Arborfield Court, Swallowfield Road, Arborfield

The Croft is at the top of this private estate of 9 properties, tucked away behind a walled garden and surrounded by nature. Thoughtfully extended and renovated over the years, the house now has a fantastic layout.

The large kitchen/dining area is perfect for every day life and entertaining. With integrated appliances and an island, this room is an ideal 'day room' for the family to congregate, work and catch up.

Alongside this is the dual aspect living room with a wood burning stove and patio doors on to the garden. A spiral staircase leads to the expansive office space, also ideal as a play area or music room. This room has large windows overlooking the garden and estate grounds beyond.

The north wing houses 4 of the 5 double bedrooms. The large main suite has double patio doors on to the garden, a luxurious, refurbished en-suite bathroom with a roll-top bath and separate shower. The other 3 bedrooms in this wing share a beautiful family bathroom, also with a roll-top bath and separate shower.

The west wing has a spacious playroom and beautiful guest room with an en-suite shower room.

Outside, the walled garden is mostly laid to lawn with a patio area for seating running the length of the living room, kitchen and main suite. There's a hot tub and covered garden bar area, ideal for garden parties! There's plenty of room for children to play, and of course the outlook from the house over this private garden is wonderful year round.

The Croft comes with a garage, and driveway parking for 5 cars.

SELLER INSIGHT

We fell in love with The Croft on the drive through the private estate! It was the seclusion, the fields, the fresh air and the wildlife that just felt wonderful to us, and the most amazing place to raise our children.

Back then, the house wasn't what it is now, but we could see the potential. The size and layout were fantastic and of course the location was unbeatable, so we decided to transform the house into the amazing home we knew it could be.

The house has been renovated throughout so we have luxurious bathrooms and bigger windows in the 1st floor office to enjoy the countryside views. Our boys used that room as a music room and playroom for years, it was a lovely creative space for them.

Our bedroom has patio doors, so we can wake up to garden views and sunlight, it's a quiet corner of the house, a sanctuary when we have a house full of guests. This is a great house for entertaining, Christmas is wonderful here, it's so cosy with plenty of room for guests to stay over. The house is great for summer BBQs too, especially with the garden bar which we built in lockdown. It never feels cramped here, there's enough space for the adults and kids to have their own space.

That said, on a day to day basis it's a very peaceful, relaxing house. Friends and family have found that too and have always loved staying here. My Dad says it's restful and calming, I love that! For a relaxing evening we use the hot tub a lot and stargaze; the sky is really clear here so we have beautiful night skies with the sounds of nature; owls, foxes... During the day we have woodpeckers and red kites.

Nature is everywhere here, out of every room we have a green view. Growing up the kids could go and play in the woods and not be in any danger or harm, they had a wonderful sense of freedom. I remember them photographing a pheasant and her chicks waddling across our lawn, they were captivated. Moments like that are priceless to us.

Outside of home we can be in Wokingham, Reading and Crowthorne within 20 to 30 minutes and there's a bus stop at the end of the road the kids used to use, so we're well located. Sula Italian restaurant is one of our favourites, they do great pizza and breakfasts. The George and Dragon is another great spot, as is the Bull Inn and the Shinfield Arms. They're all fairly close by.

Now the kids are grown and have left home, it's time to downsize. We'll miss the community feel; although we can go for days without seeing our neighbours, we are all happy to help each other out. And we'll miss the peace and quiet!

We really hope the next owners enjoy the house as much as our family have.

LOCATION

Arborfield is a pretty village 5 miles from Reading, offering all the delights of village life close to excellent transport links. Local facilities include a new secondary school, leisure centre, tennis, rugby, cricket and football. This quiet corner of Arborfield is also perfect for country walks.

Henry Street Farm Shop is just a 10 minute stroll away, with a restaurant, garden and homewares. There are two highly rated gastro pubs nearby; The Bull Inn is less than a mile away while the George and Dragon is 2 miles away.

Reading town centre is 7 miles away with a huge selection of shops, restaurants and cafes. Reading is the ideal spot for a day of shopping and recreation and draws people from miles around. The transport links - including Crossrail to London - are a huge draw for this area and make this area highly attractive for commuters and those looking to 'escape to the country' with the convenience of transport links, social and retail options.

TRANSPORT LINKS

M4: 5 minutes - 2.5 miles
A33: 10 minutes - 4.7 miles
M3: 18 minutes - 10 miles
Bus stop: 0.3 miles
A33: 3 miles