As you turn off the main road passing The Landers, up the gravel drive you are met by the wide-open space of the garden, with its large lawn, tall trees and countryside views reaching across to rolling Cotswold hills.
The Landers was originally two farmworkers’ cottages, which over the years have been combined into one long and spacious Cotswold home, cleverly updated with an extension on the rear. The black and white timber exterior belies the modern facilities within. On the ground floor are two comfortable living rooms both with Smart TVs – one with an open fireplace – and a dining room that comfortably seats 10, with an inglenook fireplace, a cloakroom and a contemporary kitchen with a breakfast area and large utility/boot room. The first floor is halved with two staircases leading up from the ground floor, a spiral staircase from the kitchen and a wooden staircase from the dining room. Upstairs are three king-size bedrooms and two twin bedrooms, with a contemporary family bathroom and shower room.
Outside, the three garden areas provide a fantastic choice of spaces to relax and play in, from the country cottage front garden to the huge lawn and garden room, and a large, heated swimming pool (open 1st May-30th September), with a surrounding patio, a covered hot tub, BBQ, chiminea and lawn.
Ground Floor
Side Entrance/Utility Room:
The Landers has a beautiful original oak front door, which leads into the front hallway. However, guests are asked to enter the property via the side door, stepping into a spacious utility room. This area, with stone floor and plenty of storage is perfect for removing shoes and boots, keeping a dog basket and doing the washing and ironing. This utility room is kitted out with a washing machine and washer-dryer, iron and ironing board, clothes airer, vacuum and cleaning items.
Kitchen-Breakfast Room:
The Landers’ beautiful, contemporary kitchen stretches the length of the back of the house from the utility room to the breakfast area at the far end, with a table and chairs, and a store cupboard where the highchair, stair gates and baby chair are stored. The kitchen is fully equipped with everything guests need for a self-catering stay, with a double electric oven, five-ring induction hob, fridge, freezer, wine fridge and dishwasher, plus a full range of utensils, crockery and glassware. The polished stone floor, with underfloor heating, perfectly complements the immaculate and polished preparation surfaces. The kitchen overlooks the swimming pool, hot tub, patio and pool garden. At the utility end of the kitchen is a spiral staircase leading up to Bedrooms One, Two and Three and the family bathroom. A side door leads out to the pool area.
Cloakroom:
Beside the spiral staircase and next to the door leading out to the pool is a handy cloakroom, with a W.C., washbasin and heated towel rail.
Living Room:
Leading off the kitchen’s breakfast area (down one step) is the cosy and inviting living room, which combines the original cottage features of open stone fireplace, wooden floor and beams with contemporary furniture and a large flat screen TV and DVD player. The plump and comfortable sofa with matching armchair allows you to gather around the fire. A second, statement leather chair is hidden in an alcove providing a quiet space to sit and read while waiting for the rest of your group to be ready to go out.
Hallway:
The impressive oak front door opens into an original cottage hallway, now situated between the dining room and living room, and features a beautiful 17th century wooden arch. Guests will find a desk and brochures of local places of interest. It’s a handy area to store large suitcases and coats.
Dining Room:
The superb dining room features the original inglenook fireplace, with an open fire, and a long wooden table to comfortably seat 10 guests. (Most guests only light the open fire in the Living Room as it can get too warm sitting at the dining table with the fire blazing.) The dining room overlooks the pretty front garden and Ermin Way.
The dining room connects to the kitchen (up one step), the sitting room, and the hallway. The wooden staircase is hidden behind a door and leads upstairs to Bedrooms Four and Five and the dressing room.
Sitting Room:
The smaller sitting room at the end of the house overlooks the main garden to the raised garden room through French doors. This sitting room is a great place to relax or watch TV in the sink-in sofas, which comfortably seat five or six guests. A door opens to the Utility Room from here.
First Floor
From the kitchen ascend the spiral staircase to the first-floor landing:
Landing Seating Area:
At the top of the spiral stairs is a wicker and wire egg chair, a great place to put your feet up and relax with a good book.
Bedroom One:
This spacious master bedroom features an impressively high vaulted, A-frame roof with original, exposed beams and stone chimney breast. The bedroom is furnished with a king-size bed on a solid oak bed frame, bedside tables with reading lamps, a full-length mirror, rocking chair, and a long hanging rail with hangers. There is plenty of room to set up a travel cot and other baby equipment. The bedroom overlooks the front of the house and the main road.
Bedroom Two:
The second king-size room, is furnished with a king-size bed, double wardrobe, bedside tables and reading lamps, a comfy armchair and a full-length mirror. Featuring a beautiful Cotswold stone wall - the opposite side of the stone chimney breast in Bedroom One. The bedroom overlooks the gravel parking area and the main garden.
Bedroom Three:
This pretty double at the back of the house features a standard double with bedside tables, reading lamps and a chic storage unit. This bedroom overlooks the swimming pool.
Family Bathroom:
A beautiful and spacious bathroom, combining contemporary styling, a walk-in shower (with detachable shower head), dual flush toilet, washbasin with large mirror and heated towel rail with a freestanding Victoriana-style roll-top bath. Finished with grey tiling, white walls and wood effect flooring.
Head back to the dining room and up the wooden staircase – mind the low beam - to:
Landing-Dressing Room:
Directly outside Bedroom Four is a large dressing room area furnished with a sofa, coffee table and double wardrobe (for guests in Bedroom Four and Five’s use). It’s a lovely area to get ready to go out, curl up with a book and have a quiet read, or for setting up a travel cot.
Bedroom Four:
One step up from the dressing room is another impressive double bedroom, featuring original oak floorboards, beams and a fireplace (not in use). Furnished with a king size bed, bedside tables with reading lamps and large wall mirror.
Bedroom Five:
This contemporary twin room features two, full-size single beds with a shared bedside table and reading lamp, and a chest of drawers. The bedroom overlooks the swimming pool.
Family Shower Room:
Sitting conveniently between Bedroom Four and Five, the family shower room features a beautiful walk-in shower with a curving tile wall (with overhead and detachable shower heads), a double wash basin unit, dual-flush toilet and heated towel rail.
Outside
The Landers has three-quarters of an acre of land divided across three gardens and a large, gravel parking area that’s accessed via a gated, private driveway off Ermin Way. To the right of the driveway, as you approach the house, is a large lawn with mature trees and fabulous elevated, wooden garden room, approximately one metre off the ground – an ideal hang-out for youngsters. (Access to the garden room is via six wooden steps and the sides are open; it is not suitable, therefore, for young children to use unattended.)
To the front of the house is a pretty, English cottage garden with roses and lavender, a bistro-style table and chairs, and bird feeding house. Guests can access this garden through the front door or via a side gate.
Swimming Pool and Hot Tub
And, finally, the property’s great attraction for late spring and summertime visitors is the pool area with a 9.6m x 3.5m swimming pool (available from 1 May to 30 September) and pool garden. The hot tub is nestled under cover at one end of the swimming pool so no matter the weather you can enjoy a glass of bubbly in the luxury of this setting. The poolside garden has a lawn, a large patio, a charcoal barbecue, outside seating for 10 guests and sun loungers for all. The swimming pool can be accessed through a gate off the parking area, which can be secured to stop pets and small children from entering, or through a door off the Kitchen. Please note that pool towels are not provided.