own risk, always carry out independent checks before committing to a purchase.

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