4 bedrooms in historical city close to London

United Kingdom - Hertfordshire - St Albans

Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Our house
Our house
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Front room
Front room
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Dining area through to back room and conservatory
Dining area through to back room and conservatory
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Backroom through to dining, hall and kitchen
Backroom through to dining, hall and kitchen
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Backroom through to dining,
Backroom through to dining,
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Kitchen
Kitchen
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Master Bedroom
Master Bedroom
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Master Bedroom - ensuite to left
Master Bedroom - ensuite to left
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,2nd bedroom - 1x single bed, room for fold out bed
2nd bedroom - 1x single bed, room for fold out bed
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Bedroom 3
Bedroom 3
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Bedroom 3 (bedroom 4 pic to follow)
Bedroom 3 (bedroom 4 pic to follow)
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Family bathroom
Family bathroom
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Treadmill in conservatory/playroom
Treadmill in conservatory/playroom
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Back garden back towards the house- Jul 22 so dry!
Back garden back towards the house- Jul 22 so dry!
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Our back garden - with view to the park behind us
Our back garden - with view to the park behind us
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Trampoline, goal and swing ball
Trampoline, goal and swing ball
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Very back of garden with veggie patch
Very back of garden with veggie patch
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,NOT CURRENT Our old home, ref swaps prior to 2019
NOT CURRENT Our old home, ref swaps prior to 2019
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans, Historical St Albans
Historical St Albans
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans, St Albans Abbey
St Albans Abbey
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Historical St Albans (and a great Thai restaurant)
Historical St Albans (and a great Thai restaurant)
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Roman theatre ruins from Verulamium days
Roman theatre ruins from Verulamium days
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Main street of St Albans on market day
Main street of St Albans on market day
Home exhange in,United Kingdom,St Albans,Us - a few years ago now - our youngest is now 6!
Us - a few years ago now - our youngest is now 6!
  • Sleeping capacity5
  • Bedrooms4
  • Bathrooms2

Simultaneous Home Exchange

Homesit Offered

Smoking Not Allowed

Children Welcome

Use of Personal Car is possible

We are looking for a home exchange in ...

Jul 22, 2024 - Aug 31, 2024 Auckland, New Zealand | Pacific Ocean
Open to all dates Turkey
Open to all dates Italy | Spain | Scandinavia
Open to all dates France | Portugal | Greece
Open to all dates Croatia | Sweden | Norway

Our Home For Exchange

Description of the home we are offering for exchange

Our home is a 4 bedroom detached house, with a big family-friendly garden in the lovely city of St Albans, Hertfordshire.

We purchased the house a few years ago as a project and have been busy making plans around the work we want to do. Covid has, unfortunately, slowed us down, so in the long term, the house will be slightly different but in the meantime, we have tidied it up considerably (various features of the house are ready for retirement, but in the meantime, we have painted most of/nearly all the interior to improve things in the short term). So while it is not quite Home Beautiful ready, it is clean, tidy and comfortable.

Currently, downstairs we have a front room (in these post-covid times, one corner/side has been multi-purposed to office space), a back room that includes dining area and tv watching area, kitchen, conservatory we use as a playroom (and part gym if you feel so inspired with a treadmill) and a toilet room.

Upstairs we have four bedrooms (the master bedroom has an ensuite with bath) and a family bathroom with shower.

We have a lovely large garden, with a veggie patch, patio with dining table and bbq, large trampoline and lots of great spots to sit and relax.

We are a family, so we are family friendly with lots of children's kit and equipment available - travel cot, UK-compliant car seats, high chair, crockery and cutlery, push chair, toys, books, bedding etc etc! Basically what we wished we had at a holiday destination so we could travel light!

Cleaner once a week if you wish.

Happy to talk car exchange too.

Please note:

Some of our previous feedback is for swaps we undertook from our previous home (also in St Albans) and the last picture in our photos is that home (for reference - the brick terrace with the teal door).

