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CHURCH COTTAGE - SULHAMSTEAD ABBOTS

SULHAMSTEAD– BERKSHIRE

Theale Train Station 6 minutes (2.6 miles) – London Paddington direct in 39 minutes
Reading 20 minutes (7.3 miles) – Newbury 26 minutes (11.7 miles) – Pangbourne 10 minutes (5 miles)
Basingstoke 26 minutes (12.5 miles)
M4 (J 12)  - 7 minutes (3 miles) M4 (J 11) 14 minutes (7 miles)   

(Distances and times approximate)

Church Cottage is idyllically settled within a quintessential English hamlet, adjacent to the parish church and bluebell woods and offers a relaxed ambience and lifestyle.

Originally dating back to the mid-1500’s, this recently rethatched cottage has been extended to great effect over the years allowing for contemporary open plan living whilst retaining its period charm, with original features including inglenook fireplace intact.  The cottage benefits from 2 ‘master’ bedrooms allowing for flexible, multi-generational accommodation and has been sympathetically modernised and tastefully decorated very recently.

This lovely home benefits from a large, separate vaulted pool room, currently used as an office and gym as well as summer sitting room. In addition, the stable yard of 5 loose boxes, tack and feed rooms and well maintained sand and rubber manège allows the keen equestrian to keep horses at home, or offers potential livery income. 

Church Cottage is privately situated in lovely south facing gated gardens, grounds, and paddocks of approximately 4 ½ acres and offers a comfortable country family home with amazing equestrian and lifestyle amenity, in a highly commutable location.  A number of fabulous prep schools are close by (St. Andrew’s, Cheam School, Sulhamstead & Ufton Nervet Primary School for example) and the local area offers an excellent choice of secondary education too (Pangbourne, Bradfield and Wellington Colleges as well as the highly thought of local Willink among many others).

Book a viewing and experience for yourself why this hamlet is one of Berkshire’s best kept secrets.

Main Residence

• An Exquisite Period Family Residence
• Quintessential English Hamlet Setting Within Close Driving Distance Of Extensive  Amenities, Schooling, and Mainline Railway Station To London Paddington
• Private Gated Access
• Sweeping Gravelled Driveway & Forecourt
• Reception Hall
• Open Plan Kitchen
• Open Plan Breakfast Room
• Open Plan Sitting Hall
• Laundry / boot room
• Sitting Room With Inglenook Fireplace
• Dining Room With full height room above
• Rear Hall
• Master/Guest Bedroom 4
• En Suite

• Landing
• Guest/ Master Bedroom Suite With Roll-Top Bath & Vanity Unit & Fireplace
• 2 Further Bedrooms
• Family Bathroom

• In All Approximately 1,947 Sq Ft

Pool House / Studio & Swimming Pool

• Vaulted Pool House / Studio With Log Burner Of Approximately 343 Sq Ft
• Heated Swimming Pool
• Private Enclosed Pool Gardens
• Stone Laid Terrace

Stables & Manège

• Private Gated Stable Yard
• 5 Stables With separate Tack & Feed Rooms Extending To Approximately 921 Sq Ft
• Gated & Railed sand & rubber Manège

Gardens & Grounds & Paddocks

• Gated gravel driveways
• Mature, well stocked south facing cottage gardens
• Stone Laid Terraces
• Railed Paddocks
• Kitchen Garden & Greenhouse
• In All Approximately 4 ½ Acres

SITUATION
Sulhamstead Abbots is a small hamlet, comprising a cluster of properties which are mostly period in origin, including thatched brick and flint cottages and a charming parish church, located in a peaceful and totally unspoilt rural area, adjoining rolling fields, pasture land, and bluebell woods.

Extensive local facilities are available nearby in Theale, Reading, Newbury, and smaller riverside villages. Notwithstanding its rural setting, communications within the area are excellent with the M4 (junction 12) just a few miles away, providing access to London or the West Country. There are also regular train services from Theale and Reading to London Paddington within 40 minutes or so, and Crossrail is due to open from Reading in 2020 also, opening through more direct links to Canary Wharf.

