Merchant House

Merchant House is a beautifully renovated, Grade II-listed, town house with a commanding position at the top of picturesque Sheep Street – once, as the name implies, where sheep were driven to and from the town’s market. The square-fronted façade rises to three-storeys each with three sash windows. The exterior perfectly sets the scene and expectation for great things to come within, an expectation that is more than fully met. To the side is a tall garden gate opening to the beautiful, terraced courtyard and garden.

This stunning family home has been renovated with superb attention to detail in the design and styling, including a bespoke, handcrafted shaker kitchen and a beautiful ash wood staircase. From top to bottom, the owners have used the timeless, heritage colours of Farrow & Ball and Little Greene, accented with artisan tiles from Fired Earth, Pooky lighting, and beautiful Fermoie fabrics - all of which has created a stunning interior that perfectly balances contemporary with Merchant House’s original 17th-and 18th-century charm and character.

On the ground floor, guests will find a gorgeous living area, with a sitting room and large Smart TV to one end and a drawing room with a wood burning stove to the other. Step through an archway into the 400-year-old heart of Merchant House and its elegant dining room with exposed stone walls, slate floor and view to the garden. Pass the ash staircase to the contemporary extension where there is a fabulous, fully equipped kitchen and a light and bright breakfast room with bi-fold doors opening to the lower garden terrace. Across the two upper floors there’s a feeling of contemporary, understated elegance and calm, which continues through all six bedrooms, the two ensuite bathrooms and two spa-like family bathrooms.

As you approach the street-side, garden gate you may feel that behind this centrally located, handsome town house there could be a small garden, so you’ll be thrilled to discover a beautifully landscaped, long and wide, oasis rising to three terraces, with two seating areas, stunning traditional Cotswold dry stone walls and a lawn with a dining area under an oak pergola, all surrounded by beautifully planted borders and a sloping bed of lavender. Whatever the time on a sunny day, you’ll be able to enjoy sunshine, shade, and a cooling breeze as the sun passes from east to west across the garden and from the back to the front of the house, bathing the rooms in natural light as it goes.

Ground Floor

Sitting/Drawing Room:
The handsome front door opens into a magnificent double-width sitting room with original, exposed beams and contemporary artwork offset by Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster paintwork. To the right side is the drawing room end, with an original inglenook fireplace and wood-burning stove, a flagstone floor with a cosy rug and two inviting, four-seater sea-blue velvet sofas. To one side of the inglenook is an alcove with a chest of drawers full of family games. To the left side of this fabulous living space is a sitting room with an L-shaped, deep and comfy sofa, a button-back armchair, antique coffee table-trunk and a 50” Smart TV. Two low, sash windows with bespoke wooden shutters and wide window seats provide a lovely spot to sit and peek out at the world going along Sheep Street.

Dining Room:
The living area at the front of the house connects to the dining room through an open arch and walkway, to either side of a wide pillar, creating a lovely flowing space. The dining room, with its extendable, rectangular table*, console tables and stunning glass table lamps, can be dressed up or down to create the perfect setting for casual or formal dining. (*Photo shows the table set for eight; however, the table has an extra leaf, so can comfortably seat up to 12 guests.) One sash window throws light into the room and provides a view out to the garden, while the other looks into the rear hallway and contemporary extension.

Central & Back Hall:
The central hallway is, as the name suggests, at the heart of the house, seamlessly connecting the original, ancient Merchant House to the contemporary, rear extension, with its exposed Cotswold stone wall and bespoke, ash staircase that ascends to the top floor. The space is open and practical, with hooks for coats, a shelf for hats and gloves and a large cupboard with room for shoes, boots and cleaning equipment.

The back hallway, also accessed from the garden through the back door (used by the owners as the main entrance to the house rather than the front door), is a light and bright space with the kitchen to the right, a cloakroom straight ahead and the central hallway down two steps to the left. You’ll find a handy console table here – the ideal place to leave keys, maps, hats and gloves.

Cloakroom:
No room has been left out in the styling of Merchant House and that includes the downstairs loo, which features Little Greene’s sage green walls.

Kitchen/Breakfast Room:
The fabulous, open-plan, bright and airy kitchen and breakfast room runs the length of the contemporary extension, from the back hallway right through to the lower garden terrace through striking bi-fold doors. This is likely to be the room that will be the hub of your stay – especially on a sunny spring or summer’s day. The fully equipped kitchen features bespoke shaker units, solid oak worktops and Fired Earth’s exquisite Bert & May Luna tiling. To one side of the kitchen is the main cooking and preparation area, with a triple oven stove and 5-ring induction hob, and a wide worktop that doubles as a breakfast bar, with two bar stools, on the far side. To the other side of the kitchen is a ‘utility’ area with a dishwasher, washer-dryer and double sink looking out to the barbecue, easily accessed through a side door beside the sink.

At the far end of the room is a wooden, farmhouse-style table with eight chairs, and the bi-fold doors, which when open form an extension out to the lower terrace of the garden, drawing the eye beyond and over the second terrace to the lawn and outdoor dining area.

First Floor

Head up the wide, ash staircase to a spacious, first-floor landing, with feature stone walls, a tall chest of drawers and a dresser. Off the landing you’ll find three bedrooms – one ensuite – and a family bathroom.

