UK Property News

At the heart of the village

Located in the heart of Ovington opposite the church, The Old Rectory is a beautiful Grade II Listed period house. Boasting well proportioned family accommodation of the highest quality the property sits well within spacious south facing gardens in this beautiful location in the Itchen Valley.

An elegant reception hall welcomes visitors to this beautiful home and three formal reception rooms are all superbly proportioned. The family living space centres around the excellent kitchen which has a breakfast room on one side and French doors opening to a wonderful conservatory on the other, extending to almost 30’ and also connecting with the dining room. Off the rear hall is a utility room, cloakroom and walk-in store. Steps lead down from the hall to the basement which could be utilised for either a games room or study.

On the first floor is a most impressive master bedroom suite with large adjoining bathroom with separate shower. There are four further double bedrooms on this floor and a further bathroom. From the landing a secondary staircase rises to two attic rooms, one of which has an adjoining bathroom.

The property is approached over a gravel driveway which leads along the northern side of the property to a parking and turning area to the rear, adjacent to a detached double garage and stabling. The gardens lie predominantly to the southern side of the house and are the perfect setting with mature planting and with views towards the church.

The village of Ovington, which is in the South Downs National Park, is surrounded by magnificent open countryside and is famed for its chalk stream trout fishing, excellent walking and riding. The nearby market town of Alresford provides shopping and recreational facilities, with the city of Winchester with……

Fantastic townhouse adjacent to the Arbour

Forming part of an exclusive conversion of a former Victorian hospital close to the centre of Winchester, this fantastic townhouse offers versatile accommodation perfect for a permanent home, or city bolt hole. Converted in 2003 and believed to date back to the 1830s, the property has retained its original character with tall ceilings and large sash windows which combine to create a light and airy atmosphere.

Arranged over three floors, the house has a bright kitchen/breakfast room with lovely French doors opening to the south facing courtyard garden. The room is well fitted and through the summer months it is easy to imagine spilling out into the paved garden to enjoy alfresco meals. On the other side of the entrance hall is a dining room or study which has windows to the front and rear. There is also a ground floor cloakroom.

The wide staircase rises to the first floor where the sitting room has sash windows to the front and rear and on the opposite side of the landing is a bedroom with its own shower room.

The largest bedroom lies on the top floor from where there are lovely views from this elevated position over the grounds and beyond the city towards the Downs. The third bedroom looks across to the Arbour and there is a shared bathroom between these rooms.

An area of garden at the front is enclosed by railings and this is an ideal low maintenance arrangement which is the perfect backdrop for seasonal plants in pots. The larger courtyard at the rear has the sunny aspect and again has been designed with minimal maintenance for an easy lifestyle.

The house has an allocated parking space and there is visitor parking within the development.

An appointment to……

Layout offers versatility on the ground floor

For those needing to live on a single level, this detached chalet style home in Kings Worthy could be the answer. Although there are three lovely bedrooms and two bathrooms on the first floor, there is also a double bedroom, adjacent study and a shower room on the ground floor which are endlessly versatile.

This additional ground floor space does not compromise the living accommodation, however, with a sitting room extending 20’ into the large bay window to the front with views over farmland, a very well fitted kitchen/breakfast room and a separate dining room with doors from the kitchen and from the hall.

The bedrooms on the first floor all have built in wardrobes with the largest room being dual aspect and enjoying countryside views, together with the benefit of its own bathroom. The main shower room has recently been refitted and is smartly presented.

At the front of the property, the driveway leads off Springvale Road and provides plenty of parking as well as a garage with the garden extending to both sides and accessible from the utility room and also via French doors from the kitchen. On one side is a private courtyard designed for low maintenance whilst at the other is a lawn with an open aspect but this could be enclosed by hedging or a fence.

Kings Worthy is a popular village just a few miles from Winchester and there is a regular bus service to the city. Locally there are good amenities with a convenience store, doctor’s surgery, public houses, garden centre and the village primary school has received a good rating from Ofsted.