The well-respected local primary school, Sulhamstead & Ufton Nervet Primary School, is very close by, as is the local secondary school, The Willink School, with a further extensive range of highly regarded schools nearby also, including Downe House, Pangbourne College, Bradfield College, Wellington College, St Andrews Preparatory, Cheam School, The Abbey, Cranford House, and Moulsford Preparatory among others.

PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
A beautiful Grade II listed country house its origins are believed to date back to the mid-1500’s. The more recent subject of a thorough and exacting restoration project throughout which has created a stunning and comfortable family home providing well apportioned accommodation, incorporating a vaulted pool house / studio and swimming pool, stabling with manège, and railed paddocks.

The property is formally entered via the reception hall, which opens through to a delightful family room, where a wealth of attractive beams are afforded, as is a super open plan arrangement between the family room, breakfast / TV room, and kitchen, with a separate the utility/boot room – perfect for muddy boots and wet dogs.. The stunning duel aspect beamed sitting room boasts a large inglenook fireplace, with the formal dining room beyond.  Above the dining room is a full height room which is ripe for conversion to form part of the main house.  A rear hall leads to the ground floor Master / Guest bedroom 4 with En Suite /cloakroom.

From the family room, the cottage staircase rises to the first-floor landing, affording direct access to the family bathroom with roll-top bath, three bedrooms, two beamed, and the master bedroom displaying stunning part-vaulted ceilings with a roll-top bath period vanity unit, and fireplace.

Displaying impressive architectural flair and high quality fixtures and fittings throughout, Church Cottage has successfully blended traditional construction methods in tune with its heritage, skilfully combining more modern and contemporary open plan living with that of a rather more traditional and nature, affording impressive beamed accommodation that benefits from a period ambience throughout, in addition to embracing outside living to inside living, and as a consequence the property presents itself as a true ambassador of the modern age, with early viewing advised.

THE POOL HOUSE / STUDIO & SWIMMING POOL
Approached across the gravelled driveway from the main house, the pool house / studio affords a most inspired beamed and vaulted open plan space with log burner and dual French doors opening out on to the stone laid pool terrace and enclosed gardens surrounding the heated swimming pool.

THE STABLES & MANÈGE
Privately approached off the gravelled driveway & forecourt via its own gated access, a stable courtyard opens through to extensive stabling, with stables to two sides, inclusive of tack and feed rooms, and a covered area, which duly opens through to a gated and railed manège.

GARDENS & GROUNDS & PADDOCKS
Privately located off a quiet back lane running through the hamlet of Sulhamstead Abbots, Church Cottage lies adjacent to the delightful parish church, bluebell woods, and its own extensive grounds.

The property commands a private situation behind mature hedging with post and rail fencing forming the boundary, whilst to the main entrance, a timber five bar gate opens onto the spacious splayed entrance driveway and forecourt, providing parking for several vehicles, and leading directly to the stabling, pool house / studio, and rear of the cottage. A further timber five bar gate opens in to the stable courtyard. The frontage to the cottage overlooks the parish church green, with a small brick pathway leading up to the front door.

Delightfully attractive, the gardens and grounds wrap their way around the property, mainly laid to lawn, with extensive planting of mature hedging and herbaceous borders, interspersed with an array of trees. Afforded a most delightful southerly aspect, a large flag stone laid terrace runs along the rear of the cottage, with views back over the gardens and grounds, perfect for ‘Al Fresco’ dining.

Both private and delightfully attractive, the gardens and grounds extend to approximately 4 ½ acres, and are the subject of much care and attention, which will be evident upon viewing.

Additional adjoining paddocks are currently leased by the owner of Church Cottage, therefore it is thought that would be buyers requiring further paddocks could enter in to such a similar lease with the land owner.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Services: Mains electricity and water are connected. Private drainage. Calor Gas fired central heating.

Postcode: RG7 4ED