Gallery
The house, room by room
Freshly remodeled in 2024 — every room photographed as it is today.
Cornish Hall End · Finchingfield · North Essex
The Chase · Cornish Hall End · Braintree · Essex CM7 4JL
English countryside living — a completely remodeled four-bedroom home among the wheat fields and hedgerows, minutes from Finchingfield, "the most photographed village in England".
In an emergency: call 999 (or 112) · NHS advice 111 · Police non-emergency 101
Welcome
Cornish Hall End is a quiet hamlet strung along a country lane in the rolling farmland of north Essex — the view above is the real thing, wheat fields and hedgerows in every direction. The village pub, the Horse & Groom, the children's playground and the playing field are all a short stroll from the front door.
The house itself was remodeled top to bottom in 2024: a chef's kitchen and open-plan living downstairs, four versatile bedrooms and laundry upstairs, and a long lawned garden that ends where the fields begin. Finchingfield — duck pond, windmill and all — is five minutes down the lane.
The House
A detached family home rebuilt inside with contemporary finishes — bright, warm and simple to live in, whether you're here for a week or a season.
A generous sitting room with a deep corner sofa, wall-mounted TV and recessed lighting, flowing into the dining space and kitchen beyond — one long, sociable room for the whole party.
Gloss cabinetry, dark stone-look worktops and a full appliance suite — oven, hob, extractor, microwave and full-height fridge-freezer — with cottage windows looking onto the garden.
Three carpeted bedrooms upstairs — two doubles and a single — plus a ground-floor study that works as a fourth bedroom, office or snug. Sleeps up to six.
A family bathroom with tub and a sleek walk-in shower room, both newly fitted. The upstairs laundry has a washer, dryer, oversized countertop and a Hollywood mirror.
A long, fully fenced rear lawn with a stone patio for summer evenings — and nothing but farmland beyond the back fence. Lawned front garden and a smart brick-paved drive.
A detached garage for secure parking or storage, plus off-street parking on the drive. The house is fully electric, with high-speed fibre broadband throughout.
Things to Do
This is picture-postcard England — thatched villages, Norman castles and market towns, all threaded together by quiet lanes and footpaths.
Finchingfield's green, duck pond and hump-backed bridge have graced a thousand calendars. Add the 18th-century post mill, the Guildhall and the hilltop church of St John the Baptist.
Public footpaths strike straight out of the village into open farmland — big-sky walking through wheat fields and hedgerows, with circular routes to Finchingfield and the Bumpsteads.
North Essex is superb cycling country: gently rolling, low-traffic lanes linking Finchingfield, Thaxted and the Sampfords — every ride ends at a village pub or tearoom.
One of England's best-preserved Norman keeps, with banquet halls, gardens and a summer calendar of jousts, falconry and open-air events.
A medieval gem: the timbered Guildhall, John Webb's Windmill, a cathedral-scale parish church and morris dancers on the cobbles through the summer.
A great Jacobean mansion in Capability Brown parkland — state rooms, stables, kitchen gardens and a miniature railway the kids will not want to leave.
A small family farm where children can hold lambs and chicks, bottle-feed, pet llamas, donkeys and goats, milk a cow by hand and ride the tractor-drawn wagon. Open Friday–Sunday in season.
Follow the famously self-defeating road signs to a Cold War regional government HQ hidden beneath an ordinary bungalow — three underground floors of operations rooms, dormitories and sirens.
Within Walking Distance
Cornish Hall End is small and friendly — pub, playground, playing field and a lot of sky, all within a few minutes' stroll.
Your village local, a couple of minutes up the lane — real ales, pub classics and a warm welcome. The kind of pub you move to the countryside for.
The village playground sits beside the playing field, a few minutes' stroll up the lane — swings, slide and climbing frame, with plenty of open grass for a kickabout.
Waymarked paths lead off the lane in every direction — an easy evening loop around the wheat fields, or longer rambles across the parish to Finchingfield and beyond.
Three miles of lanes and field paths bring you down to Finchingfield's green for lunch — a classic out-and-back with a tearoom (or the Fox) in the middle.
No streetlight glow out here — on a clear night the Milky Way arches right over the garden. Bring a blanket and look up.
Hares boxing in spring, skylarks over the wheat in summer, barn owls hunting the field margins at dusk — the back fence is a front-row seat.
Places to Eat
Eating out here means village pubs with low beams and proper Sunday roasts — plus one very famous farm-shop café down the road.
The village pub, steps from the house — hearty pub food, well-kept ales and a garden for summer evenings. Your default dinner spot, and a very good one.
A 15th-century inn overlooking Finchingfield's green and duck pond — seasonal menus, roasts and rosé on the terrace with the best view in Essex.
A 15th-century coaching inn just up the hill from the pond — heavy beams, an open fire, well-kept cask ales and very good pizzas, with a huge enclosed beer garden for summer.
