Ephgrave family farm rents for c £4000 per month!

A distant cousin forwarded property details from Savills , the Estate Agents, who are handling the rental of Heron's Farm, Gustard Wood, Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire. The house was once home to my four-time great grandfather Thomas EPHGRAVE , wife Elizabeth (nee KILBY) and family, including my three-times great-grandfather Frederick EPHGRAVE. The family is shown on the 1841 census living at a farm in Gustards Wood (the farm name isn't particularly legible). By 1851, the Farm is more clearly named as Hearn's Farm (later Heron's Farm) and Thomas is described as "employing 7 men and 2 boys, farming 140 acres in Gustard's Wood". 

The photo left shows an exterior view of a large and attractive house which the agents describe as a "stunning detached period home which has undergone complete refurbishment" They add that parts of the house date back to the 1500's.. It has 4/5 bedrooms and is offered for rent of £4000 per month, unfurnished (although by the time I looked online, the price had been reduced to £3600). 

The description of the interior space mentions such intriguing rooms as "Pigeon Hole (21'x10'3") and "Well Room: 21'1"x 16'1", Window to side, brick built fireplace with electric fire, stone built well with padded seat and secure glass cover with lighting below". 

 It would be interesting to know how much the EPHGRAVES paid for the farm in the early 1800s - perhaps HALS records will prove useful in finding out how long they had lived there.  The well (well room shown below) presumably was around at the time, but the rest of the house would I think have looked very different!