3 bed cottage for sale

College Square, Upper Heyford OX25

Thoroughly charming period cottage with huge character tucked away on a path with no passing traffic, in a village with amenities close by. Large kitchen (with utility), beautiful sitting room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a detached outside office! Delightful.

Upper Heyford village is a quiet and secluded village away from the beaten track but within easy reach of amenities and road/ rail links. The community is vibrant and varied with a well-used village hall and green plus a good local pub; many villagers also enjoy a walk of around a mile down the Oxford Canal to Lower Heyford where a shop and cafe can be found at the canal wharf as well as a further good pub. Rail access is excellent with Lower Heyford having a station feeding to Oxford and London Paddington, Bicester North is 7 miles East with fast and frequent trains into London Marylebone. Road links are also excellent with both the M40 and A34 a short drive away. Also with the developments nearby on the ex usaf base there are soon to be many new amenities including a free school.

Number 8 College Square is one of a handful of exceptionally original and exquisitely characterful cottages dating back some two hundred years, tucked away on a footpath that you'll miss if you're not careful as they are so secluded. Peace and a complete lack of noise is a given, and our vendors have immensely enjoyed the ability to return to such a retreat after a busy working day. The cottage is charming throughout and delightfully full of character. Beams, stone, window seats and other gorgeous original details are accompanied by surprisingly practical rooms and well-chosen modern fittings. Add to that two bathrooms, a utility room, a separate detached stone office (with power), and a garden with pergola, and it's bordering on irresistible! Note, there's ample space to park on the lane, but it's a hundred yards away hence electrical vehicle charging is not possible.

Walking up the path from the lane the pretty front garden runs the width of the house, edged with wood and picket fencing. There are two doors, although the right hand of the pair is now blocked off (this could be reversed if desired, with ease), hence the left hand leads into a very handy and spacious porch. A traditional ledge and brace door then opens into the kitchen. Running the full depth of the house, it's a surprisingly large, bright and useful room, packed with character that ranges from the window seat to the deep fireplace currently housing a range (not connected). Quite apart from the large range of kitchen cabinets that cater for all manner of storage there is also a peninsula, and beyond this is ample space for a table and six or more chairs. The kitchen is also double aspect with glazed doors to the rear leading to the conservatory, hence there's more natural light than most cottages can boast.

To the rear the small conservatory offers the first glimpse of the pretty rear garden, and further doors lead out to a small terrace with steps up to the lawn. Just to the left, a really useful utility room contains the boiler as well as plumbing for a washing machine, plus a long work top with storage beneath, and even space for a fridge. While there is a shower upstairs, as is traditional in a cottage, the bathroom is downstairs. It's a great size, so spacious that the free-standing roll-top bath, and traditional white suite leave enough room to spare for a couple of chairs, a cabinet or two.

And then there is the living room. Certainly, our vendors' decor choices help to give it a really warm and inviting aura. But the fireplace with its wood burning stove and thick timber lintel, timber shelves that contrast perfectly with their painted alcove, and the window seat at the front all combine to make this a room you just dont want to leave. As with the kitchen, the dimensions and proportions are excellent, making it an easy room to furnish and use to the full.

From the living room, head upstairs to a first floor that offers more of the same charm. The landing and stairs are flooded with light by a rooflight window above. The main bedroom is a fine double room. Currently furnished in an elegant Victorian style, the fact the room can house a very large freestanding wardrobe, iron-framed bed, chest of drawers etc (not included!) amply demonstrates how roomy it is. The view is so very peaceful, with trees and many plants in neighbouring properties beyond the path outside a pleasing outlook.

The second bedroom is a smaller but very useful double, seen in our images set up as a mix of bedroom and study, overlooking the rear garden. And while the last is also the smallest, it is furnished here as a double room, proving it's more than fit for purpose. Turning to the shower room, this is a more recent addition. Our vendors were not unhappy with the downstairs arrangement when they purchased, but realised there was the opportunity to create a shower room without compromising the bedrooms. The execution of this has been very successful, leading to an exceptionally stylish room with a classic suite beneath beautiful original exposed roof trusses, and a roof window flooding in excellent light.

Outside, we previously mentioned the front garden. An area of hardstanding to the left is a path leading to the utility, with ample width to place bins, bicycles, whatever needed. Access through to the rear garden is easy through the utility and conservatory. Behind the house, the garden is secluded and quiet. Mainly lawn with some pretty border plants, there is a pergola complete with climbing vine to the left, behind which the detached stone building is a wonderful and valuable extra dimension that has at times been used as a home office. A gravelled area just next to it is the perfect spot for a quiet book with a glass of something.And for those seeking to stretch their legs further, there are wonderful field and canal-side paths just a short walk from your front door.