Italian-inspired cooking right on Finchingfield green — fresh pasta, pizza, grills and seafood from chef-proprietor Frank, in one of the prettiest settings in Essex. Book for weekends.
Finchingfield does a proper cream tea — village tearooms serve scones, cakes and light lunches right on the green, perfect after a walk around the pond.
A destination farm shop and café between Great Bardfield and Braintree — famous breakfasts, wood-fired pizza, and shelves of local produce to take home.
Historic coaching inns and independent cafés among the medieval streets — lunch under centuries-old beams, then a stroll up to the windmill.
The market town has the area's widest choice — gastropubs, bistros, bakeries and world cuisines among the pargeted medieval buildings.
Country pubs keep country hours — book ahead for Sunday lunch, and check kitchen times before you set out.
Shopping
Cornish Hall End itself is blissfully shop-free — here's where to stock the kitchen and find something to take home.
Finchingfield's village stores and post office cover the basics — bread, milk, papers and local goods — right by the green.
Butchery, bakery, local veg, cheese and store-cupboard treats — the best one-stop shop for a proper countryside supper.
A charter market since 1141 — stalls of produce, flowers, cheese and crafts fill the market square every Tuesday and Saturday morning.
Full-size supermarkets — Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi and more — are twenty minutes away in Braintree or Haverhill, with home delivery available to the village.
An outlet village of fashion and homeware brands at discount prices — a handy rainy-day outing with cafés on site.
Honesty boxes of eggs and honey along the lanes, pick-your-own fruit farms in season, and galleries in Great Bardfield — home of the celebrated Bardfield artists.
Places to Go
The house sits in the quiet triangle between Cambridge, Colchester and London — famous cities, medieval wool towns and the coast are all within reach.
The artists' village — home to Edward Bawden, Eric Ravilious and the Bardfield group. A handsome high street, a cottage museum and a working windmill.
One of England's finest small towns — Guildhall, windmill, Holst's home, and a June music festival in the soaring parish church.
A perfect Norman village beneath its mighty keep — lanes of pastel cottages, antique shops and the Colne Valley steam railway nearby.
A beautiful medieval market town: pargeted merchants' houses, the largest parish church in Essex, Bridge End Garden and England's oldest turf maze.
Colleges, chapels and punting on the Cam — King's College Chapel, the Fitzwilliam Museum and the botanic garden make an unbeatable day out. Or park at Audley End and let the train do the city traffic.
Suffolk's crooked-timbered wool town — 300 listed buildings, the great Guildhall of Corpus Christi, and streets straight out of a storybook.
Britain's oldest recorded town — a Norman castle on Roman foundations, the Dutch Quarter, and one of the country's best zoos.
Park at Audley End (30 min drive) or Braintree (20 min drive) and the train does the rest — Liverpool Street in about 55 or 75 minutes respectively. The West End for the day, the fields by dinner.
London Stansted is barely half an hour away — arrivals land practically on the doorstep, and Europe is a short hop for a night away.
Getting around: this is deep countryside, so a car is essential for most trips. The DaRT 3 demand-responsive bus serves Cornish Hall End by advance booking (Mon–Sat, connecting Braintree and the villages), and the nearest railway stations are Braintree (≈20 min drive, London Liverpool Street ≈1 h 15) and Audley End (≈30 min drive, London ≈55 min · Cambridge ≈20 min).
Gallery
Freshly remodeled in 2024 — every room photographed as it is today.
Floor Plan
About 111.6 sq m / 1,202 sq ft across two floors — lounge, kitchen/diner, study and shower room down; three bedrooms, bathroom and laundry up.
Floor plan is for illustration only — measurements are approximate.
The Map
Every place mentioned on this page, centred on The Chase House. Tap a marker for the name; pinch or double-tap to zoom.
Marker positions are approximate — always check opening times and routes before you set out.
Guest Access
The essentials for your stay. Door codes, the Wi-Fi password and the full house guide are shared privately with confirmed bookings.
Self check-in with keyless entry — your entry code and step-by-step arrival directions are sent before you travel. Park on the drive or in the garage.
High-speed fibre broadband covers the whole house — the network name and password are in your welcome message and on the fridge.
The house is fully electric with modern, eco-friendly heating. Simple per-room controls — the quick-start guide in the kitchen covers everything.
The upstairs laundry has a washer, dryer, oversized folding counter and a Hollywood mirror. An iron, board and airer are in the cupboard.
Wheelie bins live beside the garage — collection day and sorting instructions are in the house guide. Please put bins out the night before.
Call 999 (or 112) for police, fire or ambulance. NHS medical advice: 111. Police non-emergency: 101. Our contact details are in your booking confirmation — reach out any time.
Bookings & Contact
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