House For Sale £1,350,000
Built in 1997 and in the same ownership since then, the house encompasses 3,450 sq ft, offering maximum space and flexibility for a growing family and a blank canvas for cosmetic tweaking or improvement if desired. It’s perfect for those looking for an idyllic countryside home or seeking to submerge themselves in the gentle buzz of this delightful horsey world.
At the heart of day-to-day life and extended seven years ago at the same time as all the bathrooms were updated, the sleek, contemporary 26x13ft kitchen/breakfast room adjoins a formal dining room and super-sized utility room , both measuring 13x13ft. If desired, it would be a straightforward matter (subject to Building Regulation approval) to knock through these three rooms to create the kind of enormous open-plan living space that modern families aspire to.
On the other side of the impressively spacious entrance hall, there’s a 20x15ft sitting room with a cosy adjoining snug and Victorian-style conservatory, a boot room and a future-proofed bedroom/home office next to a shower-room/cloakroom. Upstairs, the space and style continues throughout five lovely bedrooms, including an enormous principal suite, second ensuite bedroom and family bathroom.
And then, of course, there’s the stupendous wrap-round gardens which have been lovingly cultivated from scratch by the present owners and need to be seen to be believed. Add in a double garage with adjoining garden store and loads of parking space, and there really isn’t much more to want for.
Lambourn is a thriving village that offers all the necessities of everyday life – primary school, GP surgery, post office, supermarket, pubs, cafes, library, gym and takeaways are all here. For commuters, it’s just five miles to the M4, 8 miles to Hungerford 14 miles to Didcot, both with fast trains to London Paddington.
Please do step inside, and we’ll walk you round this superb property.
A feelgood home with so much to offer . . .
A five-bar timber gate swings open onto the driveway and a first glimpse of attractive, red-brick Setton House sitting centrally in the plot, surrounded by picture-perfect lawns and borders on all sides. There’s space to park at least six cards on the tarmac driveway and the front door nestles under a pillared porch and opens into an inner lobby.
First impressions count, and it’s rare to find one as striking as that yielded by the voluminous entrance hall of Setton House – yet it’s homely and welcoming, extending the depth of the house to the staircase and presenting an open book for styling as wished – perhaps some statement artwork, a console table or a grandfather clock to add a refined touch. There’s also a big built-in understairs cupboard.
To the left, a double set of glass doors open into the snug, which could be ideal for grown-ups to chill out with their own TV in peace, tucked away from the family hubbub! A similar set of doors lead through to the expansive, triple-aspect sitting room which is exceptionally light and bright and the perfect place for family gatherings or entertaining friends, warmed by the LPG fire (it could alternatively be fitted with a woodburning stove). Setton House has oil-fired central heating.
Year-round relaxation with a beautiful view is guaranteed in the adjoining Victorian-style conservatory, which has French doors onto that dazzling garden.
Completing the line-up to the left of the hall is a 10x10ft bedroom with a modern shower-room next to it.
Cross the hall and step into the dining room, to the front of the house, or the utility room to the rear with masses of space for washing machine and dryer and fitted with a duo of integral upright John Lewis freezers. Behind this is a big boot room with built-in cupboards – ideal for disposing of post-ramble muddy boots or gardening gear and rubbing down grubby dogs before they get into the house!
And then we are in the extended contemporary streamlined Kessler kitchen/breakfast room flooded with light via a trio of windows at the kitchen end and French doors onto the garden terrace at the other and fitted with extensive wall and base units together with a large central island. There’s an array of integral appliances including wall-mounted double oven, induction hob, full-height fridge and dishwasher, all by Neff, top-quality HI-MACS worktops and practical Karndean floor tiles.
This is definitely a cook’s kitchen, with everything stylishly and neatly to hand, but it’s also a convivial hub of everyday life with plenty of space for a dining table and chairs or benches. It’s perfect for casual family meals, for the children to do their homework, or playing board games. With the views and French doors linking to the garden, it’s a lovely spot whatever the season.
