Norham Road, Oxford, OX2

VIRTUAL TOUR. A thoroughly charming Victorian six bedroom family house in one of the best residential streets in Central Oxford. High ceilings & large sash windows, plus a generous plot with a great garden & ample parking. Excellent schools, shops, and parks all within walking distance. NO CHAIN.

Norham Road is one of Central North Oxford's premier addresses. Wide, quiet and leafy with a predominance of lovely Victorian houses sitting well back from the road in large plots, these are some of the most desirable houses in the City. Within a short walk there are world-class private and state schools, cosmopolitan shops and eateries, delightful walks, punting down the Cherwell river and, of course, the world-famous University Colleges and parks. As a family house that is immensely practical and flexible, light and positive, with the added bonus of wonderful character and elegance, there is little else to match this property.

It is rare to find a house in this road that has not already been remodelled to suit the individuality of the owners, so while we hate the term blank canvas it matches the description perfectly. In the same family for fifty years, and passed down to the next generation in recent times, number 23 is astonishingly original in layout and as such it retains all the lovely character features so often removed in more recent years. It has had the benefit of good maintenance throughout, so the new owner can move straight in if desired, but there is also vast scope for change should that suit your needs.

The entrance up several limestone steps leads into an internal porch that still retains its Victorian tiled floor, as well as the delightful timber inner partition with its opaque fleur de lis patterned glass. On the right, uniquely, the first of five reception rooms is a study suspended above the driveway - ideally placed for undisturbed home working away from the family spaces. Into the main entrance hall, the first impression is how wonderfully original this property is. The stairs with their exposed wooden balustrades perfectly compliment the elegant panelled entrance to the stairs going down, and the original polished wood floor stretches through to all the rooms on this floor. Natural light pervades throughout as there are several windows above the stairs, and the tall ceilings accentuate this further. Turning left, the drawing room instantly impresses with its proud and stylish iron fireplace flanked by marble detailing so redolent of its era. The room is both large and well proportioned, and the view through tall sash windows over its front garden to the other houses, which seem far distant, is open and very pleasant.

To the rear of the hall, the living room is almost a mirror image of its neighbour, with subtle differences such as the more Art Nouveau fireplace tiling. The same bay-window theme continues, from which you can admire what is a delightful, lengthy and softly landscaped garden of trees and shrubs surrounding lawn. Also facing the rear is the smallest of rooms on this floor, a further study/ office.

Heading downstairs, the half landing provides access to the gravelled driveway at the side of the house, and the bottom hallway features another original Victorian floor, this time chequerboard tiled, which continues through into a utility room that houses the boiler and various hanging racks etc. At the other end, a bathroom with shower above the bath and a wc sits alongside second cloak room. The breakfast room faces towards the front garden with a further bay window, the space amply sized for ten or twelve place settings at a large table. Another fireplace takes centre stage, this time in brick. Behind, the kitchen is simple and functional. Units on three sides offer ample storage and worktop space, and this is addended by a good sized pantry cupboard. In addition a recent addition has been the Everhot oven, a very popular modern alternative to the traditional Aga. There is scope to knock both rooms together, or dig out a rear opening to the garden, however the existing format it is actually very practical.

Moving to the sleeping areas, on the second floor the theme of light and space continues, with a large landing off which all rooms flow. The two larger bedrooms are very spacious, close in dimension to the corresponding living rooms below them, and both retain their original fireplaces. Cleverly, the bedroom to the front has been linked into the bathroom next door, allowing its use either as en-suite or dedicated bathroom, as required. At the rear of the landing the smallest bedroom retains its fireplace also, and next door is a separate toilet.

Rising to the top floor, the layout is swapped around. At the rear is a well proportioned bathroom with both a roll top bath and a separate shower, and the toilet is housed separately in its own room at the other end of the landing. Two large bedrooms continue the proportions and niceties of those on the floor below, and a third bedroom to the front is double aspect hence extremely light.

Outside, everything is as one would wish. The parking at the front of the house is off street with space for several cars on the dedicated driveway, flanked by low walls and surrounded by a mature array of flowers, shrubs, trees and hedges. In addition, under the study is a wide space that is gravelled, providing more potential parking if desired as this runs through to the rear garden - and perhaps this could be enclosed as a garage. Thereafter, the walled garden opens up to first a gravelled area behind the house perfect for afternoons of tea in the sun, then a beautiful, meandering lawn that runs gently down between a range of lovely border plants and trees to a further paved seating area at the very bottom. In all the garden extends to about 32 metres (over 100 feet), a space equally perfect for entertaining in style or enjoying high days and holidays with family.