The property
Bridge Hill Cottage is a beautiful late 18th century Cotswold stone house that sleeps six guests, in three bedrooms, with further sleeping space for two guests on a double sofa bed in the "Minstrels' Gallery”. There are two well presented bathrooms, a downstairs cloakroom/utility room, as well as two separate living rooms. The house is elegantly furnished with antiques and boasts a wealth of character features including 200-year-old oak beams, an inglenook fireplace with fitted seat, a “Minstrels’ Gallery” and a functioning bar-billiards table. Complementing these period features, the house has modern facilities including fast wireless internet access in all rooms, a Smart TV with Freeview and Alexa Voice Remote, DVD player and Bose Bluetooth speaker.
Located in the quaint village of Hook Norton, Bridge Hill Cottage is situated near the Norman Church of St. Peters, one of the oldest churches in Britain. This peaceful and picturesque little village retains period features, charm, and benefits from having three pubs, a post office and a local grocery store, as well as being famous for brewing traditional real ale at the local brewery.
Hook Norton is on the fringe of the Cotswolds, and therefore avoids heavy tourist traffic, allowing visitors to get a real sense of rural life, such as enjoying the glorious countryside, open vistas and lovely woodlands which fall within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Hook Norton is close to the popular Cotswold market towns of Chipping Norton, Moreton-in-Marsh and Stow-on-the-Wold, is less than five miles from Great Tew and Soho Farmhouse, and has many stunning countryside walks right on the doorstep. Bridge Hill Cottage is situated on Bridge Hill, a small lane that becomes a footpath a few yards below the property and leads down to a stream.
The cottage has a small front garden, with four steps up to the front door, which opens into an entrance hall. This leads to:
Kitchen/dining room: The dining room has seagrass matting on a tiled floor, a large window-seat, plus a dining table. which comfortably seats eight guests. Adjoining the dining room is the well equipped kitchen, including an electric cooker with hob, fridge, separate wine fridge, dishwasher, microwave, kettle and toaster. Freezer capacity available upon request.
Main living room: The heart of the house, with exposed beams, a large inglenook fireplace with a wood-burning stove, three-seater sofa, plus a 'love-seat' armchair, window seat and 2 x wickerwork chairs;
Utility room: Contains a toilet, hand basin, washing machine and tumbler dryer.
From the main living room, five steps lead up to:
Second living room: A spectacular room for both adults and children, containing a fabulous old bar-billiards table (the rules are on the wall!), a large open fire, exposed beams and a Smart TV, corner sofa, plus armchairs. There is also a piano, however please be aware that this may not be properly tuned. Stairs from this room lead up to the minstrels’ gallery, overlooking the piano and bar-billiards table, which contains a full size double sofa bed (see Key Features below);
Returning to the main living room, stairs go upstairs to a landing, which features an antique washstand and leads to:
Bedroom 1: A dual aspect room, with double bed, dresser and built-in wardrobes;
Bedroom 2: Another dual aspect room, with double bed and built-in wardrobes. Bedroom 2 has access to bathroom 2 (see below), enabling it to be used as an en-suite bathroom, if desired;
Bedroom 3: Bunk beds with two large storage drawers beneath and a bedside table with drawers for storage;
Bathroom 1: Newly refurbished, with a bath (with shower attachment), toilet and washbasin;
Bathroom 2: A newly built shower room, with toilet and washbasin. This “Jack & Jill” bathroom can be accessed from the landing or from bedroom 2, allowing it to be either a shared bathroom or bedroom 2’s en-suite bathroom.
The garden comprises an enclosed paved patio, a real sun-trap from early spring to late autumn, with a table seating up to eight. Steps lead up to a raised lawn, with a bench and small table. There is a lovely view of the church tower from the patio and lawn. There is a low wall on the side of the garden, therefore pets and children should be supervised at all times. An impressive Cotswold stone barbecue, for which the kitchen/dining room window acts as a serving hatch, can be used in all seasons.
About the location
HOOK NORTON
Chipping Norton 5 miles; Stratford-upon-Avon 22 miles; Oxford 25 miles.
A picturesque village with many honey-coloured historic buildings, thatched cottages, a thriving community and its very own steam driven brewery, the last of its kind in the country. The village boasts a well-stocked shop, Post Office, several pubs and restaurants and many lovely walks can be enjoyed from the village with the D'Arcy Dalton Way passing through the village. The market town of Chipping Norton lies south of the village in the Cotswold Hills, plays host to many festivals throughout the year, has an abundance of shops, cafes and restaurants as well as a theatre and the oldest golf course in Oxfordshire. Historic Banbury nestles on the banks of the River Cherwell in the Cherwell Valley and offers many restaurants, cafes, a canalside museum, cinema and local theatre, plus the annual Banbury Folk Festival attracts many visitors each year. Blenheim Place, the ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill is also close by. Oxford, the oldest university city in England and known as ‘The City of Dreaming Spires’ has an abundance of attractions, namely the 38 colleges of the university, the oldest university teaching room, Bodleian Library, Botanic Gardens and museums, as well as playing host to many festivals and markets. Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare, Warwick with its magnificent castle and Royal Leamington Spa make a lovely day out. Enjoy many types of motor and superbike racing at Silverstone or spend a day shopping at Bicester Village Designer Outlet.
Note: If your arrival will be delayed beyond 8pm on the start date of your rental period, you must contact the person whose details are given in the location details. If you fail to do so, you may not be able to get into the property.
Note: The minstrels' gallery is an open mezzanine floor above the second living room and the bed is a fold out sofa bed; we do not recommend this bedroom for young children, due to the absence of spindles between the hand rail and the stairs up to this room.
Note: Bridge Hill Cottage is an old property, located on a hill, which has many character features including low beams and two sets of stairs, which could pose difficulty to guests with limited mobility.
Note: This property does not accept commercial or corporate bookings.
