London Road, Ascot

The Story

Sitting in their bright family room, with light pouring in through the large windows, the owners of Cranbrook consider the changes their Victorian home must have seen over the decades. "There was once a bakery in this house - one side of the building was a shop front," one of them explains. "This was where people in the area would come every day to buy their freshly baked breads. We have two outbuildings at the back of the house: one of these was where the flour and grain were kept and the other was the stable for the bakery's horse."

BEAUTIFULLY RENOVATED

The detached, four-bedroom house has been renovated by the couple in the time they have been there. "We bought it eight years ago because it was very attractive and still had period features," she recalls. "It gave us the space we were looking for and it had a large sunny garden, as well as the outbuildings, which offered lots of possibilities." Since then, they have updated Cranbrook from top to bottom. New hot water and heating systems have been installed, rooms have been opened up and spaces have been replastered and redecorated. "We removed walls to create one large reception room at the front of the house and we made a spacious kitchen breakfast room from a series of six smaller rooms."

BRIGHT AND INVITING

The aim, she emphasises, was to retain elements of the property's period style while also making it bright and inviting for modern day living. "We kept features such as cornices and coving, and we uncovered balustrades on the stairs, as well as two fireplaces that had been boarded over in bedrooms. We also exposed a vaulted ceiling in part of the kitchen." Original floorboards were uncovered, sanded and polished, and rooms were decorated in light, neutral shades. "We have also added period-style radiators and plantation shutters in many rooms, as well as chandeliers," she adds.

EASY LIVING

The red-brick property now offers excellent family living space. It is entered via a lobby, which leads through into the open-plan reception hall, drawing room and family room. "We love spending time in the drawing room, where have a nice three-seat sofa - this is a great social space." Further on, there is a ground floor bathroom, as well as the kitchen breakfast room, with its bi-folding doors on to the garden. "The kitchen is very contemporary, with a white quartz work surface, which was imported from Germany, a double Smeg oven and a Porcelanosa porcelain floor." All four double bedrooms are up on the first floor: "They are all very sunny," she observes. And, she says: "There is also space on this level for an additional bathroom to be added if required."

PRIVATE GARDEN

Cranbrook offers superb opportunities for indoor-outdoor living, says the owner. "We love sitting in the kitchen with the doors open when it is warm," she explains. "We can look out over the garden and in summer we pull our outdoor sofas right up and sit outside to watch television! The garden is very private and catches the sunshine all day. It is mature with some lovely shrubs and trees, and attracts lots of birds." She adds: "We have a nice apple tree that we discovered when we landscaped the garden after we had already moved here."

EXCELLENT LOCATION

The Ascot surroundings have also given them great pleasure. "We have enjoyed having the nature reserve right opposite and also being just down the road from the racecourse," says the owner. "There is always something happening down there - often very family friendly activities." It has been easy to walk to Ascot High Street and to head into Windsor for the afternoon; the new Lexicon centre in Bracknell is also a good place to go shopping. "We also have London on our doorstep," she adds. "We can walk to the train station from here and then be at Waterloo in 35 minutes." The current owners have had plans for the outbuildings to be converted: their idea was to have one as a one-bedroom, self-contained annexe and the other as a garden room. "But really they could be anything the next owners wanted to suit their own needs," she adds. "This is already a lovely house but there is still potential to take it further."

Agents Note

Bracknell Forest Council

Band G

Freehold.

Disclaimer

Chewton Rose Estate Agents is the seller's agent for this property. Your conveyancer is legally responsible for ensuring any purchase agreement fully protects your position. We make detailed enquiries of the seller to ensure the information provided is as accurate as possible. Please inform us if you become aware of any information being inaccurate.