South Hidden Farm, Shefford Woodlands, Berkshire, RG17

Why We Love South Hidden Farm

Set in glorious countryside with exhilarating views across the Lambourn valley as far as the eye can see, this enchanting former farmhouse is perfectly private and pretty as a picture.

Immaculately presented it is the ideal family home or weekend hideaway.

South Hidden Farm is set on a hill between the villages of Shefford Woodland and Great Shefford. The house is accessed via a long farm track which bestows both privacy and a pleasing sense of suspense. The driveway leads off the track, through an avenue of pear trees and a walled gateway into a gravelled courtyard with plenty of parking at the back of the house.

The main house itself is Grade II listed and dates from the 17th Century with 18th and 19th Century extensions. It is constructed from a decorative mix of timber frame with brick infill, and knapped flint with brick dressings and a hipped tile roof, typical of period houses in this area. The whole house has been beautifully renovated in a sympathetic and timelessly traditional style and very well maintained throughout with lovely period features on show alongside modern comforts. 

Main House

The main door opens into an entrance hallway flagged in limestone with sight through to the garden beyond. To one side there is a cosy sitting room with fireplace, next to a separate study with built in bookshelves and French windows onto the garden. A formal drawing room with exposed beams, an impressive inglenook fireplace, and a pretty window seat is located on the other side of the hall. The large and light-filled triple aspect family kitchen/dining room with limestone flagged floor forms the centre of the house. The dining area has ample space for a very large dining table, a fireplace with elegant limestone chimneypiece and French windows leading out to an outdoor dining terrace. The handmade fitted kitchen has been expertly finished and sociably configured in a peninsula shape, with high quality appliances and substantial storage, including a walk-in pantry. A large utility room with practical overhead washing rack and a cloakroom sit next to the back hall behind the kitchen.

The principal bedroom with inbuilt cupboards and a large adjoining bathroom with marble lined bath and separate shower is located on the first floor. Two further well-sized double bedrooms, each with their own bathroom sit across the landing. A double guest bedroom with smart adjoining shower room is accessed via a separate staircase off the back hall. The second floor is up in the eaves and holds a further bedroom and bathroom with lovely, exposed beams, as well as a large storage cupboard. 

Garden Cottage

South Hidden Farm comes with a charming period red brick cottage in the garden, providing a great set up for ancillary accommodation or additional space for guests. The cottage is in the orchard surrounded by greenery and comprises an entrance hall, a galley kitchen and a sitting room on the ground floor and two double bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor.

Gardens and Grounds

The 3.78 acres of glorious gardens at South Hidden were laid out by renowned garden designer and plantswoman Posy Gentles 12 years ago and they have since matured under her expert eye into a delightfully informal refuge which connects seamlessly with the character of the house. 

The plot is idyllically situated on top of a hill and surrounded by farmland, making it a very private spot with exceptional views right across the Lambourn valley below. The garden combines structural planting with lawns and borders, with more informal areas left to long grass and wildflowers, including native orchids. There is a recently laid terrace which affords wonderful views over the garden, paddock and beyond. There is also a vegetable garden with raised beds, an established orchard, and a tennis court. Outbuildings in the form of a barn and a field shelter provide useful additional storage space.

Living in West Berkshire

Hungerford 4 miles | Newbury 10 miles 

Wantage 11 miles | Marlborough 14 miles | Cheam 15 miles 

M4 (J14) 1.5 miles 

South Hidden Farm is idyllically situated overlooking the attractive rolling countryside of the Lambourn Downs in the heart of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, stretching from the Ridgeway in the north to the River Kennet in the south. 

The house is just outside the hamlet of Shefford Woodland with a great pub The Pheasant Inn, and the pretty village of Great Shefford, which includes a village shop, a post office and a primary school and a garage. A wider range of leisure and shopping facilities is available in the nearby market towns of Hungerford and Newbury. 

There is excellent walking country right on the doorstep with miles of footpaths, bridleways, and cycle routes and lovely traditional villages with some fantastic local pubs close by such as The Queens Head in East Garston and The Plough in Eastbury. Award-winning restaurant the Woodspeen and the newly opened Malverleys farm shop and restaurant are a short drive away.

The area is renowned for its chalk streams with the rivers Kennett, and Lambourn attracting abundant wildlife and fly fishermen alike with their crystal-clear waters. There are plenty of other sporting opportunities nearby, with racing at Newbury, hunting with The Old Berks and The Vine and Craven, shooting with local sporting clubs and estates, and golf at Newbury, Chaddleworth, Frilford Heath and Marlborough.

First Rate Transport Links

Regular high speed train services to London Paddington from Hungerford (50 Minutes), Newbury (50 minutes), and Didcot (45 minutes). 

(Distances & times approximate)

The area is extremely well connected with a fast train service from Hungerford or Newbury into London Paddington taking as little as 50 minutes, and the M4 corridor is easily accessible providing excellent links to London and the national road network. 

Fantastic Schools

It is also perfectly placed for a wide choice of great schools. Local primary schools include Great Shefford, Lambourn, Welford and Chaddleworth. There is a choice of St. Bartholomews or Park House in Newbury. Private schools in the area include Cheam, St Gabriel's, Horris Hill, Brockhurst and Marlston House, Elstree, Farleigh, Marlborough College, Radley, Downe House and Bradfield College. 

Chapters past

Valley of the Racehorse

The Lambourn valley is steeped in ancient history and rich in archaeological sites, including Waylands Smithy and the Seven Barrows, which provide evidence of human activity here stretching right back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. The valley inspired local John Betjemen’s poem Upper Lambourn, and impressed J. R. R. Tolkien, who lived nearby and visited the downs on a number of occasions, painting Lambourn church in 1912 and finding himself particularly drawn to the local sarsen stones, barrows and hill forts. 

The area is perhaps known best for its historic association with horse racing and breeding, with Lambourn known as the “Valley of the Racehorse.” The racing connection stretches at least as far back as 1731, when William Craven, 3rd Baron Craven started the Lambourn Racehorse meetings on his property near Ashdown House. His brother Fulwar, the 4th Baron Craven, was a founder member of The Jockey Club and founded the Craven Hunt in 1740 with his successors the following Earls of Craven going on to further develop the sport in the area over subsequent generations. 

Owned by the Nugent Family since the 1930s, and purchased by Jockey Club Estates in 2006, the Mandown Gallops in Upper Lambourn have produced many National Hunt and Flat champions trained by the likes of Fulke Walwyn, Fred Winter, Peter Nelson, Peter Walwyn, Jenny Pitman and Nicky Henderson.