Chris Pickard of Goadsby says: “This property is surprisingly spacious with lots of ground floor accommodation providing a flexible layout for……

Situated in a beautifully tucked away position amongst half acre, private grounds, a stunning architect designed residence originally constructed in 1929, which has been sympathetically and thoughtfully extended by the current owners who have resided at the property since 1998.  The property also benefits from a superb oak framed barn of 1568 sq ft, which was built in 2003, currently used as a home office but offers superb potential to be used as a three-bedroom annexe.

The house extends in total to 4550 sq ft and is well proportioned throughout with four generous reception rooms, in addition to a superb live in kitchen/breakfast room.   The drawing room is dual aspect and centres of an open ‘Jetmaster’ fire and leads through to the superb conservatory via double doors. The kitchen has beautiful travertine flooring and is fitted with ample oak wall and base units with granite worktops, a Rangemaster cooker, Franke sink and a range of Neff integrated appliances and leads into the generous breakfast room which has an oak floor, wood burning stove and bi-fold doors to the gardens. 

Both the Dining Room and Family Room are dual aspect with oak flooring; the family room has bi fold doors leading to the garden terrace and is fitted with a bar area. Upstairs are six bedrooms, all of which are of double proportions, three with ensuite facilities and two with dressing rooms. In addition, there is a family bathroom and ground floor shower room.

The property is approached via an unmade lane which leads to a private shingle driveway providing ample parking and leads to a double garage which is integral to the barn.  Planning permissions are approved for an additional oak framed double garage in the grounds.  The gardens surround the property extending to over half an acre in total and are……

Don’t put your sale on hold

At this time of year house sellers often face a dilemma. Should they wait until after the holiday season before they put their home on the market? Or, if they are going on holiday themselves, should they put everything on hold and potentially risk losing a buyer while they are away?

Oliver Fowler, Branch Manager of Connells in Winchester has no doubts: “The local property market is extremely active at the moment, with most homes selling quickly and achieving excellent prices. However, there is still a significant imbalance between the number of people looking to buy and properties for sale, so we don’t expect to see a slowdown in activity over the summer.

“Provided your estate agent is fully aware of your holiday plans, knows how to contact you and can gain access to your property, then I would certainly advise sellers to keep their property on the market.”

The local branch is advising home sellers to follow just a few simple guidelines if they have plans to go away this summer:

– Notify your estate agent of your holiday dates well in advance

– Give your agent a set of house keys and talk through security, access and viewing arrangements whilst you are away

– Ask your travel agent for a contact number at your holiday destination or check that your mobile will work abroad and you will have reception

– Pass on these numbers to your estate agent, along with the times you will be available to take a call.

– Even if you can’t be contacted you can still leave specific instructions in writing with your estate agent and legal representatives about what offer may be acceptable.

“Whether you are going away or not, there’s no reason to delay……

An amazing Georgian country house which has flexible living areas, landscaped gardens, far reaching views and excellent commuting links has become available on the rental market.

Approached by a long, sweeping driveway, St Pauls House is an impressive sight. Built in the 17th century, the house has an abundance of history and unique features characteristic of its period and later position as a Georgian Vicarage. Improvements in 2010 including sustainable technology and a further modern wing have made St Pauls a characterful and practical home.

A fine entrance hall leads to a well equipped kitchen opens to the dining room and a family area which has French doors to a covered loggia. Each of the formal reception rooms; the drawing room, sitting room and study, has an open fireplace with original surround, and stunning views of the surrounding grounds framed by shuttered sash windows. A stone spiral staircase at the rear connects each floor of the house and provides access to a versatile basement with boiler room and gym.

On the first floor is a triple aspect master suite with its own bathroom, five further bedrooms, three en suites and a family bathroom. On the second floor is the seventh bedroom, with adjacent shower room, which enjoys breath-taking panoramic views.

A separate coach house provides perfect accommodation for staff or guests, with a kitchenette, bedroom, shower room and plenty of storage. Additionally it offers a three car garage and a splendid rotunda wine store with a domed roof

Landscaped mature gardens surround with mature oak, horse chestnut and walnut trees featuring. A series of garden rooms complement the more formal garden; including a sunken terrace with ornamental pond, herb garden, rose garden, ornamental vegetable and cutting garden, while clipped hedges and box balls complete the refined presentation of this extensive……