Main Street, Hethe
£540,000

Jericho Cottage is a charming stone built cottage positioned in the heart of the Oxfordshire village, Hethe. Presented to the market for the first time in 32 years the property benefits from three double bedrooms, private rear garden, updated kitchen and bathrooms and is offered to the market with no onward chain.

Access to the cottage is located to the side of the property into the uniquely large hallway which has natural light from both the living room and the kitchen diner via the open plan stairs. To the right hand side of the hallway is a useful utility room, with a separate cloakroom just off the entrance hall.

To the left hand side with duel aspect views over Main Street is a lovely kitchen & dining area. Recently remodelled and designed by the current owners in this traditional shaker style kitchen finished with granite work tops and splash back. The floor is elegantly tiled and flows throughout the kitchen diner into the hallway.

Fitted appliances include cooker and induction hob, wine cooler and single oven.

To the right-hand side of the hallway is a cosy sitting room with double patio doors stepping onto the outside patio area. The sitting room has a lovely wood floor as well with a wood burning stove, creating a warm and atmospheric mood for those colder days. The room is flooded with natural light, courtesy of its south facing rear garden.

To the first floor there are three generous bedrooms.

The master bedroom with dual aspect windows, has an excellent range of full length fitted wardrobes across one wall and drawer and vanity space on the second wall. A recently renovated ensuite with vanity basin, rain shower, tiled throughout completes the luxurious feel.

Bedroom two, also a double, has a freestanding wardrobe plus small corner cupboard

Bedroom three has a built-in wardrobe and desk area (with cupboard space over) making the perfect room for a study and guest bedroom.

Luxurious family bathroom is also recently renovated with vanity basin, power shower, bath and beautifully tiled throughout.

The rear garden is mainly laid to lawn with lots of mature shrubs and plants and has been carefully designed to provide all year round colour and interest. Perfect for those who enjoy gardening or simply enjoying the secluded space in the warmer months.  Apart from the main patio space next to the sitting room patio doors (fabulous for outdoor dining and entertaining), there is also a smaller more secluded patio space at the end of the garden.

Outside there is a single garage in a block of three garages with lighting and power accessed via the drive to the side of the house.

There is also plenty of on street parking located on Main Street.

“In the owners words”

Jericho Cottage was built in 1990 using stone for the front and reclaimed brick in the rear, and being right in the centre of Hethe and is an atmospheric and lovely place to live. We fell in love with the house immediately when we saw it and though we’d seen a number of other properties realised this was the one for us! We’ve been living in the house for 32 years and have raised our family here very happily indeed.

With the stone frontage, the house looks traditional and substantial and yet being a relatively modern build it has all the modern house amenities you’d want (insultation, modern plumbing/electrics etc). Over the years we have completely redone the house with not a square inch of the original remaining! These projects have included:

• Knocked through kitchen/dining room wall to create large kitchen diner, put in whole new kitchen.
• Completely redid the two bathrooms with luxury units.
• Installed built-in cupboards in the main bedroom and second bedroom (this having a built-in office section).
• Retiled the kitchen diner, hallway and utility.
• Installed wooden floor, new fire-place surround and built-in wood burner in living room.
• Recarpeted the whole upstairs.
• Installed double-glazed windows throughout house.
• Repainted the entire house inside (twice!).
• Extended garden patio and added new section of patio.
• Re-designed and replanted the back garden (numerous times!) and also re-designed and planted the front garden.

Hethe itself is a simply gorgeous village with numerous elegant and traditional buildings, several being thatched. It is a fairly small village of around 300 people but has plenty of activity. The village hall is used regularly for all sorts of events with the adjacent playing field used by local football teams together with a well-equipped, and fenced, children’s play area. There’s a lovely CoE church in the centre of the village and a Catholic church also. In the centre of the village is a well (grandly called the Town Well) and also a small stream with a bridge (poo-sticks is often played by the children!). The pub (the Muddy Duck) is currently closed with another a mile away in Fringford and several in close proximity. For fine dining, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons is just outside Oxford with a second Michelin Star restaurant, the Nut Tree, a 25 minute drive away from Hethe. Of course, Oxford is an amazing and vibrant city with its incredible architecture, two theatres, museums and all the amenities of a thriving city.

One of the pleasures of village life is easy access to wonderful country-side walks and Hethe has these in abundance. You can walk for 2 miles, 5 miles, 10 miles and barely see a car. Great for dog walking of course which has been our world for the 7 years of our Cockapoo’s life!

Access to work is vital for most of course and Hethe combines the best in village life with commuting. Apart from Oxford and other local towns, London Marylebone is just 45 minutes train journey from Bicester North. I commuted to London for over 15 years and loved coming home to a beautiful house and village in the countryside.

So, if you want access to big city life in Oxford, London or Birmingham, then Hethe is pretty convenient for you whilst also immersing yourself in village life.  If a quieter life is for you, then Hethe is also perfect being so peaceful and gorgeous. Or you can enjoy all of these as our family has done for the last 32 years!

Situation
Hethe is a lovely tranquil village with very little passing traffic has a real community feel with various activities for all ages. The area also an excellent selection of both private and state schools. These include a primary school in the neighbouring village and several state senior schools in Bicester, Brackley and Buckingham as well as private schools such as Winchester House in Brackley, Beachborough School in Westbury, Tudor Hall and Bloxham School near Banbury, Stowe School near Buckingham and other excellent schools in nearby Oxford.

The village has a well-used village hall, a football field, allotments and also an excellent children’s playground. There are numerous walks of varying distances around the village including walking access to two beautiful parks, Shelswell and Tusmore.

Hethe is served by two churches, the beautiful Church of England building dating from the 12^th Century as well as a more recent Catholic church built in the 19^th Century. There is also a pub in the village, not currently open.

Hethe is approximately 6 miles north-west of Bicester with both Brackley and Buckingham about 9 miles away and Oxford 20 miles to the south. Nearby Junction 10 of the M40 offers commuter access to London, M25, and Birmingham.

Bicester is an historic market town, one of the fastest growing towns in Oxfordshire and favoured by the proximity of junction 9 of the M40 motorway linking London and Birmingham. There are good road links to Oxford, Birmingham, and a London commute of under an hour.

Bicester is served by excellent train connections. Bicester North station offers a great commuter service to London Marylebone in around 45 minutes and you can reach Birmingham in 1 hour. Bicester Village station currently offers a service to Oxford and London Marylebone and will also connect Oxford and Cambridge when the East-West rail link opens in 2024.

The historic shopping streets of Bicester have a wide range of local and national shops together with cafes, pubs, restaurants, weekly markets and an occasional French market. Bicester Village with over 170 luxury boutiques is a dream destination for designer shopping. There is also a cinema, leisure centre and a wide range of supermarkets all serving the town.