400 yr old Harry Potterlike cottage in Park Street

Situated in Park Street village, 2 miles from St Albans, a short walk from the Online Academy at Curo Park, be prepared for tiny Hobbit-like front door, exposed timbers, a huge inglenook fireplace, vaulted bedrooms and wonky floors. Five minutes from Park Street Abbey Line train station, bus stop and two local pubs, stunning woodland and lakes just behind, + take-away and convenient corner shop opposite. Cosy and higgledy-piggledy, brimming with history - an unique experience! Two separate bedrooms may be available - one, The Red Room aka the cosy Buddha Bedroom, with a vaulted ceiling, an exposed brick chimney, a 4.6ft small double bed, lush oriental artefacts, a swinging bamboo chair and a secret entrance into the Narnia cupboard. The floor tilts away at an angle - you'll think you had one too many at the local pub! The second is the large Green Bedroom. It has a vaulted ceiling, a calm aura, with a desk, a spacious 5ft double bed, a cassette player and a cosy armchair in which to curl up and enjoy a selection from the library or extensive DVD collection. Each bedroom is for 1 to 2 guests only, by negotiation. If the AirBNB calendar shows as « blocked » this may be because I have a private guest - friend or family - in one of the other bedrooms so don’t be put off - it’s always worth dropping me a line to check if therés a vacancy! Guests all share a family-size bathroom with bath and shower. There’s also a toilet downstairs. Other than your bedroom, you'll have full access downstairs in the cottage, and the upstairs bathroom with its shower and separate Jacuzzi bath. You are welcome to tinkle the ivories, strum one of my guitars, or make yourself a cup of tea or coffee in the antique kitchen, where the wooden surfaces have been danced on by many, salvaged from the St Albans dance floor of earlier times. If you are tall, you will need to duck a lot to avoid concussion as some doorways are very low. There's a delightful summer courtyard garden at the back, complete with its own well, and two bikes in the bike shed - you're welcome to go for a cycle to the woods, as long as you know how to pump your own tyres! There's a downstairs toilet for convenience and a spinning wheel if you get bored ... As an author/artist/company director, I'll be around most days, working for our events’ company Kit & Caboodle. I'll always do my best to be around to welcome you in and out. If you’d like simple breakfast I can leave cereals, milk, toast, fruit, juice etc in the kitchen for you to help yourselves or enjoy down in the sunken dining room (my art studio) ... please do your own washing up! This is a very hard water area so don't be put off by limescale - the tap water is drinkable. You can share small fridge space and cook evening meals, or pop over the road to Rumbles take-away grill. Please leave toilets/bathroom clean after use. I do not clean bedrooms during guest stays. I'm happy for you to share this medieval cottage space with me and my cat, and hope you'll enjoy the experience of being in a home, not a hotel. Park Street was originally a Roman settlement around a villa supplying food to the St Albans (Verulamium) garrison. St Albans has a beautiful classic cinema called The Odyssey, an excellent Roman museum, as well as its spectacular Cathedral - the cottage is just two miles south of the city centre. There's ample free parking in the neighbourhood, but parking in St Albans is not free. St Albans is noted for its excellent selection of pubs and cafes, restaurant and shops - just twenty-five minutes from London by train from its mainline City station - it has a lively, well-presented street market selling everything from cheese to jewellery, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The walk from the Abbey Theatre across the city Park, past The Fighting Cocks, one of the oldest pubs in Britain, is breathtaking, passing well-preserved Roman ruins and dominated by the Cathedral on the hill. Park Street village has two small commercial centres, one outside the front door with a couple of takeaways, and a convenience store, and the other at How Wood, a small parade of shops, ten minutes walk away. There are parish churches, parks and a small Village Hall, as well as an excellent Barber - it's all here, not showy, just friendly. Parking is nearly always available along Park Street Lane or beside Recreation Ground Club House. There's an outdoor gym in the park, and beautiful woodland walks to the Frogmore lakes behind the cottage - two minutes away. The Harry Potter Experience at Leavesden is only 5 miles away - and I'm a Potter fan ... in fact, I share the same ancient backplate on my inglenook fireplace with the one in Dumbledore’s study at Hogwarts... check it out, you Muggles! Car parking along the road, bus stop and train station up the road ... no problem. If you are planning a late return by train it's best to drive or get a cab to St Albans City station for fast trains to King's Cross. Alternatively slow trains stop at Radlett- a ten minute drive away with ample parking. Alternatively you can drive to Watford Junction and catch a fast train to Euston. The Abbey Line through the village only runs once an hour between St Albans Abbey Station and Watford Junction but the last train is around 9.30pm! There are local buses now and then - get the Moovit app and check out the timetable … 2 minutes from Rose Cottage. Velcro my tabby cat is a bit shy, she might hide at first. She's not keen on small children or on being picked up. I'm interested in local history so find out why General Fairfax galloped past the cottage when Charles I was beheaded ... and other useful stuff. You'll be sharing my family bathroom, hopefully not at the same time! There's a loo downstairs, too. I speak French, some Italian and Arabic, and have lived all around the world - the cottage is full of curiousities and a lot of books in every room. I paint, write, sing and swim in the pool just up the road, I'm sociable and I like having visitors. You can log onto my wifi, there's a TV in the living room and a soon one in the Green Bedroom - but they don't get turned on much - I prefer to have music playing - hope you like that too? I'm a relaxed hostess, and like my guests to feel welcome in this lovely old home.