Bladon, Woodstock, OX20 1SB

In one of my first visits to this lovely property, I encountered a workman up a ladder disentangling the Ivy from the higher walls of the cottage. Turns out, it wasn't a workman, it was a neighbour who, knowing the house had been empty for a while, thought he would do a bit of tidying up. "We help each other out in this village", he explained to me. I've sold houses before in Bladon and this is very much the impression I've had from meeting other locals. In fact, the only pub in the village, The White House, is a community run pub and a very well run one at that if reputation is anything to go by. It's a nice village, Bladon.

Convenient location as well. It's one mile from the train station in nearby Long Hanborough and an hourly service will ping you on your way to London, Paddington in just over an hour. Oxford Centre is just under twenty minutes drive away and the lovely (almost) Cotswold town of Woodstock is just five minutes. In addition to which, there's a half hourly bus to both Woodstock and Oxford eventually ending up in Witney. It's the S7 bus. I tried it out from Oxford and it works very well. 

You're in good historical company too. Well, that's if you count our very own Winston Churchill as 'good company'. Like him or not, he's buried in St Martin's church but of course, when he was alive he spent some of his time at the family seat, Blenheim Palace, the big house next door. Talking of which, the 2000 or so acres that make up Blenheim's grounds are open to the public and there is direct gated access from Bladon itself. Country walks, Cafes and amazing play areas for children. Fair to say, Bladon does have quite a lot going for it. 

And so to the house. It's called "The Mount" and of interest, it's previous owner was a man called David Mostyn. David was a professional cartoonist and used to pen the drawings for comics like the Beano and Dandy! I'm sure his spirit lives on in the little attic studio he used to do his work and it would be lovely to think that the next owner might sit at the same window doing something equally creative.... a writer perhaps? 

This is very much a beamed ceiling and log fires kind of home. Country cottage, cosy wrap around you vibes. I like that there is a separate sitting room and dining room. Whilst definitely not a large house at just over 1000 square feet, no space is wasted and with its thick stone walls, it's relatively cool in the Summer whilst retaining the heat inside in the Winter. 

Outside, the South facing patio walled garden is big enough to indulge in a bit of gardening leaving plenty of space for entertaining and enjoying the sunshine - something we get a lot more of these days. 

I can see this charming cottage appealing to early retired downsizers keen to be part of a vibrant village community or perhaps a commuter couple wanting a weekend retreat although of course, these days it would definitely work for those doing a three or four day London week. I'd happily live here by myself but I think the wife might have something to say about that!

As always, if you're curious, it's best to see it for yourself so feel free to make contact and arrange a viewing.  

For much more information, please click onto the 'Key Facts For Buyers' report which you can find under 'virtual tour'. You'll find all sorts of information from local planning decisions, to proximity of pylons, floodwater risks (FYI,there are none), schools, transport links etc. All useful stuff but if you can't find what you're looking for, call me and I'll do my best to find you an answer.