Utterly charming & historically significant 18th century Grade 11 listed barn in need of full modernisation, originally part of a coaching inn. Delightful character, two beautiful vaulted receptions plus kitchen upstairs, 3 bedrooms downstairs plus a fourth bedroom/study, bath & en-suite. NO CHAIN.

While dated and needing work, this charming house is an opportunity not to be missed!

Lower Heyford is a delightful village. Nestling in a valley with the River Cherwell parallel to the Oxford canal, farmland surrounds the village and the local scenery is wonderful. There is a good local school, a lovely old pub, local store, and access to all points of the compass is exceptional with the M40 and A34 close by and the Cherwell Valley railway line Heyford station within the village. For those looking for a rural existence combined with nearby access to all amenities, there are few better villages in North Oxfordshire.

Old Barn Cottage has been in the same family ownership for many years. The charming lady owner can no longer cope with the stairs so sadly must move on. However this provides someone new the chance to upgrade and modernise what is a really interesting and historic house. The layout being upside down is quite unconventional, but in many ways it is very sensible as it allows you to spend your days in a really grand suite of rooms surrounded by stone and timber that rarely survives in a house of this type. And the modernisation required is not "total" as there have been various upgrades over the years, including a new boiler and oil tank very recently. Bearing in mind we sold its attached neighbour nine years ago, this sort of house does not come up often!

The main door opens into a lovely hallway that is perfectly proportioned to house easy chairs, key table etc, and the stairs rise to the rear. It's not often we describe a hallway as elegant, but with original beams overhead and exposed stone walling this one really is! And this theme continues throughout the whole house, with ancient timbers and stone prevalent everywhere. All the bedrooms are downstairs. The largest is located on the left, a generous and just off square room of huge character. Those same beams continue through, with contrasting white ceiling boards, between exposed stone walls. It's a lovely space, made all the more interesting with a door to the rear that leads to the garden, perfect for summer mornings with a coffee. And to the front is an en-suite bathroom. Moving back through the hall, the second bedroom continues the theme, with stone and beams, and a window overlooking the terrace & garden. The bathroom is next, equipped with a white suite. Beyond it the hall runs round to the rear, culminating in a door out to the garden. Next to it, the smallest of the downstairs rooms is currently used for storage. However it could be used as a child's bedroom at a push, but we suspect it is more useful today as a home office or possibly a utility room. And the last of the bedrooms continues that same lovely character feeling with beams overhead.

Now climb the stairs. As you reach the top the feeling of both history and space is extraordinary. This layout as an "upside down" house may be unconventional, but the trade off is a breathtakingly open and special living environment. It feels more reminiscent of a medieval "hall house" than anything else, with thick timbers forming the a-frame of the roof support as well as the rafters. A grand space for entertaining a number of guests, it's equally somewhere far more interesting to spend the day to day than most. The living room is large and includes a wood burner at the end, and to the rear a door leads out across a wooden bridge over the top of the terrace to the garden! It's a very unusual setup, but one that we find delightful. In addition to the living room, what we've annotated here as the dining room provides another great living area. And next to it the kitchen is slim but long, in the process of updating it could be made to integrate beautifully with the dining room - of the dining space could become a kitchen/breakfast room and the kitchen perhaps a utility? The possibilities are there to choose.

Outside, to the front the parking is gravelled and off road in parallel to the house, with space for two cars. To the rear, a pedestrian access path leads up from the roadway past the attached neighbour, coming to the rear of the garden, ideal for bins etc. Immediately behind the house, the terrace area runs the width of the house, with a recently-fitted boiler housing to the left side, and behind it the garden is higher, behind a retaining wall. This design ensures it is flat and level. The aforementioned bridge comes across from the first floor living room then steps down into the lawn. There are a number of trees here and a wide array of border plants and flowers, all arranged around a lawn area that is quite sizeable. The whole is enclosed on three sides by panel fencing.

Directions - Local pub, village hall, church
Other nearby amenities
Bicester 7 miles, Oxford 11 miles
M40 5 miles, London rail <1 mile
Good Broadband speed

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