Stansted –
a transport hub built from medieval times with a selection of modern
apartments and large family homes.
BACKGROUND
Stansted,
a village in northwest Essex near the Hertfordshire border, is
probably best known as the site of London's third airport. However,
there has been a settlement there since medieval times. Properly
named Stansted Mountfitchet (Stansted meaning "the place of the
stone"), it has the remains of a mott-and-bailey castle. Sitting
between London and Cambridge, it is popular with people travelling to
those two cities. It is also a gateway to unspoilt countryside and
Essex villages such as Clavering and Manuden.
TRANSPORT
The
village is served by its own railway station, from which trains run
south into London Liverpool Street and north to Cambridge, and is two
miles from Stansted Airport, linked to the capital by express trains
and an express bus service. Trains stopping at Tottenham Hale connect
with the London Underground's Victoria Line.
The M11,
running from Wanstead in east London to Cambridge, skirts Stansted,
connecting with the village and Bishop's Stortford at Junction 8.
Stansted
Airport handles
over 27m passengers each
year. It offers a European route network which is unrivalled in the
UK, providing London with more visitors from Europe than any other
airport.
AMENITIES
The
village has a small number of shops, with many more in Bishop's
Stortford. Local attractions, apart from the castle remnants, are the
House on the Hill Toy Museum, a restored windmill and the Aubrey
Buxton nature reserve.
For sports
enthusiasts, there are a few gyms, football pitches, a tennis club
and a cricket pitch.
Stansted
Mountfitchet has three primary schools (Bentfield Primary School, St
Mary's (C of E) Primary School and Magna Carta Primary Academy), and
one high school, Forest Hall. Additionally, there are highly rated
schools in Bishop's Stortford,
including the Hertfordshire and Essex High, Hockerill Anglo-European
College, St Mary's Catholic School and the independent Bishop's
Stortford College.
If you are
planning to buy a property in Stansted, there are three estate agents
in the village. For mortgage advice and surveyors you may find more
options on PropertyHeads.
Stansted
Mountfitchet
Property
prices in Stansted Mountfitchet have been climbing steadily, though
marginally below those in neighbouring Bishop's Stortford. A 2
bedroom flat in Silver Street costs £300,000; a 1 bedroom flat
in the same neighbourhood will sell for £150,000. A 2 bedroom
bungalow near the station costs around £400,000. A 5 bedroom
detached house in leafy Brook Road will go for £800,000.
Quendon
A
neighbouring, smaller village is Quendon. This is a quaint Essex
village, with very few amenities but lots of green space. If you are
looking for larger properties in close proximity to Stansted, a 7
bedroom property with extensive grounds in Quendon can be had for
just under £4m.
