Old Manse

The Old Manse is a handsome historic, three-story, red-brick, detached family home on a quiet country lane leading into the village of Little Tew. The super-stylish yet warm and welcoming decor and furnishings extend all the way from the orangery kitchen, with its lantern roof, right up to the third-floor attic bedroom with a super-king size bed and en-suite bathroom. In front of the house are a perfectly tended parking area and a front garden planted with lavender and trees. To one side is the garden gate leading to a truly magical country garden with a patio.

Built in 1869, The Manse (now called the Old Manse) served as the home of the Minister of the local Baptist circuit. The front of the house is built in measurements of multiples of three, giving it a regular and solid appearance - perhaps intended to suggest the virtue of those that built it and lived in it. The most well-known Minister was Edith Gates, the first woman to be recognised to hold the pastoral charge of an English Baptist church. She lived at the Manse with her sister (the church’s organist) from 1918 until her retirement in 1950; thereafter, the Manse became privately owned.

The current owners of the Old Manse have transformed the property into a beautiful home, with a blend of contemporary and antique furniture complementing the choice of Farrow & Ball paintwork and wallpaper used throughout. On the ground floor, the Old Manse has two reception rooms - a living room with two fireplaces and snug with a wood burner, both with smart TVs - a fabulous kitchen/dining room opening out to the patio and garden, a downstairs super-king bedroom with en-suite (shower room), a large utility room and a cloakroom. On the first floor are three double bedrooms, one super-king, one zip-and-link twin (can be super-king), a children’s twin room (one standard single, one small single), and a family bathroom. On the top floor, in the remodelled attic, is the largest bedroom, with a super-king size bed, dressing area, en-suite bathroom (with bath and shower), TV, and plenty of room for a travel cot plus stunning views across the valley.

The outside area at the Old Manse is truly spectacular, with its extended patio and seating for 10, raised herb beds, and a beautiful one-acre garden planted with mature trees, borders, and several fruit trees, which guests are welcome to collect during their stay. At the far end of the garden is a pretty pond – a tranquil place to sit and watch the wildlife coming a going.

Ground Floor

Hallway:
Guests enter the Old Manse through the front door and covered porch into a long hallway with a view all the way through to the dining area and garden beyond. This pretty hallway features Farrow & Ball’s Bumblebee wallpaper - based on a pattern originally found on silks in Josephine Bonaparte’s bedroom, the first wife of Emperor Napoleon. A handy antique bench is provided to sit and remove outdoor shoes. After guests’ initial arrival, entry can either be through the front door or through the garden gate into the Utility/Boot room, where there is plenty of space to hang coats, store shoes, and boots, and even wash down a muddy dog in the butler’s sink.

Living Room:
To the right of the hallway is the main living room, with an antique-oriental feel to the décor and plenty of seating for all. To one end is a large window overlooking the front garden, with an open fire, a four-seater sofa, two armchairs, and an antique butler’s tray, serving as a coffee table or card table - take care, the tabletop is a tray and lifts off! At the other end of the room is a seven-seater sofa, a smart TV, a small bureau, and a wood burner. On a winter’s night, this is the room to snuggle up in while watching a good movie.

Snug:
Opposite the Living Room is the Snug - once the family’s playroom - featuring a polished Cotswold stone floor (with underfloor heating), a wood burner, a smart TV, a three-seater sofa, two armchairs, and a very cute child’s seat and footstool. A sash window overlooks the front garden, casting lots of light into the room making it a lovely room to relax in front of the fire or watch TV

Central Hall:
The multi-purpose central hall sits at the foot of the staircase and between the two front reception rooms, the Kitchen and Back Hall. It is furnished with a two-seater sofa (perfectly placed so that you can sit and look out at the garden through the French windows), a bureau and a large desk, and comfy chair, making it a bright and light work area if needed.

Kitchen-Dining Area:
From the Hall take two steps down to the striking and inviting orangery-style Kitchen-Dining area, with its magnificent double-lantern roof. This is a fantastic, fully equipped kitchen and entertaining space, which opens out through bi-fold doors to the patio and garden beyond. A mounted smart TV can be viewed from the Kitchen or the Dining Area.

To the right, the Kitchen features an over-size island with a huge preparation area, induction hob, wine fridge, cupboards and bar seating for two - perfect for children to eat at or for other guests to perch at and keep the cook company. The kitchen has every standard appliance (including dishwasher, double oven, fridge-freezer with icemaker) and more (blenders, NutriBullett, boiling water tap), plus all the crockery and glassware needed to fully cater for 10 guests.

To the left is the orangery-style Dining-Seating area which has a long wooden table that comfortably seats 10 guests (pictured with eight), a snuggler sofa and armchair, and a small desk ideal for a little light work, charging devices or making plans for the day ahead. Bi-fold doors open out from the Dining Area to the patio, with seating for 10, a brick BBQ, and the magnificent garden.

