Court Lane, Offenham, WR11

The Old Manor, Offenham

A Grade II Listed manor house on the edge of the Cotswolds, with origins in the late 13th century, when the Benedictine Abbots of Evesham founded a monastic grange and deer park here. Today it is a 3,923 sq ft, six-bedroom home in nearly an acre of gardens, with open countryside views, a new roof, gas central heating and fibre broadband.

One house or two

Two staircases, with separate plumbing, wiring and metering to each side, mean the house divides naturally. It works as a single family home or as two connected households for multigenerational living. A detached stone and timber barn (29ft x 16ft) has planning permission for conversion to a home office with mezzanine.

Ground floor

The house sits back from the lane behind a dry-stone wall, its half-gabled red-brick façade leading to an oak front door and entrance hall.

The dining room (17ft x 16ft) has a beamed inglenook, original flagstones and exposed timbers, and takes a long table with ease. Beyond it, the double-aspect drawing room (17ft x 16ft) has a woodburner in a stone inglenook and an arched, shelved alcove.

Across the hall, the family room has a woodburner set in an inglenook with its own fireside seat and small window. The first staircase rises from here. The adjoining study (17ft x 14ft) is light, heavily beamed and fitted with shelving and cupboards.

The kitchen/breakfast room (18ft x 16ft) is the centre of the house: handmade cream cabinetry, composite marble worktops, a double Belfast sink, a large pantry and a blue Rayburn gas range in a brick alcove, alongside Bosch appliances. Four windows, a window seat and a stable door to the garden keep it bright, and there is room for a big kitchen table. A utility room, a cloakroom with separate WC and the second staircase complete the floor.

First floor

The principal bedroom (17ft x 15ft) has a vaulted, beamed ceiling, a woodburner in a stone fireplace, an en suite shower room and a dressing room. Three further bedrooms on this side, one currently used as a second study, share a family bathroom with freestanding bath, corner shower and twin basins. A further staircase leads to attic storage.

The second staircase serves two double bedrooms (each 17ft x 14ft), both with en suite shower rooms.

Gardens and grounds

The gardens extend to nearly an acre, enclosed by dry-stone walls and beech and blackthorn hedging. A terrace for summer dining gives way to gently sloping lawns that run towards farmland and the hills beyond, framed by deep borders, topiary and mature specimen trees. There is a greenhouse with power, and the house and gardens are floodlit at night.

A five-bar gate opens to a gravel driveway with parking for several cars in front of the barn, plus a single garage.

Offenham

A well-served village with a shop and post office, village hall, church, The Bridge Inn on the River Avon and the Boat Lane Brewery tap room. Evesham is three miles away, with Waitrose and Tesco.

Offenham CE First School is a few minutes’ walk. There are secondary schools in Evesham, and independent options include Bowbrook House, Bredon School, RGS Worcester and The King’s School, with more in Cheltenham.

Trains from Honeybourne and Evesham reach London in under two hours.