Souldern, OX27

A superlative quality stone house of over 3,300 sq ft set in just under an acre of delightful landscaped gardens and including a bespoke Alitex Garden building. A rare mix of high quality modern fittings and traditional style, and exceptional energy efficiency including solar panels.

Souldern is a small, no through village on the North Oxfordshire border, seven miles south-east of Banbury with roots going back at least 900 years. There is an excellent pub/ restaurant The Fox Inn, a Norman church and chapel, a village hall, plus play area and playing field. Banbury and Brackley are both within easy distance with a good range of shopping and leisure facilities, plus there are shops in many of the nearby villages. Bicester also offers unrivalled shopping at Bicester Village as well as a 45 minute rail service to London Marylebone. The M40 motorway at junction 10 is about three miles away and access to both Northampton and Milton Keynes is also straightforward.

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Stonehaven is a breath of fresh air, we cannot begin to describe it adequately here. Few modern houses have both character and modern ease of use, this house has both aplenty. Every aspect exhibits thought focused on two end results - ease of use and style. There are high quality oak doors and floors, over-specified boilers, grandiose tall ceilings upstairs, not to mention the 3.76 Kw Solar panels that decimate running costs nor the two grey water rainwater collection tanks that supply the entire garden and outside taps! The house also occupies a position above just three others, and next door to the original thatched barn, alongside the old farm so there is no passing traffic or noise. The view across the gardens flanked by trees and the woodland beyond is one of the most peaceful we know.

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The first impression is immediately inviting. An oak door leads into a hall that is wide and also light with a lovely stone floor. To the right the living room is double aspect with a vast bay window to the rear looking onto a terrace, and beyond is the gardens. Underfoot is the highest quality oak floor. Next door the cloak room nestles under the stairs with a stylish suite, and adjacent to it is a large under stair cupboard. Past the stairs the dining room is light, amply-sized with the same stone floor found in the hall, with that arresting view of the garden through the large rear window. The same view is found in the kitchen. To one end a range of hand-painted wood units runs round three sides. This is comprehensively specified with high-quality fitments including a sink set in front of the window to enjoy the view, in the centre an island also has a breakfast bar and all the work surfaces are granite. At the other end the dining space is ample, so much so our clients have a vast table placed here, with double doors inviting the garden in. Further kitchen storage is catered for in the utility room which has plumbing for washing machines etc alongside a number of cupboards. On the left the spacious study is nicely separate from the rest of the ground floor accommodation, and it provides a pleasant outlook over the front garden.

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Upstairs, every room is as attractive as downstairs. But it is the ceiling height that surprises most as it accentuates the feeling of space still further. The landing is so light, assisted by a Velux window in the roof, and unlike many modern houses it is wide too. The main bedroom is a real surprise as it just goes on and on - 24 x 17 feet is large by most measures. Immediately ahead as you walk in is an array of integrated wardrobes. To the left the view through the three large windows that make up the bay is stunning, a wide panorama of landscaped lawns and beds. And off to the left side the en-suite is neutral, modern and attractive. At the other end of the landing the second suite is equally impressive but very different. Its entrance, used as a study space currently, has three large integral wardrobes off to the right next to a very high quality en-suite with a large shower pan. Velux roof lights to the left in the eaves flood light across the room, this opens out into an impressive and large bedroom space with more than enough room for furnishings including dressing tables etc. The rest of the bedrooms are also ample doubles. Serving them is a further high quality bathroom, this is spacious with both a bath and a separate, large shower.

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Outside the space is so clever and so natural. The frontage is surrounded by a low stone wall with various borders stocked a wide range of flowering plants, set around two lawn areas one of which also features a seat. Parking is amply catered for with a generous block paved driveway enclosed by a pair of African Iroko hardwood electric gates, and to the left the electric double Iroko garage door opens into one large garage space with power and light. To the left a gate leads down the side of the house to the garden and this area is brilliant for garden storage complete with a slate-roofed log store. Behind the parking two further Iroko gates open to another block paved space, from where the garden opens out dramatically.

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It is clear the garden has been given much thought. Formally laid out, it provides many different areas for different uses. At the top the large circular lawn is simple, elegant, flanked by some very natural border plants and several seating areas to enjoy the view back down the garden. Behind the house a terrace runs the full width, with a wider part for outdoor dining, and a narrower area with steps up to the next lawn level which has a pergola corner seat next to a raised bed. Low retaining stone walls enclose the lawn areas to the left, and on the right adjacent to the greenhouse a shallow path runs between several further beds planters to the top garden. It's a truly calm, peaceful and lovely environment. However the real stand-out feature is the greenhouse, This is the first time a greenhouse has left us speechless. Alitex are arguably the top supplier of bespoke garden buildings in the UK. This example is a climate- and zone-controlled elegance of glass and wood to the front with a brick rear, split into two glazed growing areas behind which is a preparation space and a tool shed. The shed is significant enough in size to contain ride-on mowers, petrol power tools and the like with room to spare. The preparation room has a seamless stainless steel work top and sink next to which is a cloak room, offering anyone working in the grounds full facilities away from the house. The main two growing rooms include thermostatically-opened roof lights to moderate temperate, with under floor grates hiding pipe heaters, and even the growing trays are set at an easy height to work with. Hence our clients are enjoying growing a diverse mix of plants, including their own oranges.

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In summary, this house offers all the benefits of a character house but with the manageability of a modern one. It is unique and unrepeatable.