Merchant House’s six bedrooms, and landings, have a soft, foot-loving, carpet. The bedrooms have 6,000 pocket sprung mattresses with natural fibres and fillings, creating a luxury sleeping experience, while the bathrooms are furnished with stylish and distinctive Heritage baths and showers and feature Neisha Crosland Fired Earth tiles.

Bedroom One:
The master bedroom on this floor has a charming entrance with a chair and hooks and hangers for clothes to one side, and the doorway into the ensuite bathroom on the other. The calming and tranquil bedroom lies ahead, furnished with a super-king bed with luxury cotton bedding, bedside tables with Pooky lamps, a double wardrobe and a large chest of drawers with an antique French mirror over it.

Ensuite Bathroom:
This elegant bathroom has a freestanding, roll top bath with central taps, a wash basin in a vanity unit with a large rattan mirror over it, a toilet, heated towel rail, and a lovely wicker chair to lay your clothes on. Lie back and relax in a deliciously scented 100 Acre bubble bath.

Bedroom Two:
Sitting at the back of the house, with glorious views of the garden through two sash windows, this wonderfully spacious bedroom has a thyme green theme with accents of raspberry pink, creating a thoroughly relaxing space…big enough to roll out a yoga mat should you have the urge. The bedroom is furnished with a super-king bed with bedside tables and reading lamps, a chest of drawers, vintage French mirrored shutters, a dressing table and clothes rails with hooks and hangers.

Bedroom Three:
This is the cosiest of all our rooms, small but perfectly formed. Overlooking Sheep Street, it has an inchyra-blue, wooden bed frame (standard double), with contrasting tangerine cushions and luxury cotton bedding, a pine chest of drawer, bedside tables and Pooky lamps. Hooks and hangers are provided to store clothing.

Family Bathroom:
The exquisite, spa-like bathroom feels like a retreat with its deep, oval-shaped bath and freestanding taps, a walk-in shower with a rainfall and handheld shower head, a toilet, a vanity unit with twin washbasins and a large mirror over them with sensor lighting - all ready for our guests to indulge in a leisurely soak with the complimentary 100 Acres bubble bath.

Second Floor

Head on up the bespoke staircase to the second floor landing off which are three bedrooms – one ensuite – and a family bathroom.

Bedroom Four:
Just as Bedroom One below, this ensuite master has a small and charming entrance hall where there are hooks, hangers and a luggage rack, and a doorway to the ensuite bathroom. Head through an arch into this delightful, dual aspect bedroom beautifully styled with accents of rich teal and paprika. A characterful port window gives you a bird’s eye view of Charlbury and the pretty roof tops. The bedroom is furnished with a super-king bed with upholstered headboard, bedside tables and Pooky lamps, a chest of drawers, and a dressing table with an upholstered chair and antique French mirror.


Bedroom Five:
A mirror image of Bedroom Two below, but with its own character and exquisite styling. A beautiful and light filled bedroom with fabulous views across the garden and the rooftops of Charlbury. Furnished with an extremely comfortable super king-size bed, with floral upholstered headboard, bedside tables and ceramic reading lamps. The bedroom also has a tall chest of drawer, full-length, swing-back mirror with a luggage rack and clothes hooks and hangers.


Ensuite Bathroom:
Relax in the freestanding, clawfoot bath with 100 Acre rose and lavender bubbles, or enjoy a refreshing blast in the corner shower. The ensuite has a large Heritage wash basin, with a rattan mirror above it, and a heated towel rail to the side.

Bedroom Six:
Found at the very top of the house, this pretty, botanically themed, twin room has two single beds on white, Victorian iron bed frames, with a centrally placed, antique bedside table and a reading lamp atop it. From here you can hear the bells of the local church ringing and take in local life as it passes beneath you. Clothes can be stored in a chest of drawers or hung on the hangers and hooks.

Family Bathroom:
The second family bathroom is just as exquisite, and spa-like as the first, and has an even more impressive view overlooking the lawn and lavender beds. There’s a deep, oval-shaped bath with freestanding taps, a walk-in shower with a rainfall and handheld shower head, a toilet, a vanity unit with twin washbasins and a large mirror over them with sensor lighting.

Outside

Merchant House has an absolutely fabulous garden, which has been landscaped into three beautiful, wide terraces. The first terrace is laid to gravel, with a large charcoal BBQ, two long benches and handy boot racks outside the kitchen door for those muddy walks. A bistro table and four chairs sit directly in front of the breakfast area’s bi-fold doors – a lovely spot to have a quiet moment in the early morning as the sun rises over the rooftops surrounded by the scent of the flowers in the surrounding borders.

Head up four, wide, stone steps to the second terrace where you’ll find a shallow, Corten steel lily bowl filled with water next to a high Cotswold dry stone wall, and stone bench with cushions – a shady and cooling spot to sit on a hot summer’s day. On the other side of the middle terrace is a wide flagstone patio backed by a bank of lavender with a Bramblecrest Monterey rattan U-shaped modular sofa with deep, cushioned seats (seats 8) and a central coffee table.

The top terrace, up seven stone steps, has a wide lawn with an oak pergola (not photographed) under which is a long, wooden dining table and 10 chairs. Up here you can look back over the terraces below to the house beyond, enjoy the breeze that ripples across the lawn and delight in some al fresco dining.