7 bedroom house
Boars Hill, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 5HA
Guide Price
£4,475,000
Residential Tags: Georgian
Property Tags: N/A
Land Tags: N/A
Summary Details
- First Marketed: Jun 2021
- Removed: Date Not Available
- Residential Tags: Georgian
- Property Tags: N/A
- Land Tags: N/A
A magnificent Palladian villa in an historic landscape overlooking Oxford’s ‘dreaming spires’.
Location
While in a commanding position on Boars Hill with Oxford centre only 5 miles to the south, Birch Copse nonetheless occupies a quiet, idyllic spot in amongst the ancient copses that once dominated these uplands.
In remembrance of his friend Arthur Hugh Clough, Matthew Arnold wrote a rather long and mournful monody called Thyrsis, from which these lines are taken. The final phrase in this fragment have become synonymous with the City they describe and its potency in the English imagination. Arnold was reflecting on his introduction by Clough to Boars Hill, from which vantage point the two looked down on the ‘dreaming spires’ of Oxford.
Birch Copse commands a beautiful and celebrated location. What was once a landscape of coppiced trees and shrubs has now been allowed to mature. Alongside the familiar silver birch, downy birch is common in Oxfordshire and the species were not only important for rural industry, they were used in folk medicine and had spiritual properties.
There are stations close by, Oxford Mainline (2.1 miles), Radley (3.5 miles), Didcot Parkway running into London Paddington in under an hour and Oxford Parkway (8.5 miles) into London Marylebone in a similar time. The M40 (13.5 miles) is accessible via the A40 and Eastern By-Pass or the A4074, while the M4 lies about 23 miles due south. Heathrow and Gatwick airports are easily accessible by road and train.
Not surprisingly, Oxfordshire is home to 72 independent preparatory and senior schools, whilst the surrounding counties also boast a wealth of excellent schools and colleges. Oxford itself, those ‘dreaming spires’, is of course world renowned and the City is itself an architectural and historic narrative of unparalleled importance.
A landscape so rich and panoramic is an appropriate host to a house itself steeped in historical references. Palladian principles inform a classic Georgian home, a form so quintessentially English, it characterises the very best in architectural design to this day.
The simple geometry and elegant symmetry of the external elevations are deliberate and allow maximum natural light to saturate the generous internal spaces, bringing the extraordinary landscape into the very heart of the home. As a structure, it is not simply a very powerful and beautiful statement in its own right, it is a statement that complements
the narrative of the environment it shares.
Description
Informed throughout by classical Georgian references, time-honoured craftsmanship sympathetically weaves into its fabric both traditional and modern materials, enhancing the charm and grandeur of this country home.
Externally, the strong blue-grey tones of a traditional Welsh slate roof contrast beautifully with the softness of the lime render. The wooden box-frame sliding sash windows are made by local joiners and hand painted. A broad stone portico frames the entrance, creating an impressive formal transition into the classically proportioned interior.
Internally, these Palladian proportions quickly become evident; high ceilings amplify the natural light and display the elegant detail of the plaster cornicing in the reception rooms. Further respecting the Georgian references, bespoke skirting, architraves and door linings complete the interior architectural detailing.
Impeccable attention to detail sets this home apart, with the finest sourcing of natural stone and wood flooring, detailed fireplace surrounds, traditionally crafted joinery and luxurious bathroom and kitchen fixtures and fittings.
Exemplifying a quintessentially English capacity to embrace the present while celebrating the past, the period detailing of the interiors blends seamlessly with the conveniences of modern living and technology. The home features underfloor heating on the ground floor, pre-wiring for Lutron and select audio-visual systems in several zones, and the provision for future commissioning of security and CCTV systems.
Honouring the commitment to quality and architectural integrity, Sherbourne Developments proudly specifies brands such as: Farrow & Ball • Paint Library • Stevensons of Norwich • Fullbrooks of England • Lapicida Artisans of Devizes • Fired Earth • Walking on Wood • Trunk Surfaces • Chesney’s English Fireplaces • Lefroy Brooks • Bard & Brazier • Victoria + Albert
Rights of way - There is a public right of way crossing the agricultural field to the south shown as dotted line on site plan
Services - Mains electricity and water. Air source heat pump backed up by oiled fired boiler.Private drainage by sewerage treatment plant.
Ten year warranty - The property will be independently surveyed during construction by surveyors who will issue a ten year warranty certificate, covered by BLP, upon satisfactory completion of the property.
Photos etc - The photographs show only certain parts of the property as they appeared at the time they were taken (February 2018). Areas, measurements and distances given are approximate only and subject to change before completion.
Regulations etc - Any reference to alterations to, or use of, any part of the property does not mean that any necessary planning, building regulations or other consent has been obtained. A buyer or lessee must find out by inspection or in other ways that these matters have been properly dealt with and that all information is correct.
Fixtures and Fittings - Only such items as are mentioned in these particulars are included in the sale
Square Footage: 8001 sq ft
Acreage: 15 Acres
Directions
Leave the A34 at the junction signposted to Oxford ring road and the A404 towards Reading. Take the turning to Boars Hill and Wootton. Proceed up Hinksey Hill and at the top of the hill turn right into Foxcombe Road. Turn right into Berkeley Road and then right into the Ridgeway. Follow the road and at the junction with Sandy Lane turn right, past the Scout Activity Centre and past the Carmelite Priory. The turning to Birch Copse is on the right (for sat-nav purposes please use OX1 5HA)
Marketed by: Savills, Summertown
Location
While in a commanding position on Boars Hill with Oxford centre only 5 miles to the south, Birch Copse nonetheless occupies a quiet, idyllic spot in amongst the ancient copses that once dominated these uplands.
