In the lovely Cotswold village of Churchill — 1½ miles east of Kingham and three miles south-west of Chipping Norton — lies the intriguingly-named, Grade II-listed Hackers House. It’s come to the market, with Knight Frank’s Stow-on-the-Wold office handling the sale at a guide price of £5.5 million.
According to its listing, the original Hackers House was built in the mid 17th century with later additions and alterations, and ‘considerably extended in the early 20th century’. An advertisement in Country Life (September 16, 1939) announced the sale of the ‘well known Cotswold property, Hackers House, Churchill, having just been “judiciously modernised”, and within four miles of the kennels of the Heythrop’.
Knight Frank's details show that the house has been 'judiciously modified' once again since those days — indeed, it's had a complete renovation and now offers bags of period charm alongside modern touches such as a Sonos system wired throughout.
Alongside the leaded windows, Aga and sweeping staircase curving up to a galleried landing, there are also some very 21st century decorating touches in a bright, modern interior.
It now provides 7,538sq ft of internal floor space in the main house, with a converted barn and outbuildings making a total internal floor area of 10,695sq ft.
The house wraps around a central courtyard with a pond at its centre, an ideal sheltered spot for eating and entertaining outdoors, and given the U-shaped configuration allows you to wander straight off into the 1½ acres of formal and informal gardens.
Internally it boasts light and spacious accommodation, including a reception hall, drawing room, formal and informal dining rooms.
Upstairs, there is a master bedroom suite, five further bedrooms and four further bathrooms.
There is also a kitchen/breakfast room and two sitting rooms, while below stairs is a wine cellar with storage for 2,000 bottles. We could have all used that before lockdown started.
The original village of Churchill was largely abandoned at the end of the 17th century, following a disastrous fire in 1684 — allegedly caused by a baker trying to avoid the chimney tax. Thereafter, the villagers moved up the hill to the present site and sensibly built in stone rather than timber.
Hackers’ House is for sale at £5.5m via Knight Frank — see more details and pictures.
-
Graham Norton's elegant East London home hits the market, and it's just as wonderful as you would expectThe four-bedroom home in Wapping should be studied for how well it uses two separate spaces to create a home of immense character and utility.
-
Sign of the times: In the age of the selfie, what’s happening to the humble autograph?When Ringo Starr announced that he was no longer going to sign anything, he kickstarted a celebrity movement that coincided with the advent of the camera phone and selfie. Rob Crossan asks whether, in today’s world, the selfie holds more clout than an autograph?
-
Graham Norton's elegant East London home hits the market, and it's just as wonderful as you would expect
The four-bedroom home in Wapping should be studied for how well it uses two separate spaces to create a home of immense character and utility.
-
About time: The fastest and slowest moving housing markets revealedNew research by Zoopla has shown where it's easy to sell and where it will take quite a while to find a buyer.
-
A wisteria clad hall built by one of the founders of the Bank of EnglandCome for the history of Old Hall. Stay for the interesting interiors.
-
A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River TayCarnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producersStormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in KentNorth Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
