Gilberts End, Hanley Castle, Worcester

Characterful two-bedroom cottage with generous gardens, two reception rooms and charming country setting, offering scope for modernisation within the Hanley Castle area.

Smithy Cottage is a rare opportunity to acquire a characterful two-bedroom cottage set in generous gardens. The property offers two reception rooms with fireplaces, a kitchen, conservatory and ground floor shower room, with two bedrooms upstairs. The gardens wrap around the cottage and include an extensive lawn with mature hedging, fruit trees and vegetable patch, while a long private drive runs through the front garden to the house. Situated in the rural hamlet of Gilberts End near Hanley Castle, this charming home enjoys a tranquil setting yet remains accessible to nearby villages and countryside walks.

• Characterful cottage with two reception rooms and two double bedroom.

• Period features including brick fireplaces, built-in storage and sloping ceiling.

• Generous gardens with long lawn, fruit trees, shrubs and vegetable bed.

• Private gated driveway with grassed track and informal parking.

• Rural hamlet location near Hanley Castle with good access to nearby villages and countryside.

The living room
Serving as the main reception space, the living room welcomes you from the hall and an ideal for relaxing and entertaining. Its focal point is a brick fireplace with a painted mantel, flanked by built-in shelving. Two windows on opposing walls frame views over the gardens, lending a dual aspect feel and connecting the room to the surrounding greenery.

The dining room
Used for family meals and gatherings, the dining room sits between the living room, kitchen and conservatory with stairs rising to the first floor. A second brick fireplace with a timber mantel provides a homely focal point, complemented by built-in storage cupboards on either side. A deep sill window looks onto the side of the house and the under-stairs area offers additional space.

The conservatory
Providing extra living space and a link to the garden, the conservatory adjoins the kitchen via the lean-to. It features a brick-built base with glazed panels and a dining room and the lean-to that invites the outside in. Double doors open directly to the garden, creating an easy transition to the a glazed door and making it a versatile extension of the home.

The kitchen
At the heart of everyday life, the kitchen is positioned directly off the dining room. A sloping ceiling and a low-set window add character, while fitted cabinets, work surfaces and a sink provide practical space for cooking. Tiled walls surround the preparation area and a doorway opens directly to the ground floor shower room and conservatory beyond.

The primary bedroom
Upstairs, the primary bedroom provides a peaceful retreat at the front of the house. A large casement window with a deep sill frames countryside views, while a built in cupboard offers useful storage. The generous proportions allow space for a variety of bedroom furniture and the pitched ceiling adds character.

The second bedroom
Also on the first floor, the second bedroom makes an ideal guest room or home office. It benefits from fitted cupboards along one wall and a window overlooking the rear garden. A sloping ceiling with loft hatch adds character and there is ample space for bedroom furniture for a single or double bed.

The shower room
The ground floor shower room serves both bedrooms and reception rooms. Fully tiled walls encase a step in shower with handheld and overhead fittings, a pedestal wash basin and a low level WC.

The garden
Outside, the gardens are a real highlight of this property. A long expanse of lawn is bordered by mature hedging and dotted with young trees, creating a sense of privacy and space. Near the house there are shrubs and a vegetable plot, with plenty of room for seating areas and outbuildings and far reaching rural views beyond.

The driveway and parking
Approaching the cottage, a gated entrance opens to a private drive set within the front garden. The grassed track leads to the front door and provides informal parking for several vehicles, flanked by hedging and fenced boundaries.

Location
Gilberts End is a sought after rural hamlet on the outskirts of Hanley Castle in Worcestershire. Surrounded by rolling farmland and with the Malvern Hills within easy reach, the area offers plentiful opportunities for walking and outdoor pursuits. Everyday amenities can be found in the nearby village of Hanley Swan and the riverside town of Upton upon Severn, which also hosts regular community events. Hanley Castle High School and other schools serve the area. Excellent road links connect to Malvern, Worcester and the wider Midlands, while rail services from Great Malvern open up further travel options.

Services
The property benefits from mains electricity, water and drainage.

Broadband Speed: Superfast broadband available. Download speeds up to 53 Mbps and upload speeds up to 8 Mbps (source: Ofcom checker).

Mobile Coverage: Likely available from EE, O2, Three and Vodafone (source: Ofcom checker).

Flood Risk (Long-term forecast): According to the Environment Agency's long-term flood risk data, the property is currently at very low risk for river and surface water flooding.

Council tax band B

Reservation Fee - refundable on exchange

A reservation fee, refundable on exchange, is payable prior to the issue of the Memorandum of Sale and after which the property may be marked as Sold Subject to Contract. The fee will be reimbursed upon the successful Exchange of Contracts.

The fee will be retained by Andrew Grant in the event that you the Buyer withdraws from the purchase or does not Exchange within 6 months of the fee being received other than for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Any significant material issues which individually are more than 1% of the agreed purchase price and are highlighted in a survey and were not evident or drawn to the attention of you, the Buyer, prior to the Memorandum of Sale being issued.
2. Serious and material defect in the seller’s legal title.
3. Local search revealing a matter that has a material adverse effect on the market value of the property that was previously undeclared and not in the public domain.
4. The vendor withdrawing the property from sale.

The reservation fee will be 0.5% of the accepted offer price for offers below £800,000 and 1% for offers of £800,000 or over. This fee, unless specified otherwise, is payable upon acceptance by the vendor of an offer from a buyer and completion of an assessment of the buyer’s financial status and ability to proceed.

Should a buyer’s financial position regarding the funding of the property prove to be fundamentally different from that declared by the buyer when the Memorandum of Sale was completed, then the Vendor has the right to withdraw from the sale and/or the reservation fee retained. For example, where the buyer declares themselves as a cash buyer but are in fact relying on an unsecured sale of their property. The reservation fee will not be refunded where there is an inability on the part of the Buyer to raise any required mortgage after the Memorandum of Sale is completed.

Once the reservation fee has been paid, any renegotiation of the price stated in the memorandum of sale for any reason other than those covered in points 1 to 3 above will lead to the reservation fee being retained. A further fee will be levied on any subsequent reduced offer that is accepted by the vendor. This further fee will be subject to the same conditions that prevail for all reservation fees outlined above.