Westridge, Highclere, Newbury

SELLER INSIGHT

We fell in love with the garden first, there's so much space for us all and we wanted our kids to have space to play and feel free. Back then, the house needed a lot of work, over time we've transformed it into the perfect family house. In the summer the garden is wonderful and winters are so cosy with the fire going. It's a great upstairs and downstairs house, it just works for all of us, all year.

This house has grown with us; we started our business here and always had a family dinner of an evening. We all congregated in the kitchen before and after school and work and there are always people coming and going. Our children's friends loved to visit and we've hosted more parties than we can count! We've had 60 for a champagne party and 30 for a sit-down meal. We love a themed party; Harry Potter with candles hanging everywhere, Olympics, Halloween, our son's 21st.... The adults flow between the kitchen, dining area and living room while the kids run between the playroom, their bedrooms and the garden room.

It's so homely here, there's a wonderful positive energy in this house, it's one of those homes where you want to be here, you don't really want to go out and our friends love coming here. It's also quite low maintenance; the garden doesn't take much time, and it's therapeutic when we do work out there because we're in a lovely quiet spot with no road pollution or traffic noise.

Our children have really benefited from growing up here, which is just what we hoped for. They went to Thorngrove School, which they could walk to, and were very happy there. Our daughter recently mentioned how lucky she feels to have grown up here, and they both have a love of the countryside from the freedom they had. Our children are happy and successful in their own right, this house and village have been a great springboard for them.

The quality of life here is perfect, it's a friendly community the transport links are brilliant. We can get to London, Bristol and the airports easily. This is paradise for cyclists and walker - barely any traffic, beautiful walks... We have free airshows courtesy of Battle Proms at Highclere Castle flying over the house!

Highclere is quite an active community, we have village fetes, Sunday School, kids parties (we cater for them!) almost every month there's something on. Westridge Studio and the village hall are both just down the road and have yoga, Pilates, movie nights and space to rent for private events. The Red House hosts a market every week. The church is very active and we have an older group of residents who look after the village, for example we have no cold calling. It's community minded here but also mindful of privacy, you can get involved or not, either way we're in safe hands, being protected.

Outside of the house we love The Vineyard, The Woodspeen, The Malverleys, The Jack Russell, Goat on the Roof, Dew Pond and The Red House. We go to The Red House every Christmas Eve, all the families we've known since our children were in school are there, it's a great afternoon.

We're downsizing now and hope to stay local, it's hard to beat this area!

ACCOMMODATION

GROUND FLOOR
The signature kitchen, living, dining room runs the whole length of the house. The kitchen has bespoke fitted units and a large island and an open seating area with double doors on to the patio. This leads to the conservatory dining area with space to seat 10. The dining area has wonderful views of the garden, making this whole area ideal for everyday life and dinner parties.

The living room is dual aspect with an open fireplace and plenty of room for large families. The music/playroom is also dual aspect with enough space for a play area and music practice or desks for homework.

Finishing the ground floor there's a big utility and boot room, plus a w.c.

FIRST FLOOR

The main suite has a generous double room with a leafy, private outlook, a dressing room with views of the gardens and a luxurious bathroom with a separate double shower.

There are 3 further double bedrooms, all with built-in wardrobes and beautiful outlooks. These are served by a family bathroom with separate shower.

GARDENS

The quiet, south facing back garden has plenty of space for children to play and adults to socialise and entertain. The back of the house has patio and gravelled areas with plenty of space for seating.

Hidden behind a hedge there's an orchard with a lovely garden room, ideal as a summer house, office or teenager's den. Along with providing fruit with space for a vegetable patch, this will make a perfect area for children to build tree-houses and play. There's also a former scout hut from 1907, now used as a shed.

To the front of the house, the private gravelled driveway leads around to the front of the house with parking for 6 cars and a double garage"

LOCATION

Highclere is a pretty, quiet village and an area of Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the north of Hampshire. This friendly community is popular with commuters for its perfect balance of countryside living and excellent local amenities and transport connections to London and nearby towns.

Collectively the village hall, Westridge Studio and The Red House hold regular activities and events including yoga, Pilates, movie nights, fetes and a weekly market. The church is very active with strong attendance and the village has a group of residents who support local initiatives.

Highclere Castle, now globally famous as the setting for Downton Abbey, is known for its beautiful architecture and grounds, and regular events including the spectacular annual Battle Proms concert.

In and around Highclere there are miles of beautiful countryside walks - this area was the setting for Watership Down - perfect for dog walkers or a walk to one of the highly rated pubs in the area.

The attractive market town of Newbury is 5 miles away, with a large range of independent and national shops, supermarkets, cinema, theatre, bars and restaurants. Markets are held weekly in the town square, along with feature and seasonal markets.

The Corn Exchange Theatre has a full schedule of plays, cinema nights and family events. The town square plays host to several events each year such as a Christmas parade, fire festival and art shows which are very well attended by local residents.

Drive in any direction and you'll find pretty villages and quintessential country pubs with fires roaring in the winter and views over the surrounding countryside, serving excellent Sunday roasts and gastro cuisine.

TRANSPORT LINKS

Road
A34: 1.9 miles
M4: 9 miles
Newbury - 5 miles
Train
Newbury - 5 miles - 12 minutes
Basingstoke - 18 miles - 30 minutes
Bus
Star Lane - 0.2 miles