Beech Hill Road, Beech Hill, Reading, Berkshire

The Beech Hill Estate
Lot 1 - Home Farm
About 78.59 acres

Approached up a discreet hedge lined drive, with a gravel parking area in front, Home Farmhouse is a lovely Grade II listed house. It has four bedrooms and three bathrooms and excellent ground floor accommodation, including the recent addition of a significant kitchen/breakfast room formed from an existing building and integrated with the house. The house is wonderfully light and airy, combining traditional and contemporary decoration, to create a warm and homely feel. At the heart of the farmhouse is the open plan kitchen with a sizeable pantry/utility room and good ceiling height into the rafters creating a feeling of space. There are multiple accesses to outside, through French doors on the northern side, to a lovely patio overlooking the garden and farmland beyond, and on the southern side is another small patio area accessed by a stable door. The house dates back to at least the 17th Century and was extensively modernised in about 1720. Upstairs is a large dual aspect ensuite principal bedroom. There are three further bedrooms, one ensuite and two sharing a shower room. All of the bedrooms have wonderful views across the farmland.

Garden
The farmhouse is surrounded by lawned gardens, with patio areas to both northern and southern aspects and mature hedges and trees. Adjacent to the garden is a paddock perfect for ponies and parties.

Farm buildings
Immediately to the west of the farmhouse lies a wonderful courtyard of exceptional traditional buildings, including a fine timbered Threshing Barn dating from the late seventeenth century with a magnificent interior and a queen post roof with collar and tie beams. The building is in two parts with the northern end thought to predate the southern part. The central bay or transept has cart entrances on each façade to have historically allowed loaded hay carts. This barn, which is bursting with history and character, provides wonderful opportunity for numerous uses but would particularly make a wonderful party barn. To the east of the Threshing Barn is The Old Dairy, a brick built former dairy and on the south end of the barn is a timber framed cart shelter. Although this courtyard of buildings is not separately listed, we believe it is likely to fall within the curtilage of Home Farmhouse. To the north and west of the traditional courtyard, lie further modern agricultural buildings, including a portal frame grain store with roller shutter doors. In amongst the modern farm buildings there are a number of caravans, which have been in situ for well over ten years and occupied throughout that period. They have been let on Assured Shorthold Tenancies, generating rental income every month. The combination of caravans and the traditional farm buildings might create an exciting development opportunity for a new purchaser subject to the necessary planning consents.

The land
An excellent parcel of land runs with Home Farm, bordered to the east by Beech Hill Road, to the north by Cross Lane and to the west by Wood Lane. It has in the past been good sized arable fields but is currently in arable reversion.

Lot 2a – Cross Lanes Farm
About 58.51 acres

Cross Lanes Farm lies just to the north of Home Farm and north of Cross Lane, which forms its southern boundary. The farmhouse and buildings are accessed directly off Cross Lane and comprise a beautifully renovated Grade II listed farmhouse, with excellent ground floor accommodation. Off the spacious hallway is an office/snug, and through to a large sitting room, both with wood burners. Beyond the sitting room is a large open plan kitchen with dining area overlooking the garden. There is a utility room and a sizeable pantry. There are three delightful bedrooms on the first floor – a principal bedroom en suite, a double bedroom and single bedroom both sharing a family bathroom. Cross Lanes Farmhouse is similar in design to Home Farmhouse providing contemporary living in traditional surrounds.

Outbuildings
Immediately to the west of the farmhouse is a range of farm buildings, some still in agricultural use and some now fairly dilapidated. In amongst the buildings is a caravan occupied by a security guard, who has been there for many years.

The land
The land runs north from the house and buildings, falling gently towards the Foudry Brook, which forms its northern boundary. The fields nearest the farmhouse and buildings are organic grass meadows, and the fields nearest the brook form delightful water meadows, which can irregularly flood in winter months. The land is mainly grade 3 with some grade 4 being loamy and clayey soils. The land is generally level with good public road and track access.

Cross Lanes Mobile Home
Immediately to the north of the farmhouse is a mobile home which belongs to a security guard. A CLEUD has been granted for this site. Further information available from the vendor’s agent.

Lot 2b – Cross Lanes Traditional Barn
About 0.23 acres

Lying immediately adjacent to Cross Lanes Farmhouse is a traditional barn with potential for development subject to the necessary planning consents. The barn currently provides useful storage but could be converted into a separate, residential element providing additional independent but supporting accommodation. There is a substantial garden.


Lot 3 – Beech Hill Coverts
About 41.62 acres

Immediately to the west of Beech Hill Road and to the west of Home Farm and Cross Lanes Farm are Beech Hill Coverts which is an extensive single block of amenity woodland, with four small offlying blocks lying to the north. The northern blocks appear to only have access on foot, rather than by vehicle. The main block itself has good access, either off Beech Hill Road, which forms its western boundary, or Wood Lane, a private track, which forms its eastern boundary. The woods are rich in flora and fauna and have considerable environmental appeal.


Lot 4 – A single arable field
About 21.72 acres

Lying directly to the south of Beech Hill Coverts and east of Home Farm, and sitting between Beech Hill Road and Wood Lane, with access off both. A substantial field, the field has grown a variety of crops in recent years and is currently in fallow.


Lot 5 – A grass paddock close to the village of Beech Hill and suitable for equestrian use, with excellent access.
About 3.46 acres


Lot 6 – Building plot at Beech Hill Road
About 1.65 acres

A small rectangular area of rough land, with some derelict former farm or garden structures, with potential for residential development subject to planning. Including a paddock fronting the Foundry Brook. Located at the northern end of the estate off Beech Hill Road on the south side of the small lane leading to Brook Farm.

Situation
The Beech Hill Estate lies in a fantastically convenient location to the south of the M4 and the north of the M3, sitting in delightful rolling countryside. It sits on the edge of the village of Beech Hill lying on the western side of the A33, which links Basingstoke to Reading. Once off the main roads, the Estate is accessed by a network of rural roads and small lanes. Both farmsteads have a beautiful farmhouse, each with an adjacent range of farm buildings. The land comprises a mixture of good-sized arable fields, delightful grass meadows adjoining a brook to the north and a substantial block of woodland, together with a handful of smaller woods fringing the holding.

Sporting and Recreation
The nearby pretty village of Swallowfield is surrounded by farmland and has a shop/post office, public houses (including the gourmet George & Dragon), doctor’s surgery, church, parish hall and a very active tennis club close by in Riseley. The delightful village of Hartley Wintney with lovely cafés and shops and the market town of Newbury are both within easy reach and provide more extensive shopping including a Waitrose. There are a number of nearby schools including Mortimer St John’s CE Infant School, Mortimer St Mary’s CE Junior School, as well as several highly rated independent schools nearby including but not limited to Downe House, Bradfield College, St Andrews, Pangbourne College, Reading Oratory, Elstree and Cheam. There is also the Wellington Farm Shop, Butcher and Cafe less than a mile away. The extremely popular Wellington Country Park is also just around the corner, offering lovely walks and entertainment for the whole family.