St Mary's Farmhouse

St Mary's Farmhouse is Grade II listed and dates back to the late 18th century with later editions in the 19th century. The property has not been on the market for the last 28 years.

Formally an Old Rectory, today St Mary's Farmhouse offers spacious and well laid out accommodation over two floors, above a large cellar which includes a wine cellar and sauna. The property still retains many original features and characteristics of the period as mentioned in Nikolaus Pevsner's book on architecture in Berkshire. Of particular note is the wonderful cantilevered staircase with atrium over. Pevsner often described Berkshire as 'half home county, half west country'.

The accommodation flows well on the ground floor with a double length 32 ft drawing room with French doors opening onto the south-facing terrace with views over the garden and the property's own land. There is a large kitchen with an Aga, dining room, sitting room and study. On the first floor is the principal bedroom and dressing room suite, which predominately faces south over the garden and grounds. There are five further double bedrooms and two further bathrooms.

St Mary's Farmhouse is in the village of Beenham in this popular part of West Berkshire. Surrounded by undulating countryside and woodland the property owns its own views. The village has The Six Bells Public House, a primary school and the Grade II* listed Church of St Mary's.

Nearby shopping amenities can be found at Southend Bradfield village shop and post office and at Upper Bucklebury, with a wider range of amenities at Thatcham (which has a Waitrose), Theale and Pangbourne, and a large farm shop at Englefield. The nearby villages house many excellent pubs.
Further afield are the centres of Reading to the East and Newbury to the west, which provide a comprehensive range of shopping and recreational facilities including cinemas. The renowned Watermill Theatre is located at Bagnor, near Newbury.

Communication links are excellent with the M4 (junctions 12 and 13) being nearby linking with the A34 providing fast road access to London, Heathrow and the national motorway network .Rail links can be found at Theale and Reading, taking from 35 and 27 minutes respectively to London Paddington. Cross Rail from Reading is due to open shortly to provide even faster direct access to the West End, City and East End of London.

The property is minutes from Elstree Prep School and Bradfield School. There are other well-regarded schools in the area including Brockhurst & Marlston House School, Horris Hill, Cheam and St Gabriel's near Newbury, Downe House, Pangbourne College and St. Andrews.

Sporting facilities are extensive with racing at Newbury and first-class fishing on the River Kennet. Golf courses in the area include Calcot Park, Wokingham and Wokefield Park. There is also a nine-hole course on the outskirts of Beenham. The area also has numerous footpaths, byways and bridleways perfect for walking and riding.

Marketed by: Knight Frank, Country Department