Souldern, Nr Bicester

***Perfect for multigenerational living, home working etc*** 3,700 sq ft of converted stables, annex & separate detached cottage set in c. 1/2 acre with splendid valley views. 25x20 living room, vaulted dining hall, up to six receptions & planning for a double storey garage & workshop! CHAIN FREE

Souldern is, simply, one of our favourite places to live. It is a small village on the North Oxfordshire border, seven miles south-east of Banbury with roots going back at least 900 years. For those in the know it is one of the few remaining truly secluded villages, tucked away off a single entry road and hence almost unknown to most. This is what gives it the feeling of a peaceful lifestyle mostly lost today. There is an excellent pub/restaurant The Fox Inn, a Norman church, a chapel, a village hall, plus play area and playing field. And from Souldern, everything from road and rail access to excellent schools and shops are just a short drive away.

“So good we’ve owned it twice”! Many properties we represent have interesting histories. But the Old Stables is probably up there with the most intriguing. In the late 1980s, our clients bought this plus what is now Bear Cottage next door, as a working pub. Unfortunately when the road network was revised, the passing trade all but vanished. This is when they converted Bear Cottage and The Old Stables into houses, and moved away. Roll forward a few years, and by extraordinary coincidence the owners of the Old Stables were looking to move on just as our clients needed a property with an annex. A deal was struck, and the rest is history.

Today, continuous evolution of the house has resulted in a really stunning property, packed with lovely features, that offers absurd flexibility. An internal annex, a detached cottage with lucrative Air BnB, income, four living spaces that are all enormous (one of which is 500 square feet, another vaulted!), great natural light, plus extra land with permission in place for a two-storey garage/home office... There's little like it anywhere. But quite aside from anything else, the views in all directions are nothing short of breath taking.

The front door of the house brings you into the first of four receptions, in what has been used most recently as an annex. The large living room is very inviting, complete with a window seat from which to watch the world go by. To the right, a second reception has been used as a large kitchenette in the past, and could do again. Stairs from the main reception lead up to the first two bedrooms. Both very good sizes and very charming, with exposed ceiling timbers that give a little hint of the age and character of this house. And between them the panelled bathroom is tastefully fitted with a traditional suite.

Back downstairs and to the left of the first reception, a pair of glazed doors flanked by glazed panels (all of which can be folded back) separate the annex from the main house. Head through and the visual impact is impressive. The ceiling above you is open full height into the roof void, giving it a feeling of grandeur and occasion. On the left, a huge original beam runs the full span, providing the framework for a mezzanine floor to the left side and a staircase heading up to another bedroom. This is the primary bedroom space, completely private as it’s tucked away from the rest of the house complete with its own large en-suite bathroom as well as a vast bank of wardrobes and store cupboards. Few bedroom suites offer this level of comfort and space.

At the rear of the dining hall, up a couple of wide steps, the main living room is extraordinary. The floor area of this room on its own is 500 sq ft - we have sold many apartments and cottages smaller than this! But it doesn’t feel overly large or impersonal, far from it - the fireplace with its wood burner gives it a cozy central focus, and the general aura is light and relaxed. Looking to the rear of the room, two sets of glazed double doors access the terrace and the conservatory respectively, the latter a peaceful spot from which to enjoy the garden.

That’s the main living spaces. Now for feeding… The kitchen is beautifully fitted in the farmhouse style one would ideally hope for. A broad run of timber worktops contrast beautifully with traditional units. There is a range cooker, a good sized island with breakfast bar, and masses of storage round all sides. It’s clearly a room designed by consummate entertainers. And it’s connected directly to the family dining room next door, so spacious that the current six seater table is dwarfed to one corner. Whatever dressers, sideboards or similar you may have, they’ll find a space here. If more storage is needed, the utility room next to the dining room will provide it - in addition to washing machine/drier etc. It’s also the perfect dog lobby as there’s the first of several shower rooms next door.

That was just the main house. “Yogis Cottage” is a valuable and unusual extra dimension. Detached and set to the rear of the plot, it could as easily be a permanent teenage/granny annex as the current Air BnB rental. A large and immaculate living room looks out through large windows across the rear garden, edged by a wonderful oak frame. Through an opening to the side, the kitchen is modern and stylish. The cottage also contains an immaculate bathroom elegantly fitted in neutral tiling with a modern suite, serving a very warm and inviting bedroom that’s unusually well proportioned. As a holiday rental it has a lot of repeat visitors, and we can see why.

Outside, the plot contains so much we can only really touch on what it offers. At the front the house sits well back from the roadway behind both a lay-by (only ever used by these couple of properties) and a low stone wall, behind which are various planted beds. Behind the house a broad terrace offers sunny seating at any time of day, facing South West. A pretty lawn dominates the centre. Around the edges various beds contain a wide diversity of flowers, trees and shrubs. In front of Yogi's Cottage a gravel area provides a mix of seating and parking with entrance through a pair of five bar gates from the lane behind. There’s a summer house to the left side, plus a potting shed with windows and a couple of further sheds to the right. It’s all beautifully thought out and well maintained, with plenty to occupy the casual gardener but masses of scope for the more obsessive/expert if desired.

And in addition to the main garden a further large area off to the north western side is currently a mix of parking and storage, with planning granted for a two storey building offering both garaging and hobby/home office space. It also has its own access via an entrance off the same rear lane.

Cherwell District Council
Council tax band F
£2,984 p.a. 2023/24
Mains water, electric, oil CH
Freehold