Heyford Road, Kirtlington, OX5

An utterly charming detached stone cottage, sat in the centre of the village but hidden from view in gorgeous, mature gardens. 33 ft living room with open fireplace, separate kitchen/breakfast & dining room, 3 large bedrooms, and a wonderful stone and timber outside office. Sublime! No chain.

Kirtlington needs little introduction locally. It is, simply, one of the most popular villages in North Oxfordshire. There are many reasons. The great local primary school also feeds through to an excellent C of E secondary in Woodstock (with private schools also within easy driving distance). Two high quality pub/restaurants provide great food and drink. Close road and rail links (40 mins to Marylebone from Bicester North - 6 miles away) provide immensely easy commuting. The old stone quarry by the canal, plus the Capability Brown gardens of Kirtlington Park, offer lovely walks etc. But for many, it's the community with its all-inclusive ethos, sense of vibrancy and spirit that makes it the sort of place people rarely want to leave.

As with most old cottages there s always some history to tell. Grandad and his brother bought four houses in the village nearly 100 years ago for the princely sum of ?350 as they needed renovation ! After they were married, he brought his bride to the house, then two cottages, later amalgamating the two into one. More recent renovations were conducted in the 1990s hence today the house is a little dated but in overall jolly good fettle.

The most frequently used entrance is not the main door! So, for the purposes of this tour, we enter the house by the kitchen. A glazed door is flanked by windows floor to ceiling, opening onto a pretty terrace. Once inside the door, the kitchen is a lovely, characterful space. A terracotta style tiled floor stretches away with a handmade, timber kitchen running round three sides. The proportions of the room are perfect for housing a good sized table by the entrance door, in turn looking out onto the pretty terrace, a perfectly relaxed spot for summer breakfasts. But what is particularly captivating is the vaulted ceiling overhead with its ancient, timber purlins still exposed, disappearing into the exposed stone wall at the end of the cottage. It s a delightful room, offering a real sense of history.

A pair of long, shallow steps lead gently up to the dining room next door, through a charming ledge and latch door. Tiled floor changes to beautiful flagstones, the perfect accompaniment to the ancient beams criss-crossing the ceiling overhead. Pleasingly, the fireplace still contains a Victorian range cooker! As is the case with the kitchen, it s a beautifully proportioned room, and as amply demonstrated by our clients large dining table it s a very good size. The official main entrance door sits next to a pleasant casement window, complete with a window seat. You ll notice stairs heading away next to the front door, of which more later. And underneath them there is a very deep cupboard offering handy storage.

To the right, flagstones continue up another step, leading into the main living room space. By any measure, this is a magnificent room! At 33 feet in length, it s quite an extraordinary space for any cottage. The main focal point to one end is a glorious inglenook fireplace, deep and wide with a vast original beam framing it. Another window seat sits under each of the casement windows, either side of another door to the outside (this is the first time we see evidence that this was once two houses). As in the dining room, beautiful beams criss-cross the ceiling. And at the far end, what would originally have been some form of entrance or window, long ago blocked up, now contains a range of bookshelves. We know of a few cottage living rooms this large or this charming.

From the living room, another set of stairs is hidden behind a ledge and latch door. Next to it, the single story extension to the side was probably originally the lean-to outhouse. Today, the smart slate floor runs throughout, and overhead the vaulted ceiling contains another beautiful, aged timber purlin. At the rear there is a utility room, fitted out with a practical range of store units and plumbing for washing machine etc. The door to the side leads back out to the gravel driveway, making this the ideal boot room/dog's lobby. To the other end, a large downstairs bathroom is simply and tastefully presented, with both a bath and a separate shower.

Turning to the upstairs, heading up from the living room, the box staircase leads to a small landing with a window looking out to the front. Next to it, the first of three generous bedrooms is very pleasing. The A-frame truss timbers which demonstrate this cottage was originally thatched are still partly exposed in the ceiling, a lovely and characterful feature. There is also a Victorian fireplace, no longer used of course, but a lovely feature to retain. Storage is catered for with a wardrobe fitted one corner, and the proportions are perfect for easy furnishing.

Back across the landing, a similarly ample bedroom this time also focuses on the chimney breast for the fireplace below. To one side, a larger bank of wardrobes has been provided, and in the opposite corner there is a further cupboard in the alcove next to the breast. As with next door, a-frame truss timbers peek through the ceiling from the roof void above.

Crossing the bedroom, another door opens to a second landing! From here, the second staircase heads back down, exiting into the dining room. The final of the three bedrooms sits on the opposite side. more A-frame trusses make themselves known overhead, and more wardrobes are built into one alcove, while the other hosts a fitted dressing table. And serving all three bedrooms, the bathroom exhibits a similarly clean and simple style to that downstairs, this time with a bath at the far end and a vanity unit by the door.

The house itself is a captivating place to spend time. But so is the garden. As the house sits gable end on to the roadside, there are accesses to either side. Next to the main frontage is a power coated steel pedestrian gate leading to a gravelled path that accesses the front doors. On the other side, a pair of powder coated steel gates provides access to the long gravel driveway. This would be tight for the largest of vehicles, but an average sized family car would easily access, providing parking for perhaps three or four vehicles in tandem if needed. As the drive approaches the end of the house, low walls enclose beautiful planted beds which are stuffed with an array of flowers and shrubs, clearly beautifully maintained over many years.

As you pass the end of the house the view ahead is blissful. The garden opens up, framed by mature trees and gentle borders. And here the home office/ studio to the left comes into view. This is no average outbuilding. Built of stone and timber, with glazing across the whole of the front and more windows to the sides, it can serve many purposes from outside office to gym, music room, or just a deliciously relaxed and stylish summer house. Beautiful roof trusses frame the vaulted ceiling, and the hardwood windows are as elegant as any cottage could offer, complete with monkey tail handles Home working never looked so grand!

The main body of the garden at this point is a mature and pretty lawn. A dizzying array of trees, shrubs, flowers, and all manner of beautiful plants run across the borders to all sides, and there is also a greenhouse. The garden ends at a stone wall separating this from the land behind, continuing round to the left and running behind several properties adjacent. It eventually tapers to a point, with a small timber shed. This area is very secluded, perfect for sunbathing, or children s hobby spaces, or perhaps the most wonderful veg growing area. In all, it s one of the most delightful gardens in this village.

Mains water, electricity, gas CHCherwell District CouncilCouncil tax band F?3,097-20 p.a. 2023/24Freehold