Found behind impressive gates off one of the most attractive and historic roads in the village of St Briavels, this pretty detached property has a 12th century castle and historic church as near neighbours.

But once the wooden gates are closed behind you and you meander up the sweeping driveway it feels like you have entered a truly enchanting pocket of tranquillity wrapped in nature and totally away from the world.

The panoramic view across the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is totally captivating and enjoyed from a number of vantage points throughout the generous garden.

There's the obvious and sizable L-shaped sun-drenched terrace that hugs the house but there's also sprawling and manicured lawns behind and in front of the home that are flanked by mature trees and shrubs that cocoon the whole plot making it feel private and peaceful.

Inside the much-loved home there are three sizeable and very inviting socialising spaces. There's a formal dining room, a kitchen lounge diner that spills out onto the garden terrace in two directions, and a separate sitting room that has a wall of glass windows and doors to optimise the connection to the views and the garden.

Upstairs the house happily offers four double bedrooms with the principal boasting an ensuite bathroom, plus there's a four-piece family bathroom and a storage room which doubles as an airing cupboard that could be converted into another ensuite if required and planning allows.

Called Hillcott House, the property has been a happy home for many decades, and this sale is the first time it has been on the market for 46 years, offering a new owner the chance to lavish it with their own interior style and taste to create their perfect dream abode.

The delightful detached abode is hidden away on the edge of St Briavels, a pretty and popular village that can offer a pub, school and doctor's surgery as well as the majestic castle, historic church and two chapels.

Village life is centred mainly around the pub, the village shop and deli called The Pantry and the Assembly Rooms, a community owned and volunteer run building that ensures the village continues to be a thriving place to call home.

For a further choice of everyday amenities and facilities the B4228 gets you to the town of Coleford in about five minutes to the north with Chepstow about eight miles to the south.

The village is enveloped by the most stunning scenery and impressive landscape and embracing all that it has to offer is easy, with the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley as glorious surroundings literally on your doorstep, where you can enjoy the great outdoors on land and on water, through woodland and to the top of the hills.

Step Inside:- - Step inside this spacious home that's flooded with cascades of light accompanied by absorbing views, either by the utility room at the rear or the central glass front door that's nestled within the pretty stone facade at the front.

Pushing open the front door reveals a central dining space that makes use of the sizeable proportions of the room.

As well as creating an inviting and intimate room for occupants to enjoy a meal at the sociable central table, this special space also allows them to partake of the pretty garden and rural view from the wall of floor-to-ceiling glass windows that surround the front door.

To the right of the dining hall is another social hub within this house called Hillcott House, that has a floorplan designed to easily welcome large gatherings of family and friends. It's a kitchen diner with a spacious lounge area too that runs the entire depth of the house, from front to back.

The kitchen runs along the back wall and includes a bespoke built dining area with a bench seat that hugs the table, creating a visual separation between the kitchen diner and lounge zone beyond it.

This cosy dining area is a fabulous place to park yourself any time of the day because as well as joining the cook for a chat, from the bench at this well-placed table you can see straight out of large sliding doors and into the garden. Once the doors are open, scented summer breezes can waft in while you seamlessly wander out onto the fabulous garden terrace.

But the lounge area can easily compete with the kitchen diner in offering a location where you will want to linger. In this space you can nestle into an armchair next to the multi-fuel stove that adds warmth during winter. From here you can also enjoy the captivating rural view all year round via the sliding doors that also offer effortless access to the garden terrace.

This room is a star of the property for socialising, from chatting with the cook and enjoying mealtimes together to relaxing in the lounge area watching a movie, to spilling out onto the L-shaped terrace in two directions - this room can accommodate it all.

But it's not the only sizeable social space in the house as there's also a separate lounge on the other side of the dining room that boasts a front to back, generous layout too. In this inviting space there's another feature fireplace as a central focal point and a whole wall of glass at one end so you can sit and soak up the view either in peace or with a large group of family and friends.

The wall of glass includes doors out to the terrace as well as wrapping around the space via large floor-to-ceiling windows at the side, so a well-placed chair within this area allows you to feel immersed in the garden view.

There's a practical section of the ground floor at the rear of the house that comprises a good-sized utility room with a door out to the garden and a store room that leads into the double garage.

