Open fires, log burners and ranges become the must have festive features for families

Four country homes new on the market from £895,000 - £1.395million from Butler Sherborn

With the cost of living and rising fuel prices on everyone's mind, getting together with friends and family for a few days' respite over Christmas will be something to look forward to this year, especially with a warm hearth or range to gather around.

The Old School House, Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire, GL54 2JF - £1.25million 

As a quintessential country bolthole in this idyllic Cotswold village, The Old School House takes some beating, and with an AGA in the kitchen, a log burner in the sitting room and LPG central heating, it really will be warm and toasty.

Immaculately presented and with an elevated position giving great views over the village and its river, this Grade II listed stone house is packed with traditional features.  From the wooden front door into the entrance hall with its flagstone floor, there are exposed Cotswold stone walls and stone mullioned windows, one with a seat and shutters in the reception room with dining area.  There are exposed painted and natural wooden beams, and a stone fireplace with wood burner.

A partly glazed wooden door with stained glass inserts leads into the kitchen which offers contemporary blue finished fitted units, a ceramic sink with Quooker water system, fridge, dishwasher, larder and all-important Aga.  A stone floor runs throughout and into the utility room.  The sitting room/third bedroom has a full height ceiling with exposed beams and large stone mullioned window, and there is a shower room.

The first floor features a large landing with study area and exposed painted beams throughout, the master bedroom featuring stone mullioned window frames with far-reaching views and a range of built-in wardrobes and a skylight.  The modern bathroom includes a raised bath, floor lighting, wash basin with granite surround, cupboards and plantation shutters.  There is a guest bedroom with built in wardrobe.

Outside the front garden is enclosed by a Cotswold stone wall with iron railings, pedestrian gate to the main front and side doors and brick laid pathway.  There is off-road parking for two cars on the gravelled drive and a lawned garden with stone steps leading to a small sitting area affording spectacular views down the valley, plus a paved terrace with a small, raised flower bed that is ideal for outdoor entertaining.

Upper and Lower Slaughter are amongst the premier villages in the Cotswolds.  Upper Slaughter is in a Conservation Area and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the River Eye with its beautiful ford meandering through the centre of the village.  The village is home to traditional Cotswold stone cottages and houses, St Peters Church, and the award winning, Michelin starred Lords of the Manor hotel.  Local shopping and amenities can be found in Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold, with the main line station at Kingham providing regular trains to London Paddington in approximately 90 mins.

https://www.butlersherborn.co.uk/The Old School House, Upper Slaughter

Guide price: £1.25million

Butler Sherborn - Stow-on-the-Wold - 01451 830731

--------------------------

Browetts, Crimscote, Warwickshire, CV37 8UE - £1.1million

Approached down a tree lined drive in a beautifully bucolic position on the edge of the hamlet of Crimscote, Browetts is a fine Grade II Listed family home filled with character and traditional features.

Sitting within 1.7 acres and dating from the 1700s with later extensions, this special house has been well maintained but would now benefit from upgrading and suit a new owner looking for a project to create a great family home in a rural location.

With fine period features throughout, accommodation totals 216.2 sq/m (2,328sq ft) and is on two floors with the addition of an attic room.  The warm heart of the house is the kitchen/living room within the more recent extension with a wood burner at the light and airy dining end, and an Aga within the kitchen itself where there are classic wooden kitchen units and stone tile flooring.

There are open fires, both within inglenooks in the cosy sitting room and large dining room which are also heavily beamed with traditional dark wood timbers.

Upstairs there is a master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, a large double bedroom and family bathroom with two further bedrooms and a box room/nursery, as well as an additional room which could be used as a study/work space.

Outside the grounds comprise approximately 1.7 acres of informal gardens surrounded by mature trees, an ancient pond and small brook, plus a south-west facing terrace which is ideal for summer entertaining and alfresco dining.  There is plenty of space for parking and the range of outbuildings include a garage, garden shed and a storage/wood store.

Situated rurally with wonderful walking and riding in the immediate vicinity, it is well placed between the Roman Fosse Way and Stratford-upon-Avon, while Banbury, Warwick and Leamington Spa are all close by.

https://www.butlersherborn.co.uk/Browetts,Crimscote

Guide price: £1.1million

Butler Sherborn - Stow-on-the-Wold - 01451 830731

--------------------------

Bramleys, High Street, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, OX7 6DG - £895,000

A Grade II Listed Cotswold stone cottage with a Georgian facade in the heart of this well placed ancient village.  Carefully restored and sympathetically extended, it retains many period features including sash windows, original cupboards, an inglenook fireplace, exposed stone, beams and timbers.

Accommodation on the ground floor has warmth at its heart and comprises a sitting room with an impressive inglenook fireplace with wood-burner and sash window, a cosy snug with a fireplace and wood-burner, dining room with exposed stone walling and a trap door to the cellar, and a kitchen/breakfast room with a Brittania range cooker and gas hob.  There are bespoke Parlour Farm kitchen units, integrated appliances that include a fridge/freezer and dishwasher, and storage cupboards that include a deep pantry.  A period style glazed roof section floods the breakfast area with light, while also overlooking the delightful courtyard garden.

Stairs to the first floor rise from the sitting room to the landing where there are two double bedrooms, a family bathroom with separate shower and adjacent WC.  A concealed staircase takes you up to a further double bedroom in the eaves featuring exposed A frame beams and a dormer window to the front and a skylight to the rear.

Outside there is a stunning vaulted studio with painted timbers, fitted bookcases and windows overlooking the garden, a recently fitted utility/kitchenette with storage units, an integrated freezer and washer/dryer, plus a contemporary shower room.

Further outbuildings provide a storeroom and garden room/home office with bi-fold doors, and a large double garage that is pre-wired for electric vehicle charging.

The property includes a pretty lawned garden to the front with various shrubs and trees, a sunny private courtyard enclosed by Cotswold stone walls with a feature pond and fountain that is ideal for alfresco dining.  There is a further area of landscaped garden and a large driveway with parking for several cars.

Shipton-under-Wychwood is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty nestling in the West Oxfordshire countryside between Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Norton and Burford.  The village is close to neighbouring Milton-under-Wychwood where there are a variety of shops including a bakery, coffee shop, Post Office, library and excellent pubs.

https://www.butlersherborn.co.uk/Bramleys, Shipton-under-Wychwood

Guide price: £895,000

Butler Sherborn - Burford – 01993 822325

--------------------------