Time for bed
Climb the curved staircase to the spacious landing and prepare to be blown away by the glamorous double-aspect principal bedroom with en-suite bathroom. It extends to an amazing 21x18ft with a bank of fitted wardrobes and an alcove under a window that’s just the place for the fitted dressing table. You don’t see such generous proportions that often, making this wonderfully light and airy haven the stuff of dreams!
And it doesn’t stop there – the second bedroom is an equally impressive 18x17ft with an en-suite shower room. Guests will revel in luxury, or it’s a fabulous retreat for one very lucky youngster or big enough for two to share! Two further identical 15x10ft double bedrooms, a single bedroom and a family bathroom with cast iron bath and separate shower complete the first-floor line-up.
The garden of your dreams
The talented green-fingered current owners have been meticulously cultivating and tending their impeccable gardens to their own original design over the past 26 years – and it is truly a work of art!
It encircles the house and is divided into several separate areas, all featuring immaculate sweeping lawns and including one that’s especially suitable for children’s ball games. Specimen mature trees are dotted amid the lawns and are joined by an amazing collection of ornamental shrubs among the many borders – bright with flowers in the summertime, but entirely beautiful all-year-round.
Obviously, this garden is sure to be the envy of friends and you can showcase it with pre-dinner drinks or al fresco meals on a patio immediately behind the kitchen/breakfast room or second terrace to the left of the conservatory – both designed to make the most of the sunshine at different times of the day. There’s an ornamental pond with a bench and shady bower and so much variety and interest that you could never tire of pottering in this glorious green oasis.
A vegetable garden is another feature of Setton House’s gardens with cordon fruit trees separating it from the remainder of the garden, fruit bushes protected by cages and a greenhouse for bringing on seedlings.
Irrigation pipes for automatic watering are a welcome addition in this large cultivated garden.
Round and about
After Newmarket, Lambourn is the largest centre of racehorse training in the UK – holding a subtle glamour all of its own. It’s a thriving community centred round the carefully managed gallops.
On Good Friday each year more than 25 trainers open up their stableyards to the public with the chance to meet the racehorses and chat with the staff. The village also has an annual carnival and village show.
Lambourn has a good range of shops, including a Co-op food store, pubs, cafes and so on. Nearby, the Queens Arms at East Garston and The Plough at Eastbury (within walking distance) and slightly further afield, The Fox at Peasemore, are recommended as great places to eat.
The nearest towns are Wantage, Hungerford, Newbury and Marlborough with shopping and leisure options and a range of supermarkets including Waitrose. Trips out and about might take you to the National Trust’s Ashdown House or the iconic White Horse Hill.
Lambourn CE Primary School is minutes away while the nearest secondary schools are found in Wantage and Hungerford. Independent schools include Pinewood, near Swindon, Marlborough College and St Hugh’s, Faringdon.
Lambourn has a history dating back at least 6,000 years with 137 listed buildings and 21 Scheduled monuments and a grade one listed church at the centre of the village. In this the North Wessex Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the downs beckon at the end of the lane – here you can ramble, jog or cycle while revelling in the peace and loveliness, perhaps occasionally broken by the exciting rumble of galloping racehorses.
For commuters, it’s five miles from junction 14 of the M4 motorway and there are train stations at Swindon and Didcot, with connecting trains at nearby Hungerford. It’s just over an hour’s journey to
FINER DETAILS:
Square Footage: Main House: 3050 sq ft / 283 sq mtr
Garage: 399 sq ft / 37.1 sq mtr
Total: 3450 sq ft / 320.5 sq mtr
Distances: London 70 miles (M4 Junction 14/15 9.8 miles)
Heathrow 55 miles
Newbury 14 miles
Oxford 24 miles
Hungerford 8 miles
Trains: Hungerford – London Paddington – journey time approximately 50 minutes
Newbury – London Paddington – journey time approximately 41 minutes
Council Tax: West Berkshire Council – westberks.gov.uk
Heating: Oil-fired central heating with condensing boiler
Tenure: Freehold with vacant possession and no onward chain
EPC: E
What3Words: ///mountains.happily.bikers
