Mill End, Chadlington

A fine village house exuding great character, much improved in recent years & set in the most beautiful of gardens. Four receptions (one with vaulted ceiling), principle bedroom with ensuite, 3 further bedrooms plus top floor office/dressing room, stone outbuilding with home office, & parking.

Set among some of the Cotswolds' finest rolling countryside, Chadlington enjoys the rare mix of a rural location with excellent local amenities and exceptional transport links. Unlike most, the village has three shops (Cafe de la Post, Chadlington Quality Foods, and Slatters Butchers) as well as the very welcoming Tite Inn, tied to the village's own Chadlington brewery. Within just a few miles there are many other attractions ranging from the Daylesford Farm Shop to Soho Farmhouse private members' club. And travel to London, Oxford and the wider Home Counties is surprisingly convenient with a mainline station and fast road links just a few miles distant. It is no wonder this village is one of the most popular in the region.

Yew Tree Cottage is, simply, one of our favourite cottages. Its pretty facade suggests it's a house that will welcome with warmth and character. But once inside, the house is rather larger than expected, surprisingly bright and practical with well-proportioned rooms and immense character. And while the house may be beautifully appointed and very appealing, the outside space is almost more exciting as the gardens have been exquisitely arranged to a level we rarely see. It all adds up to a fine mix of style and comfort.

Low timber gates to the front enclose a pathway flanked to either side with gravel and various flowering plants. Inside, a beautifully patinated stone floor heads away from you in a hallway annotated by wall and ceiling timbers. Ledge and brace doors are the order of the day, along with natural stone.

Immediately right, the cloakroom doubles as a useful mixture of laundry room and WC, complete with a range of cupboards offering a multitude of useful shelves behind painted doors as well as plumbing for washing machine and drier. Opposite, the hallway is particularly inviting with a mix of timber panelling and lintels plus the same stone floor continuing some distance to the stairs.

Opposite the main door, the living room is an absolute joy. Much thought has clearly been applied to balancing the charm of the old with the needs of modern times. Consequently the vaulted ceiling with its proud trusses mirrors the character of the house while framing a large room flooded with great light. The view across the garden on three sides is simply glorious, and a pair of French doors ensure the garden is also instantly accessible. There can be few better places to relax.

Along the hall the kitchen is elegant and very welcoming. Re-fitted in recent years, the units are high-quality with silestone worktops and pastel-painted finish. Windows to two sides really do bring in wonderful light as well as affording a charming view over the front garden, and it’s interesting to note the beams overhead are painted to maximise the light without losing character.. And there is a very deep cupboard in the right hand corner, which currently hides the fridge but could be a pantry.

At the end of the hall, stairs rise and turn in front of you, and here the hallway splits off to three rooms. The dining room to the right exudes the real age of the house with a panelled ceiling, and the stone walls have been limewashed to maximise the light flooding in from the garden window. Opposite, the living room is charm personified with original beams and a fine inglenook fireplace, now fitted with a modern wood burner. Through a pair of glazed doors in the corner the last of the downstairs rooms offers more ancient timbers, and again the stone walls are lime washed. However, in here there is a simpler fireplace, complete with wood burner, either side of which are what initially appear to be old window reveals. They could be associated with a previous fireplace. We shall never really know. But that is half the charm.

Back to the stairs, they rise then turn on a half landing back, with bookshelves built into an old window reveal on the right. The broad window floods the landing with light, a welcome touch. Look left, and the first of several very charming bedrooms is instantly appealing. Original ridge and purlin beams cross the ceiling, all pointing to a pretty window at the far end complete with window seat. The room is a really great size, easily able to house the largest of double beds alongside antique wardrobes, chests, as you desire.

Across the landing are two further bedrooms. The right hand features the same beautiful beams as seen downstairs. Another great double with a window seat, in this case we also find a rather splendid and clearly very old fireplace. An original iron hearth is set back beneath a hand carved limestone frame. Next door what is likely the principal bedroom also features an ensuite. Several doors lead to deep cupboards, one underneath the stairs to the second floor, of which more shortly. A narrow corridor leads to an ensuite of some style. A vaulted ceiling with original trusses is rather enchanting, perfectly framing a bath mounted centrally beneath. It's elegantly appointed with a classic suite and a natural timber floor, and plenty of eaves storage.

Back to the principal bedroom. In the style of its time, the stairs to the top floor are hidden behind a door, curving upwards. At the top, two interlinked rooms are useful addenda to the main accommodation. A wealth of storage cupboards has been fitted down the full length of the first room on the left-hand side, opposite which the dormer window offers a view out across similarly alluring houses. The range of uses for this and the room next door (currently used as a bedroom) is broad. Whether dressing room plus office, Christmas overspill bedrooms, etc, they are welcome and pleasant extra space.

The outside space requires a lot of explanation. The house sits back from what is a very sleepy village lane. The front boundary is a mix of stone wall and exceptionally well-kept hedge, behind which the front garden is beautifully managed with a mix of flowers, shrubs, ferns, and all manner of other pretty plants.

To the left side, the lane runs up to just a few neighbouring properties. A pedestrian gate accesses the rear garden, and beyond it are two dedicated parking spaces. Next to them, the large stone outbuilding is split into two rooms. The first is a stone shed, offering a lot of space perfect for housing the usual garden implements and the like. The second has been fully converted into a wonderful extra room, used variously over the years as a design studio, home office etc. And it is perfectly positioned to offer a stunning view across the garden.

There are few words adequate to explain the garden. Suffice to say, our client has built upon the considerable efforts of their predecessors. A pergola with stone uprights supports a stunning Wisteria that crosses overhead for some distance. There’s a very smart parterre centring on an elegant fountain. Another parterre surrounds a glorious, mature magnolia immediately behind the house, with a wide terrace beyond that offers huge scope for the most enthusiastic entertaining. The lawn is mature and beautifully maintained, flanked by a myriad of flowers providing an ever-changing landscape of colour. And to the rear a range of mature fruit trees complete a truly stunning garden.