6 bedroom house

A significant and historic Grade II listed country house of almost 5000 sq. ft. in the centre of Garsington, a well-connected village at the southern edge of Oxford. The Old Kennels, formerly of Christ Church College, is an attractive house of limestone ashlar walls under a tiled roof with many wonderful period features both inside and out. Those features include delightful ball finials mentioned in Pevsner's Buildings of England series, a panelled front door believed to date from the 17th century, charming open fireplaces at the centre of its reception rooms, and many exposed beams. The house sits in a plot of approximately one acre and is connected to a large partially converted barn, brick-built former stables, and in the paddock are former kennel buildings.

The house has a tremendously welcoming feel and lends itself perfectly for everyday family living as well as entertaining. There is a large entrance hall befitting a house of this scale which leads through to the kitchen and dining area, a wonderfully light and generous space with vaulted ceilings and floor to ceiling Crittall style windows and doors on two aspects. The elegant Harvey Jones kitchen includes an electric Aga. Above the kitchen area is a cosy mezzanine sitting room currently set up as a cinema room. The rest of the accommodation is set across three floors and most notably includes a generous dual aspect drawing room, a study overlooking the garden, six spacious bedrooms and three bathrooms. From many of the bedrooms, the delightful surrounding countryside can be seen.

The current owners have overseen a comprehensive programme of refurbishment, working with expert historic building architects and builders. The most significant elements of their work include converting a large part of the barn into the stunning kitchen, dining, and mezzanine sitting area. Throughout the barn is underfloor heating below stone flooring. The rest of the house has also been significantly upgraded with modern electrics, plumbing and heating, and quality finishes.

The beautiful walled gardens have been thoughtfully designed and meticulously well-tended. There is a large paved terrace for outdoor dining next to the house, and another raised dining area at the top of the garden under a pergola and mature vines from where the evening sun can be enjoyed. The gardens include a parterre on one side, with the other half mostly laid to lawn with fruit trees surrounding. Beyond the walled gardens is a paddock of approximately half an acre with separate access from Wheatley Road. The Paddock and its buildings occupy one of the highest points in the village and enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.

To the front, the gardens are entered through key and telephone operated wooden gates into a large gravelled driveway for several cars. The front gardens are surrounded by mature trees, hedge sand shrubs and there is a large lawn. The plot totals approximately one acre.

From the kitchen is a door out to a large, almost fully converted room with cobbled flooring. It makes for an excellent indoor/ outdoor entertaining area or it could be fully converted with minimal work and integrated into the house. Attached to the barn are red brick stores which offer the potential for further accommodation. A pre-planning application recently submitted exploring its conversion was well received by the local council. The stores or the former kennels in the paddock offer potential to make a home office. The old kennels in particular would make for an exceptional place to work from as they enjoy breath taking views from one of the highest points in the village. Please note any conversion of buildings would be subject to relevant consents and buyers should make their own investigations to confirm the likeliness of achieving planning consents.

The Old Kennels is one of the principal houses in the attractive hilltop village of Garsington, situated 5 miles south-east of Oxford. Garsington has re

Marketed by: Knight Frank, Oxford