Mercia House

Mercia House is a striking medieval property in the heart of the Cotswold village of Winchcombe. The original part of the house dates back to the 16th century and you will find exposed beams and stone walls. It has a quirky layout set over three floors with a stairway bridge and mezzanine landing.

Overlooking the valley views, the open plan living area is the heart of the home. With a dining area, kitchen and sitting area it is easy to spend time together. Doors open out onto the terrace to expand this space and bring the outdoors in. Staying with a group there are plenty of options to retreat to if you’d like a moment to read or do some work with a front reception room and study. Four bedrooms are spread across the first and second floors and beautifully showcase the age of this home. The master bedroom features exposed beams above and sections of the wattle and daub walls have been left uncovered to show their unique charm. Up on the second floor, the twin room is tucked beneath the A-framed roof where you need to duck under the cross beam, a fun hideaway for the children.

Sitting on the raised terrace you have your own secret viewpoint from where you can take in the surrounding countryside. Steps lead down to a seating area with a BBQ so you can make the most of this space and the long sloping lawn is planted with mature trees and borders. The parking area is at the end of the garden down some additional steps.

Ground Floor

Sitting Room
This historic room features an inglenook fireplace, with a woodburner, beautiful parquet flooring, and exposed original oak beams. It is furnished with a two-seater sofa and two beautiful leather “bucket” chairs, while a resplendent chess table is laid up ready for a game and a long case clock watches silently over the scene. This room was originally the servants’ quarters, where they would have cooked extravagant meals in the large fireplace, which would have also heated their masters in the bedroom above.

Library
The library features a stone hearth and woodburner, beautiful parquet flooring, and exposed original beams. With its antique desk, seating, and bookcases full of a wide choice of books, this is a great room to hide away to read, relax or work.

Utility Room
The handy utility room is where the washer and dryer are located, as well as a sink and cupboards housing an iron and all the various appliances’ operating and maintenance manuals.

Open Plan Living Area
This open plan, contemporary centerpiece of the house has fantastic views of the garden and uninterrupted countryside, sweeping up the Isbourne valley towards woodland and Sudeley Hill. Three sets of double doors open out to the terrace, which leads to the patio and garden.

Kitchen
At the centre of the spacious and very well-equipped kitchen is a large island with a breakfast bar with three seats and a 5-ring gas bob. Chefs will enjoy the fabulous view out to the terrace and beyond while they cook. The back half of the kitchen is fully equipped with immaculate white units, a large wooden preparation surface, dishwasher, double ceramic sink, and double AEG fan oven.

Dining Area
In front of the kitchen and beside the French doors to the terrace is a long, wooden table comfortably seating eight guests. Diners can enjoy the fabulous view or chat to the chefs in the kitchen!

Sitting Area
Set to one side of the open plan area, the living area has two inviting sink-in, three-seater sofas, a statement glass coffee table, a large smart TV, and a fabulous view, So guests can choose to relax, watch TV, read or play a family game.

Shower Room
The ground floor shower room features a walk-in shower, with overhead and hand-held shower heads, a washbasin, and a WC.

Study
The windows of this bright and light room overlook the kitchen to one side and the living area to the other. At one end is a desk where you can set up your laptop or do some reading.

First Floor

Bedroom One
This bright and light modern bedroom features a double bed with bedside tables and reading lights and a hanging rail for clothes. A rear window provides a lovely view over the garden and out to the surrounding Cotswold countryside, while an internal window allows guest to look down to the open-plan kitchen and dining area below.

Shower Room
Original oak floorboards have been used to create the shower room floor, giving it a nod to the medieval past, alongside a sleek contemporary walk-in shower (with overhead and hand-held showerheads), a washbasin, with mirror and shaver point, a heated towel rail, and WC.

Bedroom Two
The entrance to this beautiful, contemporary bedroom has a long double wardrobe to one side and a fabulous en-suite shower room to the other. Step inside and the bedroom features a king-size bed, with bedside tables and reading lamps and another fabulous view to the garden and the Isbourne Valley beyond.

En-suite
The en-suite is a real show-stopper shower room – just look up to see why! The high ceiling showcases a mass of original beams, onto which the sunlight shines through a Velux window. The shower room has a large walk-in shower (with overhead and hand-held shower heads), a wash basin in a bespoke wooden vanity unit, with a mirror and shaver point, a heated towel rail and WC.

Bedroom Three
Originally, the master room was not only a bedroom but also a living room and a place where the master of the house would have received guests. Today, this spacious en-suite room is a stunning medieval masterpiece, with exposed original oak beams and plenty of 16th-century character, including a small sample of some original wattle and daub that the owners have left exposed next to the door to the en-suite bathroom. Furnished with a king-size bed on an antique sleigh-style frame, bedside tables and reading lamps, an antique chest of drawers with a solid marble top and a hanging rail.

En-suite
This is the kind of bathroom most people dream of relaxing in, with its freestanding roll-top bath with central taps, placed just so you can lie in the tub while looking out at the stars! Or if you prefer, there’s a super spacious, walk-in shower (with overhead and hand-held showerheads), plus a full-length mirror, washbasin, with mirror and shaver point, and a heated towel rail.

Second Floor

Bedroom Four
Head up one step and duck down under a low beam into this twin bedroom. The bedroom is furnished with two single beds on Victorian-style metal bed frames, a central bedside table with a reading lamp, two storage chests, a luggage rack, and an adjustable hanging rail. The view from the top floor windows out across the rooftop and valley and countryside beyond are inspiring to say the least!

En-Suite
The stairs leading up to bedroom four open to a dressing area with a bath, with hand-held shower and central taps, set into the eaves under the original timbers – a truly unique bathing experience! Beside the bath, through a door, is a WC and washbasin. It’s not just the bathing that’s unique up here in the eaves, the bedroom is too.

Outside

Mercia House has a fabulous outside space, particularly considering it is in the centre of Winchcombe. Step out of the open plan living area, through one of three double French windows, onto the elevated terrace running the width of the house. From the terrace enjoy the great view across the Isbourne Valley and up Sudeley Hill, then head down the steps to the patio where there is a dining table and seating for all eight guests, a parasol for sunny days, and a Weber charcoal BBQ. A further set of wooden steps take you down to the attractive, sloping garden with a pretty lawn, tall, mature trees, and beds full of shrubs and flowers. A path along the side of the garden leads to the back gate and steps down to the parking area where there is room for 2-3 cars to park.