Bainton Road, Bucknell

A really interesting detached house with Scandi design influences, requiring some updating. Large living & dining rooms linked by two pairs of double doors, four double bedrooms, internal double garage (conversion?), & lovely gardens, set in a delightful village a few miles from Bicester. NO CHAIN.

Bucknell is a lovely village of less than three hundred people, set in a village that feels completely removed from the hurly-burly of modern life but is actually less than three miles from Bicester. The main amenity in the village is a rather fine and very popular gastro pub, the Trigger Pond, which has a huge garden/outside dining space for summer meals. In addition there is a charming church and also a village hall running film nights and other events that are always popular. A children's playing field sits nearby, with climbing frames etc. It's a lovely place to live, a good retreat from the main run of commuting but still close to it all.

The Maple is an increasingly rare find. Owned by the current family since new in the early 1970s, it feels in so many ways like a throwback to that time. This is not a bad thing as it's a very practical house that's also interesting, with lots of Scandi-style wood panelling and large, welcoming rooms beautifully lit through large windows. It has also had upgrades over the years ranging from a more modern recent kitchen to double glazing, hence it is ready to move straight in. Whether the new user preserves the original style or entirely modernises it, the start point of a large, four bedroom, detached house with double garage in a mature plot, within a splendid village that is particularly well thought of, is a really great opportunity.

At the front of the house, a part glazed front door sits recessed under a deep open porch. Thereafter a cloakroom sits on the left. This has been fitted with a walk-in shower, and a second door connects it to the kitchen behind. Continue along the hallway, and after another door the hall widens across the house at the base of a fantastic, open tread staircase that literally floats, turning back on itself halfway up, lit by a large window.

From the hall take the left into the kitchen. This is a good size, with units much more recently fitted that run around two sides of the room. There’s plenty of space in here for a breakfast table as well as fridge freezer. At the rear it is separated via a timber-clad wall from a very pleasant dining room beyond, that it could potentially be combined with if desired. More of that same Scandi-influenced panelling runs across the left-hand side, interspersed by two large windows, and at the very end glazed sliding doors look out to the wonderful garden behind.

This is clearly a house that was designed for entertaining and inclusivity as there are two pairs of glazed doors leading into the living room. It's an interesting and large room, complete with a fireplace to the far wall that features a rather unusual broad copper hood set against a brick surround. The panelling continues, this time also including a timbered ceiling which feels very correct in this space. In addition to the extensive living space, as the double garage is accessed internally from here, its ample proportions could easily be converted to provide significant extra accommodation if required.

From the hall, heading up those wonderful stairs brings you to the wide landing above. It’s such a generous area that there are fitted bookcases on both sides at the far end, with various tables, ornaments etc around, still leaving more than ample room to spare to traverse. As elsewhere, there seems to be light bouncing in from all sides, giving it a great feeling of positivity. Ahead, at the far end, the bathroom continues the 1970s style. Windows on two sides ensure it's beautifully lit. The basin sits in a broad vanity unit under which is ample cupboard storage space. And, very much of its time, the bath is deep set between timber uprights which offer ample shelves for storage. The airing cupboard just next door also contains the hot water tank.

There are four bedrooms, all of which are very good sizes. Look left from the stairs and the first is an ample double, with a pleasing outlook through a broad window across the mature front garden towards some very pretty stone village houses beyond. Next door, another bedroom is similarly proportioned, here set up as a study. It enjoys the same view.

On the opposite side of the landing, the first on the left is so spacious that it currently hosts a large double bed, a number of chairs, side table, chest, and a wardrobe with plenty of room to spare! In this case, the view swaps to the rear garden, thoroughly charming with trees and pretty flowers in all directions. And the last of the bedrooms is arguably the best. The proportions are wonderful, housing the largest of beds with masses of space to spare. It is also double aspect, hence the light and the outlook are both maximised to a very pleasing degree.

Turning to the outside, the house sits well back from the sleepy village road, behind a very generous block-paved driveway which is gated, providing secure parking for a number of vehicles, in addition to which the double garage sits to the rear. The rest of the frontage is flanked by a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and flowers that meander around the borders. There is also a shed nestling in the right hand corner by the garage, providing useful storage for bikes etc.

A path to the left-hand side of the house brings you to the rear garden. This is such a pretty and lovely space! Clearly, the owners have spent many decades fine tuning what is today a place of peace and relaxation at all times of year. The area immediately behind the house is initially lawned, thereafter replaced with a terrace that wraps round a central planted bed, a riot of colour with roses and other flowers. All around the edges of the garden, trees, hedging and a wide variety of flowers exhort you to relax and unwind. It is secluded and very private, and yet it is also extremely light and welcoming.