Merton, Nr Bicester, OX25

An adorable Victorian cottage with lovely field views, located in a village 5 miles from Bicester with road and rail London access. Large living room, modern kitchen & bathroom, 3 beds (1 en-suite), parking & great garden. New windows, doors, boiler, oil tank. Lapsed planning to extend.

Merton has the distinction of being just a few miles from all the road and rail routes, amenities, schools, and shopping of Bicester and Oxford, with the niceties of a small village consisting mainly of pleasant 20th century and older houses with just the odd thatched cottage. It's pleasantly surrounded by farmland, ensuring great local walks in abundance. Within the village is a lovely church, St Swithuns, dating to the 15th century. Just a short walk across the fields, Murcott provides The Nut Tree Inn which is a Michelin starred public house and restaurant behind the village duck pond. The A40/M40 provides access to London, the Midlands and the north and the A34 provides easy access to the south. There are mainline railway stations at Bicester North and Bicester Village (London Marylebone 45 minutes) and a local station at Islip. Golf can be found nearby at Studley Wood and Magnolia golf courses and there is also a local fishery.

Alpha Farm Cottage is one of just a pair of pretty Victorian cottages, the right hand of the pair with a back garden of some length, which has a stunning and far reaching view of fields. It is a smart and traditional design, with lovely touches such as large sash windows, brick lintels above windows and pretty gable timberwork. Once inside, the house feels calm and warm, with pleasant detailing including the modern kitchen and timber sitting room floor. The heating system has also been upgraded with a new boiler in very recent times, and doors and windows have also been replaced. In addition, it has previously been granted planning permission to extend the house into a much larger dwelling - this is now lapsed but we suspect could be obtained again (please ask for help if this would be useful). The only reason our vendors are not making the changes themselves is two young children have come along and they're moving closer to their family. If it were not for that, they would stay and bring the house to its next level.

The door leads into a bright internal porch with a front window, and to the rear is the stairs. In front, the door leads into a living room that with tall ceilings and large glass areas on both ends (including double doors to the rear) is delightfully bright and positive. The two chimney breasts are still in residence, with the fireplace to the front of the room containing a wood burner - lovely for cozy winter nights. There is more than ample area here for a large suite at one end with space spare at the other for the largest of dining tables. Off to the right, the cloak room is modern and neutral, and here there is a door to the under stairs cupboard. To the rear of the house, the kitchen has been well planned to provide the maximum storage and work surface space in a modern suite of real wood units. The fridge/freezer is built in and there is also a stainless steel oven. For those who hate washing up, the dishwasher is also built in, although with your hands in the sink the view towards the fields behind would certainly ease the burden!

Upstairs, the high ceiling theme continues. The largest bedroom is a generous double with great character provided by lots of period touches such as the eaves and picture rails (often removed these days). Next to it, the en-suite shower is a pleasant modern installation in good order. Bedrooms two and three are more compact although both could host a double bed - this would be a squeeze with bedroom three but is possible. Serving all three is a family bathroom with a timeless white suite, the panache of which is elevated by the little touches such as the vertical radiator and heritage-style taps. NB if extending the house might be of interest, please ask for more details. The planning may have lapsed, but we see no reason why it could not be successfully applied for again.

Outside, to the front the house is set comfortably away from the lane behind a front garden that has been converted to part lawn and part parking. To the right side the gate opens to provide a secured path down the side of the house, which travels past the house to a lengthy garden. Enclosed to either side by timber fencing, at the end the post and rail fence is designed not to mask the view, which is far-reaching across the many acres of farmland. It's a very relaxing place to spend Summer days, and with the outlook being South East, you really do gain the maximum sunshine.

Mains water, electricity, oil CHCherwell District CouncilCouncil tax band CC. ?1,929 p.a. 2022/23Freehold