In remembrance of his friend Arthur Hugh Clough, Matthew Arnold wrote a rather long and mournful monody called Thyrsis, from which these lines are taken. The final phrase in this fragment have become synonymous with the City they describe and its potency in the English imagination. Arnold was reflecting on his introduction by Clough to Boars Hill, from which vantage point the two looked down on the ‘dreaming spires’ of Oxford.
Birch Copse commands a beautiful and celebrated location. What was once a landscape of coppiced trees and shrubs has now been allowed to mature. Alongside the familiar silver birch, downy birch is common in Oxfordshire and the species were not only important for rural industry, they were used in folk medicine and had spiritual properties.
There are stations close by, Oxford Mainline (2.1 miles), Radley (3.5 miles), Didcot Parkway running into London Paddington in under an hour and Oxford Parkway (8.5 miles) into London Marylebone in a similar time. The M40 (13.5 miles) is accessible via the A40 and Eastern By-Pass or the A4074, while the M4 lies about 23 miles due south. Heathrow and Gatwick airports are easily accessible by road and train.
Not surprisingly, Oxfordshire is home to 72 independent preparatory and senior schools, whilst the surrounding counties also boast a wealth of excellent schools and colleges. Oxford itself, those ‘dreaming spires’, is of course world renowned and the City is itself an architectural and historic narrative of unparalleled importance.
A landscape so rich and panoramic is an appropriate host to a house itself steeped in historical references. Palladian principles inform a classic Georgian home, a form so quintessentially English, it characterises the very best in architectural design to this day.
The simple geometry and elegant symmetry of the external elevations are deliberate and allow maximum natural light to saturate the generous internal spaces, bringing the extraordinary landscape into the very heart of the home. As a structure, it is not simply a very powerful and beautiful statement in its own right, it is a statement that complements
the narrative of the environment it shares.
Description
Informed throughout by classical Georgian references, time-honoured craftsmanship sympathetically weaves into its fabric both traditional and modern materials, enhancing the charm and grandeur of this country home.
Externally, the strong blue-grey tones of a traditional Welsh slate roof contrast beautifully with the softness of the lime render. The wooden box-frame sliding sash windows are made by local joiners and hand painted. A broad stone portico frames the entrance, creating an impressive formal transition into the classically proportioned interior.
Internally, these Palladian proportions quickly become evident; high ceilings amplify the natural light and display the elegant detail of the plaster cornicing in the reception rooms. Further respecting the Georgian references, bespoke skirting, architraves and door linings complete the interior architectural detailing.
Impeccable attention to detail sets this home apart, with the finest sourcing of natural stone and wood flooring, detailed fireplace surrounds, traditionally crafted joinery and luxurious bathroom and kitchen fixtures and fittings.
Exemplifying a quintessentially English capacity to embrace the present while celebrating the past, the period detailing of the interiors blends seamlessly with the conveniences of modern living and technology. The home features underfloor heating on the ground floor, pre-wiring for Lutron and select audio-visual systems in several zones, and the provision for future commissioning of security and CCTV systems.
Honouring the commitment to quality and architectural integrity, Sherbourne Developments proudly specifies brands such as: Farrow & Ball • Paint Library • Stevensons of Norwich • Fullbrooks of England • Lapicida Artisans of Devizes • Fired Earth • Walking on Wood • Trunk Surfaces • Chesney’s English Fireplaces • Lefroy Brooks • Bard & Brazier • Victoria + Albert
Rights of way - There is a public right of way crossing the agricultural field to the south shown as dotted line on site plan
Services - Mains electricity and water. Air source heat pump backed up by oiled fired boiler.Private drainage by sewerage treatment plant.
Ten year warranty - The property will be independently surveyed during construction by surveyors who will issue a ten year warranty certificate, covered by BLP, upon satisfactory completion of the property.
Photos etc - The photographs show only certain parts of the property as they appeared at the time they were taken (February 2018). Areas, measurements and distances given are approximate only and subject to change before completion.
Regulations etc - Any reference to alterations to, or use of, any part of the property does not mean that any necessary planning, building regulations or other consent has been obtained. A buyer or lessee must find out by inspection or in other ways that these matters have been properly dealt with and that all information is correct.
Fixtures and Fittings - Only such items as are mentioned in these particulars are included in the sale
Square Footage: 8001 sq ft
Acreage: 15 Acres
Directions
Leave the A34 at the junction signposted to Oxford ring road and the A404 towards Reading. Take the turning to Boars Hill and Wootton. Proceed up Hinksey Hill and at the top of the hill turn right into Foxcombe Road. Turn right into Berkeley Road and then right into the Ridgeway. Follow the road and at the junction with Sandy Lane turn right, past the Scout Activity Centre and past the Carmelite Priory. The turning to Birch Copse is on the right (for sat-nav purposes please use OX1 5HA)
Marketed by: Savills, Summertown
Land Registry Data
- No historical data found.