Type

House - 2 or more floors/ Main Residence


Amenities

  • Cleaning service available
  • Dishwasher
  • Clothes Washer
  • Clothes Dryer
  • Microwave Oven
  • Equipped for Children
  • Garden
  • Heating
  • Baby Equipment
  • Private parking
  • Terrace / Patio

Entertainment

  • Computer available
  • DVD
  • Internet access
  • Piano
  • TV
  • Wireless Internet (WiFi)
  • Family Room / Playroom

Extras

  • Babysitter available
  • Use of bicycle(s)

Setting

  • Suburban
  • Small Town or Village

Neighbourhood

Description of our neighbourhood and surrounding area

St Albans is a cracking place to live and a brilliant base for visiting.

It's a historic city (it is a city by definition of having an Abbey but the size of a big town) with Roman ruins, historical buildings, pubs (with claims to the UK's oldest), lots of parks, the UK's newest forest and with a lovely feel. A royal charter market runs twice weekly, as well as less often organic, French or other specialty markets.

But it has a modern side too with great shopping (in modern and old buildings), bars, restaurants, theatres and cafes.

One of the great things about where we are, is nothing is very far away.

We're a 25/35 min walk from the center of town, rail station and we are on a bus route. As well as our own garden, we have a good size park behind us with a playground, basketball hoop and football goals. Verulamium Park, forrest, wood and riverside walks are not far away, as are lots of cycle paths/routes.

While town is bustling, it is surrounded by countryside with links in all directions. London is only 20 mins away by train (20 mins to London St Pancras, 40-odd to the West End). The M25 and M1 are nearby meaning London Heathrow is 40 mins away. In terms of things to do and places to visit, Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio is 30 mins, Windsor is about 45 mins, Cambridge an hour and Oxford just over an hour. Rail links from St Albans are also useful as we have one of the few rail links that go straight through London - London Luton is about 20 mins north, while London Gatwick (about an hour), Brighton and more are to the south. Our branch line to Watford also opens up connections to Northampton, Birmingham and beyond.

Within a half a mile walk, we have a multitude of amenities. We have a convenience store about five/ten minutes walk from the house in one direction and about ten minutes in the other direction we have a good sized block of local shops where you can find two good sized food stores, a cafe, pharmacy, bakeries, health store, hairdressers, a pilates studio as well as a great fish and chip shop and Italian and Indian restaurants (that also do great take outs). In town, there are two more food stores as well as multiple supermarkets a short drive away (there are also various supermarket delivery options too).

Our bit of St Albans is central, quiet, friendly, family-orientated, well equipped and great for accessing destinations around town and further afield.

Outdoor Activities

  • Biking
  • Cultural Events
  • Fishing
  • Golfing
  • Gym / Health Club
  • Tennis
  • Horseback Riding
  • Lake
  • Public Swimming Pool
  • River

Leisure

  • Park / Playground
  • Cafés
  • Gym / Health Club
  • Restaurants
  • Shopping
  • Park / Playground

Cultural Activities

  • Concerts
  • Galleries
  • Museums
  • Popular Monuments
  • Theatre

Transport Nearby

  • Bus
  • Train Station

Neighbourhood Services

  • Bakery
  • Corner Shop
  • Pharmacy
  • Supermarket

Attractions

Our home exchange - places to go and things to do while staying in our home

St Albans is a great base for all sorts.

Historically, St Albans has a lot going on. The ruins of the old Roman town of Verulamium are on the outskirts of town, with various sites to visit, including remains of a Roman hypocaust. The Abbey (part built from stones sourced from the Roman ruins) is stunning. Two battles in the War of the Roses were fought in St Albans, with one just around the corner from our home (memorialised by white and red cherry trees - representing the colours of the Houses of York and Lancaster - lining the road the battle was on - a stunning sight in the spring when they are all in blossom).

There are also museums, two theatres, a local forest (the UK's newest with most of it recently planted by locals), numerous parks, walks, cycle tracks and an old rail line that now makes for a great cycle or walking path to Hatfield.

In the summer, St Albans hosts various festivals, including comedy, food and music (sometimes all in the same event!). In the winter there is a Christmas market and various events at the Abbey including carol singing. The Abbey also hosts various events throughout the year including light shows, tours, concerts and workshops.

A good mix of shopping can be found in town, but the treasures of London are on the doorstep, as well as various shopping centers (Brent Cross, Watford) and quaint villages surrounding us.

