London Couple Buy Their First Home Together in the Bedfordshire Village of Clifton

A couple has relocated from London and North Kent to Hayfield Gate in the Bedfordshire village of Clifton to buy their first house together. 

Sophie Henderson was previously living in a house share in Hackney Wick, East London, while Maxwell Smith lived in a starter home in Chatham, North Kent. The couple has bought a four-bedroom detached Stamford home, which features an open plan kitchen/diner, and a spectacular principal bedroom suite, featuring a designer ensuite and dressing area.

29-year-old Sophie works for an ed-tech company based in Farringdon, while 34-year-old Max is a visual effects artist, who works for global creative studio Framestore, based at Chancery Lane. Both will utilise the 40-minute London commuter service from Arlesey station, which is only three miles away from Hayfield Gate.

Sophie Henderson said: “We had a wide ‘north of London’ search criteria when we were searching for our first home together, as I am from Northern Ireland and wanted to live in easy reach of an airport, while Max is from Leicestershire, so was mindful of journey times to the Midlands. We narrowed our search down the villages in and around Hitchin, as we loved the bustling market town vibe. We looked at several new build and secondhand options and found Hayfield to offer by the far the best value for money.

“All the living accommodation in our Stamford home is so luxurious and we have four really good-sized bedrooms, which we’ll make the most of when friends and family come to stay. The double garage will be so handy too. Max is a keen photographer, so we are really looking forward to exploring the country walks in and around Clifton and making lots of new memories. We’ve even set up an Instagram account @our_stamford_60 to document our moving journey.”

Located off New Road and Hitchin Lane, Hayfield Gate features 95 new houses designed around landscaped Public Open Space. The scheme opened to the public in autumn 2020, and all of the homes are now reserved, each selling well ahead of the build programme. The sought-after village location benefits from outstanding schooling and easy access to the surrounding towns of Shefford, Biggleswade, Hitchin, Letchworth and Stevenage.

The 11.8-acre development incorporates the creation of a main spine road running through the development, connecting with New Road at the western edge, Hitchin Lane at the eastern edge and providing easy access to the A507. A biodiversity corridor is also being created through the middle of the scheme.

The final phase of construction is now underway at Hayfield Place in nearby Silsoe, where over 90% of the 105 homes are already matched with buyers. Hayfield Park in Bromham, which is in the Borough of Bedford is just about to launch to the market, comprising 80 houses and bungalows. Hayfield has also acquired a lakeside development site in the small village of Clophill, which will be the next Bedfordshire scheme to launch.

For more information on Hayfield’s portfolio of schemes in Bedfordshire, visit: https://www.hayfieldhomes.co.uk/ or contact Hayfield Place on 0800 048 4865 or email hayfieldplace@hayfieldhomes.co.uk.