Arlescote House Arlescote • WARWICKSHIRE/OXFORDSHIRE BORDER Arlescote House Arlescote • WARWICKSHIRE/OXFORDSHIRE BORDER Banbury 7 miles (London/Marylebone via rail from 54 minutes), Leamington Spa 14 miles, Warwick 15 miles, Stratford-upon-Avon 15 miles, M40 (J11) 9 miles, London 80 miles Distances and times approximate A magical house with historical charm Reception hall, drawing room, dining room, sitting room, study, family room, kitchen and breakfast room, laundry room, utility room, boot room, two cloakrooms Principal bedroom suite comprising bedroom one, dressing room, bathroom. Five further en suite bedrooms, two further bedrooms, two further bathrooms. 1st floor billiard room, 2nd floor sitting room Landscaped formal gardens. Vegetable garden. Walled garden with outdoor heated swimming pool. Hard tennis court. Two pavilions. Canals (former moat) Range of outbuildings including four-bay garage, three stables, tack room, hay loft, log store, plant room, wine store Two-bedroom coach house with garage and store Paddock grazing. In all approx 18.78 acres Savills Banbury Savills Country Department 36 South Bar, Banbury OX16 9AE 33 Margaret Street, London W1G 0JD Tel. 01295 228010 Tel. 020 7409 8856 Contact: Nick Rudge Contact: Giles Lawton [email protected] [email protected] www.savills.co.uk Your attention is drawn to the important notice on the last page of the text THE LOCAL AREA Situation Arlescote House is situated on the edge of the hamlet of Arlescote, backing onto beautiful rolling countryside on the Warwickshire and Oxfordshire border. Arlescote is made up of a handful of properties, many of which have been sympathetically updated and renovated. Local Amenities Arlescote is an extremely sought after very well presented hamlet situated about 7 miles north west of Banbury. Ratley only 1.5 miles offers a traditional public house, The Rose and Crown, veterinary practice and village hall. Warmington only 2.5 miles has a village shop, post office, public house and popular farm shop (Carpenters Farm Shop). Other local amenities can be found at Kineton (3 miles) including a local butcher, grocer, doctors surgery and hardware store. There is a riding school in the nearby village of Radway (1.7 miles) and footpaths across to the Avon Dasset Hills. The larger towns of Banbury (7 miles), Leamington Spa (14 miles), Stratford-upon-Avon (15 miles) and Warwick (15 miles) offer a wider range of sporting and leisure activities, shops, restaurants and theatre. Banbury has a large shopping centre and a number of supermarkets including Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Waitrose has recently opened in south Oxfordshire at Stratford-upon-Avon. Also within easy driving distance are Bicester village and Oxford. The area is abundant with local pubs. Recreation There are several golf clubs nearby in Drayton and Leamington Spa. The house is surrounded by miles of countryside, ideal for walking. For those with equestrian interests there is hunting with the Warwickshire Foxhounds, polo at Kirtlington and Southam, and racing at Stratford, Warwick and Cheltenham. There is also the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon, with further theatres at Chipping Norton and Oxford. Communications Connections by road and rail are excellent with Junction 11 of the M40 (9 miles) providing easy access to London, Birmingham and Oxford. For rail transport the closest station is at Banbury (7 miles) which provides regular direct services to London Marylebone and Birmingham, both from 52 minutes. Education The area is well served by schools. Locally there is a primary school at Tysoe. Independent schools include Tudor Hall, Kitebrook House, Bloxham, Sibford, Kingham Hill, The Croft, St Johns Priory (Banbury) and Winchester House. Further afield are Stowe, Rugby, Kings High School and Warwick Boys, plus numerous schools in and around the university city of Oxford including The Dragon, Summer Fields, St Edwards, Radley and Cothill. There are also grammar schools at Stratford-upon-Avon. Historical Note Arlescote House was largely built in the 17th Century – the principal part in 1625 and then enlarged in 1685 and 1710. Inigo Jones, who was working in the area at the time of the earlier modelling, is thought to have lent his skill and expertise to the attractive frontage of the house. The first battle of the Civil War in 1642 was fought at Edgehill and King Charles I’s two sons, the then Prince of Wales (aged 12) and Duke of York (aged 9) stayed at the house with their tutor during the battle. Arlescote House Arlescote House stands in a fine south-facing position overlooking rolling Warwickshire countryside. The house is constructed of Hornton stone under a hipped Stonesfield slate covered roof with squared 19th Century chimneys. The property’s historical 17th Century architecture accounts for its attractive