3 bedroom cottage for sale

Dating back to the 1860s and privately tucked away from the road, Poplar Cottage has been extended twice and embraces all the desirable features of 21st-century life in tandem with heritage touches such as beamed ceilings, exposed stonework and inglenooks. It’s a delightful 2,000 sq ft three-bedroom starter home or an idyllic retreat for downsizers.

Highlights include the top-of-the-range fitted kitchen with central island complete with breakfast bar, a trio of super-sized en-suite bedrooms, and a pretty 100ft cottage garden blessed with lots of sunshine thanks to the south west-facing position.

This beautifully presented, warm and welcoming semi-detached home is located in the leafy upper part of Brize Norton within a short walk of the well-regarded primary school, two pubs, St Britius Church and the bustling village hall. Just across the road there are fantastic walks through Kilkenny Lane country park – it also has a huge adventure playground for youngsters.

You’re spoiled for shopping and leisure options with supermarkets including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Aldi, leisure centres and a choice of excellent eateries and coffee shops at Witney and Carterton, both within a short drive. And you’re on the edge of the glorious Cotswolds for a choice of superb country pubs and every kind of outdoor pursuit from cycling, horse-riding and hiking to fishing, sailing and golf.

Let’s tell you more about this little gem of a cottage . . .

Picture-perfect and beautifully presented . . .

Resplendent with honey-coloured charm and tucked away behind a high timber gate, Poplar Cottage spans out parallel to the gravel driveway and detached single garage. There’s parking space for three cars in tandem and the quintessential cottage garden extends to approximately 100ft in front of the property.

The oak front door swings open into a welcoming entrance hall with wood flooring, which extends into the kitchen, to the left, and the dining room, to the right, via an exposed stone archway. 

With a delightful relaxed ambience, the dining room is perfect for candlelit dinner parties. In the summer months, the French doors to the garden can be flung open to create that desirable merger of indoors with outdoors – ideal for aperitifs on the patio. Another set of glazed internal doors access the sunny triple-aspect living room, a softly carpeted 17x13ft haven for relaxing on squashy sofas in front of the TV, reading or just enjoying a well-earned G&T after work.

To the left of the entrance hall is the super-luxe 15x13ft kitchen, the thoughtfully-designed pride and joy of the current owner who had it installed just three years ago. There’s plenty of storage in the elegant ‘cashmere’-coloured cabinets with solid wood worktops, and a Rangemaster stove with induction hob is slotted neatly into the former inglenook fireplace alongside a useful cupboard. There’s also an integrated Bosch dishwasher and freestanding American-style fridge/freezer. The central island is an attractive focal point and complete with breakfast bar and high stools – just the place for a coffee and browse of the papers or for children to do their homework while you get on with meal prep.

Beyond the kitchen a small lobby leads into a bathroom which doubles up as a utility room and is plumbed for washing machine and dryer.

An enchanting bedtime story

From the entrance hall, climb the stairs to experience the refined ‘boutique hotel’ ambience of the trio of really generously-sized vaulted bedrooms – all complete with super-modern en-suite bathrooms installed in the last three years.

The beamed principal bedroom is an ultra-roomy 18x14ft and bathed in natural light via the duo of windows. The centrepiece of the contemporary en-suite bathroom is a curvaceous freestanding bathtub and there’s also a corner shower and chic white sanitary-ware.

The guest bedroom is similarly large, 12x14ft, and has an en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower. The third bedroom, 12x10ft, has an identical en-suite.

A classic cottage garden

Poplar Cottage has a quintessential English country garden spanning its front width with carefully tended borders, lawn, trees and shrubs. It’s of easily manageable proportions and recently enhanced by the addition of a stylish circular paved and gravelled patio for relaxing in the summertime or entertaining al fresco.

There’s also a second smaller patio, bordered by a low stone wall, that’s perfect for positioning a bistro set – settle down here for a peaceful coffee break in the warmer months.

With new fencing along the front border and high hedging along others, the entire garden is secluded and secure.

Round and about

Brize Norton is a lovely, community-minded village in the West Oxfordshire countryside, just a few miles from the picturesque town of Burford - known as ‘the gateway to the Cotswolds’. 

Treat your weekend guests to a cracking Sunday lunch at the family-friendly Three Horseshoes in nearby Asthall or enjoy a pint at The Mason’s Arms, renowned for well-kept ales. Follow this with a stroll through Kilkenny Lane country park where the children can let off steam at the adventure playground or explore some of the picturesque footpaths that span out across the countryside and down to the River Windrush – another great location for foodie pubs such as The Swan at Swinbrook or The Lamb at Crawley.

Brize Norton Primary School is Ofsted-rated outstanding and there’s a choice of secondary schools in Burford, Witney and Carterton, all rated ‘good’. Private schools abound and include Cokethorpe, The King’s School, Hatherop Castle, St Hugh’s, Windrush Valley School and Rendcombe College.

The Elderbank village hall bustles with classes, groups and events all-year-round. Next to this, the sports pavilion is the home of the Humble Bumble Café, much loved by the community and renowned for its home-made cakes, scones, sausage rolls and soup. Alongside the football and cricket pitches it doubles up as an after-match bar, and there’s also a playground.

You don’t have to go very far to have fun – endless miles of the beautiful Cotswolds with its pretty villages and wonderful walks is on the doorstep. Enjoy superb shopping and a thriving café culture within the elegant confines of the Burford Garden Company, or a day out at the wonderful Cotswold Wildlife Park or Brize Norton’s very own animal attraction - Crocodiles of the World, the UK’s only crocodile zoo.

Nearby Carterton has a range of shops and supermarkets, whilst Witney has a good selection of high street retail stores and independent boutiques together with a cinema. Both have big leisure centres with pools and Carterton has an indoor trampoline park.

There’s swift access to the A40/M40 for journeys to Oxford, London and Cheltenham and mainline trains from Charlbury or Hanborough to London Paddington in just over an hour.

FINER DETAILS

Square footage:  2003 square feet / 186 square metres

Council tax band: E

Local authority:  West Oxfordshire District Council: 

EPC:  D

Distances: 

Oxford 17 miles
London 73 miles
Heathrow Airport 58.3 miles

Trains to London from Long Hanborough, Charlbury and Oxford Parkway