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The elegant wing of a magnificent
Elizabethan Long House, believed to have been visited regularly by Oliver
Cromwell. This wonderful self-contained accommodation, set in three acres of
mature, secluded grounds between Ely and Cambridge, sleeps four people.
Old Porch House was built in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth I in the early 1600s and retains much of its olde-worlde
charm, but has been tastefully modernised to offer all the conveniences of
the 21st Century.
The property, built from soft red
bricks made at the former village brickyards, is steeped in history and includes
impressive inglenook fireplace with bread oven, wonderful brick-floored
lounge with oak beams, and former dairy, now converted into a modern kitchen
with delightful terracotta-tiled floor.
Old Porch House was described in Pevsner's
Guide to Cambridgeshire as "the finest house in the village" and was
believed to have been built for the Dutch engineers who drained the Fens. It
has a colourful history, having been used in the past as the old school
house for the children from the tiny hamlet of Hillrow, following a feud
with the families of Haddenham.
Guests enter through the original doorway
to the kitchen which includes electric cooker, fridge/freezer, microwave
oven and washer/dryer. The kitchen leads into the spacious lounge with
double sofa bed, television, video, music centre and a table seating six.
The winding cottage stairs lead up to two
delightful bedrooms - one double and one twin - with their sloping floors
and olde-worlde charm. A modern bathroom offers a bath and walk-in power
shower. The property has full oil central heating, when required.
After a day's sightseeing, there is the
chance to relax in the property's wonderful, unoverlooked gardens which
stretch up onto the Haddenham Ridge and offer stunning views across the
Cambridgeshire countryside.
Old Porch House stands three quarters of a
mile from the village of Haddenham, which is just seven miles from Ely and
12 miles from Cambridge. The village is well-served with two supermarkets,
two pubs serving food, a post office with full banking facilities, and
take-away food shop, as well as a number of speciality shops.
 The quaint city of Ely with its
magnificent Cathedral, known as "The Ship of the Fens", tempts the visitor
with its cobbled streets and pretty waterfront. Cambridge is world-famous as
a seat of learning with its many
universities, museums, galleries, book shops and the chance to try your hand
at punting on the river.
The world acclaimed centre of horseracing
at Newmarket is just a 30 minute drive away and offers the chance to visit
the renowned Horseracing Museum and see racehorses being put through their
paces on the greens surrounding the town. Norfolk and Suffolk coastal towns
are just over an hour's drive by
car.
Ely offers a fast train service to London's Kings Cross or, via
Peterborough, to the north and Scotland. Stansted Airport is just 45 minutes
drive from the property and there are motorway links into London and out to
the south coast.
Old Porch House has a four star rating from the English Tourism Council.
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