Church Street, Somerton, Bicester, OX25

Somerton village offers a rare mix of countryside seclusion and easy access to all amenities, sitting amidst the wonderful rolling countryside of the Cherwell valley. Within a short drive are swift rail and road links to London and Oxford, Birmingham and Banbury. The charming local historic village of Deddington offers various food shops, pubs, a library, health centre, a primary school and a monthly French-type market. The village itself dates back to Saxon times plus it is mentioned in the Doomsday Book, and the Church of St James dates back in part to at least 1074. There are many local activities, a number of which revolve around a fine village hall, rebuilt with lottery money in 2008. This features everything from toddler groups to films, evening talks and a Thursday evening bar (which we are told is very popular!). Within a short radius all sorts of other amenities are available, from the renowned Soho Farmhouse private members' club to outstanding local state and private schools. For a village so tucked away it's surprisingly well connected.

The Coach House is a prime example of a character house that also provides the ease of use required for modern living. The house dates to Victorian times when it was ancillary to the Old Rectory next door, hence it exhibits some pleasant period features but in addition it has been extended to provide far better living space. The current owners have continuously maintained and improved it, without compromising the overall feeling. Tucked away at the very end of a small private driveway the property is exceptionally quiet, and it sits in a position taking advantage of the most outstanding views over farmland and the valley. It's peaceful, private and secluded, and a short distance from amenities.

Sitting at the very end of a meandering driveway, you enter the house through a gate (off street parking potential) onto a wide gravel path, leading to a large enclosed front porch. You'll notice immediately the various seating areas outside; the house faces roughly East-West, offering perfect places to sit front and rear at different times of the day. And this fact was one of the major reasons for the vendor buying the house in the first place. Once inside it's impossible not to be charmed by the house as much as the location. Even the porch has character, with its finely carved timbers. The stable door brings you into the hallway, which provides a perfect space for all the usual practicalities such as a key table, coat racks etc. Head left and you'll find a good sized cloak room, complete with the heating boiler. Back down the hall the kitchen sits to the rear. Entering provides the first glimpse of the extraordinary view that stretches for miles into the distance. Washing up was never so enjoyable, with a sink placed in front of this window! And another stable door to the rear really imprints the feeling of a rural cottage. The units in the kitchen are in timeless farmhouse style, thick timber cupboards stretching round three sides and topped off with granite.

Head next door and the space opens up in dramatic fashion. 24 ft by 15 ft, with tall ceilings, is a large living room by most measures - and even more unusual in a house of this type. But more even than that is the view... Take a pew on the window seat and it would be impossible not to feel the peace and serenity of such a location. The outlook changes almost daily with the evolution of the seasons, putting you very intimately in touch with the vibrancy of the natural world around you. If this sounds overly effusive, it isn't. There are few places we know with such a wonderful connection to the view. In purely practical terms this room is very easy to use - it has hosted a dining table in the past with ease - as there isn't really much to prevent you incorporating the largest of furnishings, with great natural light through windows on both sides. And for music nuts, the acoustics are fantastic! Adjoining this room is a good sized conservatory (with underfloor heating), also facing the view, currently used as a dining space but of course equally good as a further seating area as the dimensions are quite ample. And double doors from here open onto a terrace.

Head up the rather charming box stair and halfway up there's a window looking back over your own garden plus both the Old Rectory next door and Stable Cottage - charming period buildings. At the top, head right into the main bedroom. The vaulted ceiling is an appealing feature, with the timber trusses partially exposed. It's a large space, and the timber units around and above the bed plus to the near corner provide so much storage there isn't need for much else, and this flatters the already good space. And the double aspect layout allows you to lie in bed and look straight out over the view... Across the landing, the bathroom is a good size and presented well. The room has been fitted with a modern suite including tiling for ease of cleaning and a generous shower with thermostatic controls. However, should you prefer a bath it would be straightforward and inexpensive to change. Also off the landing is an unusual extra link room, which naturally lends itself ideally to home working. It was kitted out several years ago with a built-in desk, shelves, drawers etc, and this has proved its worth ten-fold during the pandemic. And with the same view to the rear as well as the same roof timbers found in the main bedroom, it's a very pleasant place to work. Continue on and to the left the smallest bedroom looks far smaller than it actually is, only because the vendor had the entirety of one wall fitted with cupboards to use as a dressing room. Were these removed it would revert to a rather more generous single room. And completing the upstairs is a further double room, this time triple aspect! Again, that view is excellent through the window to the rear. And the room being long yields plenty of space to the end for various chests etc as shown here, or it would be easy to build in a large wardrobe instead.

Outside is simply splendid. Parking is catered for with several dedicated spaces. The main garden is to the East, ie next to the porch. Partly gravelled for our vendor's ease of maintenance, it's actually a more generous space than first apparent. The summer house is a pretty decent size, and it's fitted with power. A raised deck area is set up for seating in the morning. A further paved area is another seating space, which catches the light right through the main part of the day, and behind it is a timber log store. Various large shrubs, borders stocked with an array of pretty plants, and a number of trees plus hedges are mature and attractive, but if you wished to maximise the space a generous reduction of these would yield a great deal more space. To the left of the house a lean-to timber shed provides masses of storage, and this links right through to the rear garden. Compact but beautiful, the rear is terraced to provide seating right the way across behind a low stone wall. One of the best views in this area, it's an outlook we cannot imagine any would tire of.