symmetrical facade which brings with it both elegance and generous proportions. It benefits from mullioned windows, some shuttered sash windows with hooded moulds, numerous working fireplaces, flagstone floors, panelling, panelled internal doors with delicate door furniture, window seats, exposed timbers, deep window boards and elegant oak staircase. Between 2004 and 2005 the house was extensively upgraded and modernised particularly the heating, electrics, bathrooms, plumbing, alterations to the Brew House and the construction of the garages and stables, all providing for a 21st century home amongst it’s 17th century age and charm. A key attribute to the house is its elegant proportions which offer light and airy principal rooms ideal for families and entertaining. Accommodation The front door leads to a porch which opens into the reception hall. From here there are doors to the guest cloakroom, the sitting room (known as the parlour) with pretty stone fireplace with club fender, panelling throughout with display alcove and enjoys a dual aspect to the front and side. The drawing room (known as the hall) is at the centre of the original house and very much underpins the property’s grandeur, as this was quite probably the main hall indicated by the part glazed door to the front flanked by elegant mullion windows. Again, like the sitting room, the drawing room is panelled and has the benefit of an impressive fireplace, exposed timbers, a number of window seats with a glorious view over the gardens to the front. The room enjoys considerable light and whilst a comfortable drawing room is ideal as an impressive entertaining hub of the house. From here the elegant principal oak staircase rises to the first floor. The dining room is a spacious and elegant room with excellent ceiling height and oak floorboards with aspect and door to the garden to rear. The study (known as the library), positioned on the southern elevation, has a pretty open stone fireplace, extensive fitted bookshelves and cupboards and offers a peaceful vantage point with views over the gardens to the front. From here there is a door to an inner lobby where there is access to the garden to the front and the secondary staircase. From the inner lobby a door leads to the Brew House which includes the kitchen and breakfast room, which is very much the heart of the house and ideal for modern day purchasers, being of generous proportions with a range of base and eye-level units, granite work surfaces, stone floor, island with cupboards and drawers, and a 4-oven oil-fired Aga. The kitchen is fitted with a 4-ring halogen hob, integrated twin electric ovens and dishwasher. This room enjoys a dual aspect and door to the laundry room (known as the garden room) offering plenty of storage and door to the gardens at the rear. From the kitchen and breakfast room a door leads into the family room, which is dual aspect and has an open fireplace. This room is ideal for an everyday room for a large family or a playroom for younger children. From here there is a door to a pantry. For a house of this size there is the added benefit of a utility room and boot room with stone floors, extensive built-in cupboards, space and plumbing for washing machine, dual Belfast sink and drying racks. There are doors to the stable yard to the western elevation and cloakroom two. Due to the property’s configuration, it very much has a family feel to it, with the formal entertaining reception room to the east and the more informal day to day living around the kitchen and breakfast room to the west. Elegant principal oak stairs rise from the drawing room to a large landing with views to the front and built-in display shelves. The principal stairs continue to the 2nd floor. To the east is the principal bedroom suite comprising bedroom one with open fireplace and dual aspect, dressing room with open fireplace, fitted out with wardrobes, inner landing and en suite bath/shower room, which has a pair of wash hand basins and a separate WC. To the west of the main landing are two guest bedrooms, one of which has an en suite bathroom. From both rooms there are doors to an inner landing from where there are steps down to a further landing. From here there is a further en suite bedroom and family bathroom, billiard room and secondary staircases descending to the kitchen and breakfast room and ascending to a further en suite bedroom. The 2nd floor offers generously proportioned bedrooms with two en suite bathrooms. There is a useful sitting room and further bedroom with built-in wardrobe. This floor lends itself to teenagers, working from home or integral au pair flat. ARLescoTE HOUSE Gross internal area ( approx ) :- Main House: 723 sq m / 7,783 sq ft Outbuildings: 189 sq m / 2,035 sq ft Coach House: 160 sq m / 1,723 sq ft Total: 1,072 sq m / 11,541 sq ft For identification only.