Bates Lane, Souldern

A much-improved & remodelled stone cottage of over 2,000 sq ft, in stunning order throughout. The bright & airy accommodation includes 4 bedrooms, 3 en-suites, dressing room, a wonderful galleried landing & a fully remodelled kitchen. Souldern is a charming village with great pub & community.

Souldern 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. Souldern is also served by high speed fibre-optic broadband, making working from home truly viable. Banbury, Brackley and Bicester are all within easy distance with a good range of shopping and leisure facilities, and there are shops in many of the nearby villages. Bicester also offers the unrivalled facility of Bicester Village as well as a 45-minute rail service to London Marylebone. The M40 motorway at junction 10 is about three miles away and access to both Northampton and Milton Keynes is also straightforward.

This is the second time we have dealt with Keeper's Cottage. One of just three large cottages sat back behind stone walls at the lower end of the village, unlike many cottages, the dimensions are really quite ample and this includes good ceiling heights in all rooms. But beyond the practicalities, the house also exhibits a sense of fun! A galleried landing above one of the receptions is interesting and unusual (if you're a musician, the acoustics are fabulous...). It's also a pampering house, with the principle bedroom providing not just a large en-suite but also a dressing room. Over the last few years the current owners have poured love and care into making it a far better house than we knew previously. That's not just improvements to the fittings and decor (new bathrooms, kitchen etc), it also involves layout changes that vastly improve its usability. Today it offers that ideal mix of great space, condition and location that's hard to find.

Walking in, a deliciously elegant and roomy hallway is perfect for containing wet dogs/ children while you organise them! There's enough space for a bench or chest for storing those muddy boots. On the right the rather smart utility room with its gleaming art deco-style tiling and contrasting timber worktop offers a neat laundry space, with a door leading into a garage which is equipped with power. The hall leads to the dining room, of which more shortly.

To the immediate left the kitchen has been remodelled and transformed. It's a masterclass in bright, welcoming and well-planned design that will be the envy of most chefs. A run of units down all sides provides as much storage as you could need, with cupboards, drawers, even glass-fronted display cabinets and a wine fridge. In addition the suite of Bosch ovens and microwave, gas hob, dishwasher etc make it efficient and easy to use, in the process confirming the quality of the whole renovation.

This room connects naturally to the dining room next door. A large space, it's also exceptionally bright as there are glazed doors at the rear opening onto the garden and terrace as well as more light from the living room beyond. It's ample for a large table with more than enough room to spare for a huge dresser, chest etc. On the left, this connects to the living room. A stone fireplace with its cozy wood burner, and the vaulted ceiling with the galleried landing above are just two of the aspects that make this room characterful and charming. Full-height windows and glazed double doors also face the garden, providing a feeling of space and peace that is delightful, with plantation shutters fitted to the full height!

Beyond the living room, the vendors have significantly altered the layout, very much for the better. An inner hallway provides space for a chest or perhaps bookshelves beneath a window that deftly lights the area, also providing the perfect noise gap between living and sleeping/work spaces. An airing cupboard sits to one side, next to a new cloakroom/toilet. The pair of bedrooms are both ideal for purpose. The smaller is an obvious study or child's room. Next door a larger bedroom is light and well planned, ample for a full suite including wardrobes, with a serene view over the garden to the rear and an ensuite shower that is immaculate and high quality.

Upstairs, as you reach the top and look back, the gallery is a unique and interesting feature. It's also practical with a wealth of eaves storage running the full length (the uplighter strip hidden on the top is an unusual and pleasing extra). The design with a bedroom to either end is intelligent as it ensures both are very much self-contained, quiet and secluded. Turn left and the first of two on this floor is a welcome surprise, roomy enough for any suite including wardrobes and chests, with plenty of light from a pair of roof windows. Next to it, the en-suite bathroom is large & modern with a stylish suite that includes a thermostatic shower above the bath. And the cupboards to the opposite wall offer masses of linen storage.

Back across the landing, the principle bedroom is even larger. A King size bed in this space leaves room for a huge wardrobe to the side with ease, and between the end of the bed and the wall is so great an area an easy chair, desk, shelves etc would all fit comfortably. Then there is the dressing room. Integral wardrobes and store cupboards on two sides provide excellent storage, in addition to which a dressing table and chair sit perfectly placed beneath the roof light above providing great light to work with. Completing this suite, the bathroom off to the side of the bedroom continues the theme of large, well-equipped facilities and this includes a very stylish bath and a separate shower, in addition to a double sink. It's hard to think of a similar property that offers such a luxurious suite...

Outside, to the front of the house there is a gravelled area with plenty of turning space, with unrestricted parking on the adjacent Bates lane and High Street. A paved area to the left includes some borders for planting and a path that leads to the front door. By the garage, the gate leads to the back garden. This is private and secluded. Mainly lawned there is also a terrace that runs along the rear of the house, outside the patio doors that lead back into the living and dining rooms, offering generous space for seating and dining looking out to the South and West. It's a peaceful place to be, with various border containing a pleasant mix of flowers, shrubs and trees. And with longer walks through fields and woodland literally a couple of minutes from the front door, this is all the outside space you could need.