Collice Street, Islip, OX5

The most comprehensive restoration we have seen. 2 main bedrooms plus study, lovely open plan living space, kitchen with Everhot, & under floor heating downstairs, set in a delightful lane. Just a few miles from Oxford, and a few minutes walk from a mainline station, shop and pub. NO CHAIN

Islip dates from Saxon times, with mentions in the Domesday book at which time there was already a water mill on the river Ray, which runs through the village. It is also the birthplace of Edward the Confessor, and during the Civil War Cromwell defeated the Queens Regiment on the bridge below The Old Rectory. Today Islip is immensely popular for many reasons These include an exceptional school, Dr South's, which is over 300 years old; several popular pubs, a community shop and a village hall; a rail station with easy access to London and Oxford; barely a five mile drive into Oxford; plus many lovely local walks amidst open countryside.

3 Collice Street is a thoroughly splendid character cottage, nestling in a short no through lane that is arguably the most charming in the village. Built originally as a workers cottage, it has all the hallmarks of a house steeped in rural history. However, the owner purchased the house knowing it needed a pretty comprehensive modernisation campaign to bring it up to standard. This soon turned into a Herculean task, from digging out and rebuilding all the floors - complete with membranes and under-floor heating - to removing and completely replacing the roof. With the benefit of hindsight, building a new house would have been somewhat cheaper. But then again, the new owner will enjoy the almost unique advantage of a house that is literally new inside an old skin. For character lovers wanting an easy existence, it really has no rival at this price point.

The pretty facade contains a classic timber door with a single glass viewing panel. And this is where the attention to detail starts - behind the glass are two simple shutters. Walking in, if this were winter you would be warming your toes on the under-heated tiled floor. Or you may be heading straight for the large, multi-fuel stove set inside the irresistible stone fireplace. This is a house designed to cosset and pamper. The living space stretches ahead generously. Overhead the beams have been stripped back, and in doing so they have retained their charm but lost the rather dour and oppressive hue of many older cottages. Looking past the stairs into the dining space, the bi-fold doors to the rear are perfectly fitted so there is no lip between the inside flooring and the terrace, and they bring in impressive natural light. And here, again, shutters have been hand-made to close across the length of the glazing. Pan left, and there's an Everhot range oven - an expensive, and many say far more useable, alternative to an Aga - surrounded by perfect painted timber units topped with stone. Look up, and the small triangular window above the sink again confirms the attention to detail. It's all effortlessly calm, stylish and a very pleasing place to be.

Upstairs brings more of the same. On the first floor, two bedrooms both provide immaculate, bright spaces. The larger is fun, with a vaulted ceiling overhead that flatters the space, and again the little smile-inducing touches continue with a square window high in the gable end. Velux windows overhead flood in the light, and there is the added convenience of fitted wardrobes to one wall. The view to the rear is also a treat, overlooking peaceful gardens. The smaller bedroom is only marginally so, hence with its wardrobe also built-in it provides another very practical bedroom space. Serving the pair, the bathroom exhibits the same flair. A vanity-mounted sink has its taps mounted to either side to widen the useable space. Perfect porcelain tiling throughout has a little touch of turn-of-the-century Paris about it, and this extends through the Art Deco-style wall-mounted shower controls over the bath.And then there's the top floor. A mastery in packaging, this is a delightful space! Built into the roof void, the room is currently used as a peaceful study well away from any noise elsewhere in the house - the perfect work space. And in the gable to the rear a pair of doors open to reveal a loo! It's a splendid example of form and function, utilising the space to perfection.

Outside, to the front the house sits slightly above and back from the roadway outside, behind a small planting bed either side of the door containing a good mix of shrubs and flowering plants, including a creeper. Behind, the terrace to the rear of the kitchen is a wonderful dining space, with a set of steps to the side that rise to a path that runs up between some lovely and generous borders to a hard standing on which there is a timber summer house/ office. Beyond this there is access onto a neighbouring driveway that ensures bins etc can be easily moved without running through the house.