Country houses for sale

A wisteria-clad dream home in the Cotswolds with 50 acres of enchanting gardens

The charming house dates back to the 17th century, but recent work by one of the country's top architects has left it looking better than ever. Penny Churchill reports.

Ready Token House, an unusual, butterfly-shaped house with 57½ acres of gardens, parkland and pasture, stands on high ground, three miles from Bibury and six miles from Cirencester, with spectacular views to the south-east towards White Horse Hill, 30 miles away.

Knight Frank in Cirencester and Lindsay Cuthill’s Blue Book Agency are joint agents in the sale and quote a guide price of £5.5m for the property, which has recently been the subject of an extensive, but sympathetic renovation programme orchestrated by Cirencester-based architects Yiangou — a programme which we reported on just last year.

The pretty central garden is sheltered by the house

The garden immediately around the house has been transformed from the remnants of an Arts-and-Crafts garden that dates from the 1920s, when the original 17th-century house was renovated and extended by the distinguished Cotswold architect Norman Jewson, best known for his work at Owlpen Manor, near Stroud.

Jewson is recorded as working at Ready Token in 1929, when the house was given its friendly yet elegant look, with a long central garden front protected by asymmetrical wings to either side.

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The house has recently been transformed with stylish interiors

The main house provides 5,715sq ft of living space, including an entrance hall, four reception rooms and domestic offices on the ground floor; a principal bedroom suite, four bedrooms and four bathrooms on the first floor; with a further bedroom and bathroom on the floor above.

The kitchen/breakfast room has been completely redesigned to include modern appliances and bespoke joinery, with a central island and a stable door leading to the formal garden area and a sunny south-facing terrace.

Ancillary accommodation is available in the two-bedroom cottage.

A place to unwind: Ready Token House’s indoor pool and gym

Also within the grounds is an air-conditioned indoor swimming pool with changing rooms, showers, a gym area and doors to the garden with its far-reaching views.

Ready Token House is listed with Knight Frank and Blue Book Agency for £5.5m