Bates Lane, Souldern

Having recently undergone refurbishment including new kitchen, this is a lovely cottage with a huge kitchen/ dining room, two ample double bedrooms, great natural light, and a quiet position near the heart of the village. NO CHAIN.

Souldern is a small village on the North Oxfordshire border, seven miles south-east of Banbury with roots going back at least 900 years. There is an excellent pub/restaurant The Fox Inn, a Norman church and chapel, and a village hall. 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 40-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.

Silverfind Cottage is a lovely, warm, inviting house. A comprehensive refurb in recent years has brought it up to a modern standard, hence from the front door all the way to the back fence it's a "turn key" experience, providing a high quality standard of living from day one. If you want a cozy and characterful village life without the hassle, this is the one!

At the front the door is flanked by a couple of low stone-edged borders, ideal for flowering plants. The door opens into a pretty living room. With a large window to the front this is light even on dullest days. There's ample space for a good suite of chairs alongside cabinets, tv table etc. A quirk of the evolution of the cottage is the window to the rear, showing how the original would have been tiny! This has been kept as it allows light through to the stairs. The doorless opening to the rear enters the kitchen.

Thereafter the space is more than ample for a large table, and with a good width there's also more than enough room for a sideboard, dresser etc. Stairs rise then turn back halfway up, minimising the space they occupy while also creating a cupboard underneath that houses the wifi kit (so it reaches the whole house) along with a space (and power socket) for a freezer. Beyond this the kitchen is ideal for entertaining. At well over 20 feet in length this is surprisingly large for a house of this type. Fully refitted in recent years, the smart and comprehensive run of units strikes a fine balance between contemporary and classic, suiting the cottage perfectly. Fridge/freezer, dishwasher, oven and hob plus masses of storage gives even the most enthusiastic chef all the tools they need.

Up the stairs, the landing splits. At the front the main bedroom is a really generous double, more than ample for a Super King bed to be placed in any direction. The space allows for plenty of wardrobe and drawer storage. To the rear of the landing the second bedroom is slightly smaller, but this still equates to a generous double. Between the two the bathroom is rather stylish. The roof light window above provides exceptional light while also giving it good character. The modern white suite, glass screen, "soaker" shower head off a thermostatic control (with a secondary shower on a hose), and travertine marble tiling are immaculate and up to the minute.

At the rear, the garden is compact but attractive and immensely peaceful. It is also very secluded, enclosed to all sides by panel fencing that is softened by climbers to the sides, with nothing behind but a neighbour's garden hosting several lovely mature trees. This is the ideal no-maintenance spot for summer dining and evening drinks. And for those wishing more outside space, within a few hundred yards the villagers have access to the most wonderful allotments that overlook open fields, as well as stunning walks through the nearby woodland (both at the end of the lane).