Again town has a great mix of cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs but being close to the countryside, there is also a list of country pubs or village tea shops not far away too.

For kids, there are lots of both big and small local parks, playgrounds and woods. A play farm (with Peter Rabbit & Friends), ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, pools, soft play centres and much more are not far. Roald Dahl's hometown and museum is about 30 minutes away, as are oddities like the Natural History Museum at Tring (it was the private museum of an old Baron Rothschild and is one of the finest collections of stuffed mammals, birds, reptiles and insects - and keeps kids intrigued for hours!). And of course, for any Harry Potter lover, The Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour is near nearby Watford (about 25 mins away).

The famous and historical sites, museums, theatres and everything else London has to offer is 20 minutes by train.

Historical homes are also accessible in nearby towns and villages, including Hatfield House (often used in film shoots including the likes of The Favourite - about 20 mins away), Clivedon (where Meghan Markle stayed the night before her marriage - about 40 mins away). Windsor is about 45 mins away. Both Oxford and Cambridge are approx an hour away.

Several theme parks are nearby too - as well as The Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour (Harry Potter) there is Legoland, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Paultons (a la Peppa Pig World) all being 40-90 mins away. For Thomas the Tank Engine fans Drayton Manor (with TtTE World) is a little further away at just under two hours, but still doable as a day trip (they conveniently open at 10am).

Hertfordshire is a beautiful part of the UK, with lots of lovely small towns and stunning scenery. Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice was based in Hertfordshire and many of the local towns and homes apparently provided her with inspiration. Is Rothamsted Manor in Harpenden the inspiration for Netherfield? Was Harpenden (our next town up the train line) Meryton? We shall never know, but it is fun imagining!

As mentioned previously, the local train line provides good links north (directly to Lution and using our branch line to Watford, to Northampton, Birmingham and beyond), as well as south through London and down onto Brighton.

St Albans also has a public swimming pool, a number of gyms, a movie theatre (St Albans' original art deco theatre was beautifully restored a few years ago and showing a huge mix of films). A weekly 5km ParkRun is held at Verulamium Park or at nearby Jersey Farm (a favourite for those trying to do the A-Z of ParkRun courses!), with an annual half marathon for the very keen! We are also home to more tennis and golf clubs than you would think one town would need (including The Centurion Club which has hosted various pro tournaments).

All in all, as well as having a lot to keep you busy locally, St Albans is a great base to see and explore both London and SE England.

Our favourite restaurants

  • Tabure
  • Lussmans
  • Prae Wood Arms

Cafés & bars

  • The Beech House
  • The Peahen
  • Oldest pub in the UK (although possibly claimed by most UK towns!)

Special places to shop

  • St Albans town
  • London
  • Harpenden

Leisure and cultural activities

  • London
  • Warner Bros Studio Tours
  • Windsor (Castle, Clivedon, Legoland), Oxford & Cambridge

Walks or jogging paths

  • Verlanium Park & Roman ruins
  • Heartsmere Forest - England's newest forest and largely planted by locals
  • National Trust properties

Health or fitness clubs

  • Two in center, more a little further out
  • Public swimming pool
  • More tennis and golf clubs than you would think would fit in one city!

Interesting day trips

  • London
  • St Albans historical sites
  • Cambridge, Windsor, Oxford, Brighton (some by train)

Our Preferences

Our home exchange - here are our Preferences and House Rules

We would ask you treat our home as you would want us to treat yours, and leave it in a clean and tidy condition (as we would leave yours).

We are non-smokers so not smoking in the house is an important one for us.

We have a cleaner come weekly, so are happy to talk about her continuing during any swap.

We have done various house borrowing, sitting and swaps, so our children are used to staying in other people's homes. We stress to them the importance of respecting other people's homes and belongings. We like to think they are house-trained!

Please check our exchange preferences below.

Conditions

  • Children Welcome
  • Pets Not Allowed
  • Smoking Not Allowed
  • Plant Care Needed

Use of Personal Car

  • Use of Personal Car is possible

Home Exchange Type

  • Simultaneous Home Exchange
  • Homesit Offered
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