Locks Lane, Wantage

Mill House, Locks Lane, Wantage, was built by Leonard Willoughby (a fourth-generation Wantage miller and farmer) in 1899. A handsome and imposing stone farmhouse set in 1.82 acres of grounds, comprising large gardens, and woodland extending to the private banks of the Letcombe brook, Mill House has had only two owners since it was built. It comes onto the market now for the first time in 72 years.

Set in the very heart of Wantage, this extraordinarily rare property has been in the Loudon family since 1954. They have loved the beauty, seclusion, and remarkably quiet privacy of the house, with garden and grounds that now await the next owner's ambition, imagination and care. Meanwhile, the mature gardens, including a Victorian kitchen-garden with brick walls and antique roses, attract a fine array of garden birds. The woodland, and the Letcombe brook that runs alongside it, are home to kingfishers, herons, ducks, moorhens, brown trout, owls and deer.

The beautiful gardens and grounds are part of what makes the Mill House property so special. Lavender, roses, Michaelmas daisies, lungwort and hellebores fill beds in front of the house. A second lawn leads to a former livestock paddock complete with an original stone and wood-beamed cow-byre, and to a former orchard with mature trees of many varieties, where long pathways are cut into wild grasses and cow parsley.

With its generous proportions and high ceilings, Mill House has bright and spacious rooms arranged over three floors. The original Victorian wood, stone and tiled floors remain throughout: the ground floor rooms are all reached via an entrance hall with Victorian red and buff quarry-tiled floors; the kitchen floor is comprised of York flagstones; the dining room of dark oak, and the two reception rooms of light oak herringbone parquet.

The two spacious and elegant reception rooms are at the front of the house, with a good-sized dining room, kitchen and cloakroom to the back. There is a cellar beneath the dining room, accessible from the outside of the house. To the rear of the house there is a large utility room, a downstairs lavatory, and a separate storeroom / bicycle / motorbike shed. There is great scope in this area for exciting conversion.

On the first floor are four well-proportioned double bedrooms and a family bathroom. Every bedroom, and every downstairs room, has its own original fireplace, and no two are the same: some are wooden, some tiled, some cast iron, some brick. The combination of good natural light, wood floors and astonishingly lovely views from every bedroom, is highly unusual. No room in the house is overlooked yet each has different, long-range views.

The second floor with its high ceilings holds a real surprise. Previously partitioned into two further bedrooms and a box-room, it was converted twenty years ago into a huge, separate and self-contained studio with its own bathroom. It has enormous potential for any buyer, and the options are many: art studio, home offices, a self-contained flat, or a separate floor for teenage or young-adult children. (Any further conversion is subject to the installation of a compliant staircase and any necessary consents).

In the north-west corner of the property is a large double garage with gated forecourt. A separate driveway further down the lane leads to ample parking for several cars. And while the property offers quiet privacy and seclusion, it is just a few minutes' walk along the stream and past the local parish church of St Peter & St Paul into the picturesque town centre.

THE AREA

Wantage is an ancient market town in South Oxfordshire with excellent connections. The birthplace of King Alfred the Great (circa 848-899), it has origins thought to date back to Roman times, and it is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. King Alfred's Academy, the secondary school in the town, was founded in 1597, and has a fine reputation. It is currently rated as 'Good' by Ofsted for overall effectiveness, as are Wantage's four primary schools. In addition to the state schools, there is a selection of local pre-school nurseries, and a fine selection of private schools within easy reach.

Wantage has a good range of individual local shops and businesses around the Market Place and beyond, as well as Waitrose, Sainsbury's, and Lidl supermarkets. Its pubs and cafes are delightful, popular, and well supported. A traditional market is held twice weekly in the market square, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. There are two GP practices, and two dental practices in the town.

There is a leisure centre with a 25m swimming pool, tennis, badminton and squash courts, gym and sauna. There are separate tennis courts, a tennis club, and bowling club and green, located at the centre of Wantage's recreation grounds. There are local football, netball and cricket teams. (A little further afield, the River Thames in Abingdon is a great place to row and canoe, while Frilford Heath and Newbury golf courses are both within half an hour's drive.)

The Beacon Centre just off the market square is the cultural centre for meetings, films, exhibitions and talks, as is the smaller museum and cafe in Church Street. Wantage has several local choirs, dramatic societies, art societies and book groups. Oxford, with all it has to offer, is a half-hour drive away, and buses from Wantage go directly to its centre.

Wantage is close to the Ridgeway, with its famous White Horse hill, and Wayland's Smithy. (The Ridgeway path is older than the pyramids, and was used by the Romans.) It offers lots of opportunities for walking, running, riding and cycling. It is possible to reach the Ridgeway from many parts of the town, along footpaths and old farm tracks. Wantage may be well-connected to significant towns and cities, but if you wanted to walk from your home to the hills, you could.

Wantage is well placed for commuters, with convenient access to the A34 linking to the M40 to the north and the M4 to the south. Nearby Didcot offers a mainline rail service to London Paddington, with journey times of 38 minutes.

Didcot: 8 miles.

Oxford: 17 miles.

London: 72 miles (car).

M4: 12 miles (south); 15 miles (west); 17 miles (east).

Services Mains water, drainage and electricity. Gas central heating.

Local authority Vale of White Horse District Council.

Council tax Band G.

Energy performance certificate Rating D.

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Utilities. All main services are connected.

Heating Type. Gas-fired central heating to radiators.

Other Material Information. Rich in character and period charm, the property retains many features sympathetic to its origins, including beautiful timber-framed sash windows. Whilst enjoying an abundance of original appeal, the property is not listed, providing purchasers with increased flexibility to change certain aspects utilising 21st-century materials and methods. The property is in a conservation area, and covenants prevent further development of dwellings on the plot.