‘Country living in rural seclusion – yet so close to all the services you need.’
SPRING HILL HOUSE is a wonderful, Grade II listed, country house set on its own in a rural location and surrounded by farmland; a rare combination of seclusion with easy access to local amenities in Woodstock, Oxford and the Cotswolds.
The property dates from the early 17th century and sits within a plot of 1.75 acres. The meticulously renovated accommodation offers the character features you would expect, including stone mullioned windows, exposed ceiling beams, leaded lights, flagstone floors, a large inglenook fireplace and solid oak doors. A broad, ancient staircase, lit by a half landing, is a particular feature of the house.
Accommodation is spread over three floors. On the ground floor there are three reception rooms: a delightful, south-facing, morning room; a characterful living room; and a vaulted dining room. There is also a bright study, and a downstairs cloakroom. The farmhouse kitchen, with a large walk-in larder/store, has views over fields, the garden and adjoining woods. The kitchen leads through to a utility room with further work surfaces, sink and cupboards.
On the first floor there is a generously proportioned, double aspect, principal bedroom with spacious fitted wardrobes. The ensuite bathroom is light and roomy. A charming second bedroom benefits from a separate family bathroom.
On the second floor, the very large bedroom has a wonderful, vaulted ceiling, elm plank end-wall, and sitting area. The adjoining single bedroom could be used as a dressing room. Both bedrooms are served by a stylish bathroom.
Back on the ground floor, a further set of stairs leads from the utility room to another double bedroom with vaulted ceiling and its own small bathroom.
The cottage adjoining the main house offers a well-appointed, very light, fitted kitchen/diner leading to a similarly light and comfortable living room. Both rooms have French windows overlooking the gardens and the main house. On the first floor there are two double bedrooms, both with bathrooms en-suite. A stud wall, erected by the present owners, currently separates the living room from a large games room/gym, with a kitchenette and a mezzanine office up an internal stairway. French windows open onto a patio and the cottage garden. There is also a cloakroom and a separate walk-in storeroom.
The cottage building provides flexible, multi-generational accommodation. It would be ideal for working from home or use as a workshop. Subject to planning the cottage and main house could be linked to make one large family home of nearly 5,000 sq. ft.
The house and gardens are set in rolling farmland surrounded by ancient woodlands. Predominantly laid to lawn, the garden includes a raised mound giving spectacular far-reaching views to the Ridgeway and over Oxford. Mature trees include two specimen Lombardy poplars, and there are two orchard areas with varieties of plum, pear, apple and cherry. There are also well-established herbaceous beds and a lawn area at the front of the house with a small pond, enclosed by a mature beech hedge.
The garden includes a working well, a dovecote, four sheds, a greenhouse, a spacious vegetable plot with five raised beds and a large, treed enclosure with henhouse. There are three separate patios, including one large one adjoining the house which is perfect for summer entertaining. Hardstanding provides for two cars with gravelled areas for further multiple parking.
All four garden gates open onto country walks and historic footpaths, including Frogwelldown Lane (aka Shakespeare’s Way), along which Charles I fled Oxford in 1642. [Village legend has it that he stopped at Spring Hill House overnight.]
Access to the house is by half a mile of private drive (shared with the farm) from the old village of Begbroke which lies six miles north of Oxford and three miles south of Woodstock on the A44. The village has the benefit of a public house and there is a more comprehensive range of shopping and recreational amenities available in nearby Yarnton, Woodstock and Kidlington. There is a regular bus service to Oxford and Woodstock, as well as nearby train services from Oxford Parkway to London Marylebone, and from Hanborough to Paddington. Estelle Manor is 15 minutes away. The M40 (J.9) is within ten miles, giving access to London and the Midlands.
Begbroke village is within the catchment area for the Marlborough School in Woodstock and there are several private schools within or near Oxford including The Dragon and Summerfields prep schools; and St. Edward’s, Oxford High School, Magdalen College School, Abingdon School, and Headington School.
