House For Sale £1,650,000
Lowmans is a stupendous family-sized home, with lots of flexibility and scope – a lock-up-and-leave weekend/holiday escape from the city or an AirBnB-style rental are two options that come to mind.
Size is showpieced here and the focus is the 46x16ft lounge, with enormous inglenook fireplace, which flows seamlessly into the 23x16ft dining room – both are flooded with light via bifold doors to one of Lowmans’ chic garden terraces – this place is perfect for all-year-round entertaining.
Loads of space too in the bright and cheerful 20x16ft farmhouse-style kitchen/breakfast room, again with a bank of bifold doors, while the principal bedroom suite is privately and peacefully located at the end of the lounge ‘wing’, tucked away from the rest of the house.
With paved parking for multiple cars in front of a triple carport, an acre of gardens and a luxe covered hot tub, Lowmans is a winner in both specification and desirable Vale of White Horse location.
Blewbury is a welcoming, lively community with Tudor timbered and thatched heritage properties at its heart, plus all the village necessities from primary school to family-friendly pub.
And you’re cosily ensconced within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a stone’s throw from the Ridgeway Path on the Oxfordshire/Berkshire border, so first-class walking, riding and cycling is a given. Let’s explore Lowmans further . . .
A rural idyll with space, scope and style
The double arched oak front doors are tucked away under a pretty porch with a clock turret on the roof above and they swing open into the gorgeous oak-floored dining room which sweeps open-plan to the lounge. It’s a huge, impressive timber-vaulted space which manages to combine the vast amount of room with a warm and comfortable vibe. And it offers total flexibility – you can have the biggest dining table and chairs, enormous squashy sofas, a massive wall-mounted TV. The choice, of course, is yours and the options are endless.
The enormous red-brick inglenook fireplace in the lounge is a real showstopper; fitted with a woodburner for winter warmth, there’s enough space in the 18ft alcove to tuck a comfy chair on either side – really cosy. There’s gas central heating throughout Lowmans and a nifty extra is a Duovac internal hoover system.
Cross the big internal hallway, with cloakroom/WC to the side, to an utterly charming home study – the walls of which are beautifully adorned with hand-painted murals of the much-loved characters imagined by author and cartoonist, Dr. Seuss. The perfect hub for young children or those with creative minds, this welcoming room invites you to blissfully explore your imagination and even comes complete with its very own hot air balloon basket!
When food calls, wander to the kitchen/breakfast room which is fitted with hand-made cream farmhouse-style units, an AGA stove with gas hob, electric ovens and copper splashback, big central island with space for four bar stools, twin sinks and ceramic tiled floor. With a trio of windows to one side, bifold doors to the other and splashes of red in the wall tiles, this is a sunny, feelgood space that’s the natural heart of the home.
All the laundry appliances, including a built-in ironing board, can be tucked away in the roomy utility room, and there’s a big walk-in pantry. There’s also a double-aspect study.
And so to bed . . .
A haven of self-contained privacy with its own decked and covered veranda, the principal bedroom has an en-suite bathroom with Velux windows, dressing room and its own cosy snug for relaxing with a book or watching TV in peace.
The hot tub garden terrace divides this wing of the home from the second bedroom wing which has two generously proportioned bedrooms accessed from a corridor with French doors to the garden and Velux windows overhead. Merging indoors with outdoors is a feature of Lowmans with both bedrooms featuring French doors to the garden terraces. There’s also a family bathroom with bath tub featuring waterfall shower and steam jets.
The fourth bedroom offers flexibility of use, within the house but positioned a little away from the remainder and with exterior access. It’s currently used as a sitting room but could also make the perfect office as it’s self-contained with a cloakroom/WC.
With four insulated lofts, complete with power, there’s no shortage of storage at Lowmans.
Into the garden . . .
With an acre of securely fenced and lawned garden to the rear, including a separate paddock which would be perfect for a pony, Lowmans’ garden is low maintenance but with the potential to develop as you wish. Perhaps add some play equipment for youngsters or keen gardeners can cultivate ornamental borders, a vegetable garden and so on – a garden shed is already in place.
The main garden terrace, handily accessed via the bifold doors in the kitchen, is the perfect spot for summertime al fresco family meals and entertaining friends. And, of course, everyone will enjoy a dip in the hot tub.
Round and about
Blewbury is the perfect ‘escape to the country’, combining all the facets of a rural lifestyle with the desirable extras - a shop selling groceries and the daily papers at Blewbury Service Station, Savages farm shop with artisan bread from Blewbury Bread Co and Style Acre tea-room, and the welcoming 250-year-old village ‘local’ The Red Lion, open all day and serving popular pub grub and well-kept ales. There’s also The Blueberry which specialises in wood-fired pizzas and Thai dishes.
Other highly-rated foodie pubs include the Beetle & Wedge at Moulsford and The Chequers at Burcot.
Dressed in cherry red sweatshirts, the local children attend Blewbury CE Primary School while the nearest secondary schools are a couple of miles away in the town of Didcot – Didcot Girls School is Ofsted-rated ‘outstanding’ and St Birinus School is ‘good’. There’s an excellent choice of private schools within a ten-mile radius – the nearest are Cranford House, Moulsford Prep, The Oratory Prep, The Treehouse School and Abingdon School.
Being on the edge of the Berkshire Downs, the chance to walk the local trails and Ridgeway Path isn’t to be missed. This is horse-riding country and the gallops still remain, along with Blewbury Riding Centre.
Drive a few miles to Didcot for supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda, and a great range of high street stores, coffee shops, pubs and leisure options. It’s a little further to Abingdon, where there’s a Waitrose store, and further superb shopping is on offer in Reading and Newbury.
The village of Blewbury is a buzzy place to put down roots, with lots going on all-year-round for those who want to join in. From fitness classes, wine tastings, bridge club, craft club and a painting group in the village hall to a choice of sports based at Blewbury clubhouse, there’s something for everyone.
Blewbury has always had a strong creative tradition and artists, craftsmen and writers including Dick Francis and Kenneth Grahame, have made their home in the village. The Blewbury Players and Blewbury Brass Band are both renowned.
If you work in London, you can hop on a fast train at Didcot Parkway and be at Paddington in 40 minutes, while drivers can zip along the country lanes to access the M40 and M4.
EPC Rating: D