Up the stairs, found off a small inner hallway off the dining room, and there are four double bedrooms to explore, with the principal bedroom found above the kitchen lounge diner a generous suite that can boast an ensuite bathroom and built-in wardrobes.

It's a peaceful sanctuary to easily find sleep, and from this elevated position the view from the pillow is an absorbing one and a joy to wake up to every morning, whatever the weather.

As well as the remaining three bedrooms, all with their own appealing view to tempt you to the window, there's a four-piece family bathroom that happily offers you a relaxing soak in scented bubbles at the end of a busy day or a refreshing shower in the morning that, when joined with the views from the bedrooms, creates a perfect state to the day.

There's a surprise extra space - a huge storage cupboard which could, if budget and planning allows, be converted into an extra ensuite bedroom if required or remain as a bonus room to hide away all the clutter.

This is the first time the property has been on the market for 46 years and offers the opportunity for a new owner to modernise to their taste to become a much-loved home within this magical location once again.

Vendor Insight:- - "We first viewed the property over 40 years ago and it was the position that attracted us initially. Set close to the village but not right in the busy heart of things, the setting was simply lovely with stunning views over the Wye Valley into Wales and we knew it would be a great place to bring up a family," says the owner.

"We added an extension in 1989 to increase the number of bedrooms to 4 and it also gave us our open plan kitchen / living area. Open plan living wasn't really very well known at that time but we knew we wanted somewhere where we could be together as a family and it has worked very well for us in that respect; it has always been the place where we spend most of our time, even now to this day. Large windows at the front perfectly frame the beautiful views and doors to the rear open out to the patio to create a perfect space for indoor / outdoor living."

"The busy village hall has a wide range of groups and activities to enjoy and there's a lot going on, but there's no pressure to join in, and you can be involved as much or as little as you like. I used to ring the church bells for many years and there are lots of nice walks that we can explore right from our doorstep; we particularly enjoy walking the Forest Trails. There is a community shop run by local volunteers that stocks the essentials such as bread and milk, as well as a very nice pub in the village that does good food."

"The south west facing garden is private and peaceful, so it's perfect for relaxing and get-togethers with friends and family where we can all enjoy a BBQ on the patio. We see the most amazing sunsets here and many a morning I wake up and pull the curtains back to be met by the sight of deer in the garden! They're beautiful to look at and it's all part and parcel of living in the countryside."

"Hillcot House is a wonderful family home where we have enjoyed hosting Christmas over the years. There's plenty of room for visitors to stay over and the spacious dinin..

Outside - Step outside to the surrounding garden that envelopes this pretty house with a cloak of foliage and flowers, trees and tremendous views.

Behind the robust and impressive large wooden gates hides an oasis of calm and an idyllic and private place to call home within an outdoor area that will instantly enchant you.

There are the practical aspects to notice that include a sizeable, sweeping drive that offers ample parking and a generous garage but it's the view that is the truly magnificent feature that dominates the garden of this fabulous home.

Nestled into a gentle hillside there is a substantial, sun-drenched L-shaped terrace built in the prime spot wrapped around the house, perfectly placed to enjoy alfresco dining with family and friends with a front row seat of the breathtaking, panoramic view across the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Stroll out early with a morning coffee to be fully immersed in birdsong and the uplifting and inspiring view for the best and most special start to the day, invite family and friends over for a sociable lunch or busy BBQ, or enjoy watching day turn to night and the stars begin to appear - this terrace is the place to be to enjoy it all.

But it's not the only inviting area to visit and linger within this beautiful garden. Bordered by a wealth of mature shrubs and trees there is a sunken lawn at the front that is an enticing place for party games and picnic blankets, plus a vast lawn at the rear that slowly climbs the gentle hillside to the tree-lined border at the top of the plot.

From here the view of the attractive home against a backdrop of a glorious rural vista, crowds of swaying trees and a carpet of lawn is a vista that you'll never grow tired of viewing.

Viewings

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In order to offer flexible appointment times, we have a team of dedicated Viewings Specialists who will show you around. Whilst they know as much as possible about each property, in-depth questions may be better directed towards the Sales Team in the office.

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