Back Hall:
The Back Hall leads to Bedroom 5, the Utility Room, and the downstairs cloakroom:

Bedroom Five:

Also known as the Strawberry Room, because of its delightful décor featuring strawberry wall art and floral fabrics, Bedroom 5 is a spacious, bright, and light room with views to the main and herb garden and would suit a guest with limited mobility. The bedroom is furnished with a super-king size bed with bedside tables and reading lights, a dressing table with a mirror, a chest of drawers, and a double-fitted wardrobe.

Bedroom Five En-suite:
This en-suite shower room has a real “wow factor”, with its double-height ceiling, striking aqua blue walls, and extra-large walk-in shower (one small step in) with a handy built-in shelf to perch on and an overhead shower and hand-held shower head. The en-suite has a vanity unit and a large Lefroy Brooks basin and toilet.

Cloakroom:
This could be just a downstairs W.C., but the gorgeous dark blue and golden palm tree wallpaper make it that bit special, as well as the great collection of reading books!

Utility/Boot Room:
This fantastically useful room can be entered from the Back Hall or the side garden, making it both a utility room (with a bread-maker, Miele washer and dryer, ironing facilities and overhead Pully clothes airer) and a boot room where guests can hang coats, take off footwear and even wash a muddy dog in the butler’s sink. There’s also plenty of room in here for your doggy to sleep.

First Floor

Head up the first flight of stairs - carpeted with banister - to the first floor and Bedrooms 2 (en-suite), 3, and 4 and the Family Bathroom:

Bedroom Two:
This delightful, sunny en-suite double bedroom is decorated in calming shades of white and blue. The bedroom looks out over the front garden and lane, while the en-suite has a fabulous view down the garden and over the dining area’s lantern roof. The bedroom is furnished with a super-king size bed, with bedside tables and reading lamps, a double wardrobe, chest of drawers, and dressing table with a mirror and hairdryer.

En-suite Shower Room:
Head through an arch into the en-suite, which has a large walk-in shower, vanity unit with basin and a large mirror, a heated towel rail and feature W.C. with a Butler & Rose high level cistern. (Note: there is no door between the bedroom and en-suite.)

Bedroom Three:
This very pretty, front aspect bedroom has pale pink walls with accents of cerise. It is furnished with two standard size single beds (which can be made up as a super-king double on request), with a shared bedside table and reading lamp. The room features a long dressing table with a baroque, antique mirror above. In the corner is a double wardrobe with hanging space and shelves. (The travel cot is stored in this bedroom.)

Bedroom Four:
The Peter Pan Neverland wallpaper in the children’s twin room says it all… this is a room that’s perfect for smaller guests! Further appeal for children lies in a bookcase full of children’s reading books, delightful animal pictures, cushions, and a teddy bear lamp. The bedroom has one standard 3ft single and one 2ft10” single, a fitted wardrobe with hanging space and shelves, and a large mirror.

Family Bathroom:
Serving Bedrooms 2 and 3, the Family Bathroom has a full-size bath with an over-bath shower, a washbasin with a large mirror, a feature W.C. with Butler & Rose high-level cistern, and a heated towel rail.

Second Floor

Head from the landing on the first floor, through a door and up a flight of wooden stairs with a banister to:

Bedroom One:
This sumptuous, somewhat secluded, top-floor attic bedroom has sweeping views out over the garden and countryside beyond. It features a super-king size bed, with bedside tables and reading lamps, a smart TV (positioned for in-bed viewing), a large dressing area (plenty of space for a baby’s travel cot too), with dressing table, wardrobe, and chest of drawers, and an en-suite bathroom. Though this bedroom has the largest floor space of all the bedrooms, it’s built into the eaves, so taller guests may be more comfortable in one of the other bedrooms.

En-suite Bathroom:
Head through a door from the dressing area into the en-suite bathroom, which features a full-size bath – perfectly positioned by the window so you can bath and gaze at the stars! There’s also a cabinet shower, a large washbasin with mirror and shaver point, W.C, towel rail, full-length swing mirror, and storage for personal items.

Outside

Guests will be truly amazed by the stunning outdoor space at The Old Manse. Starting to the front of the garden are two parking spaces. Pass through the garden gate where there is a small garden with a path between lavender bushes leading to the front door. To the left of the house is parking for two more cars, and to the right, behind a low wall, is the partially paved original driveway behind a five-bar gate (open for guests to park one car). Head back to the left side of the house and open the wooden side gate. This is where the outside magic begins. Here you’ll find an immaculate patio with raised beds full of herbs, and borders bursting with flowering plants. The patio wraps around the house and includes a full-size, brick BBQ (charcoal) and dining area with a large wooden table and seating for 10. Take two steps down (with a handrail) to the bi-fold doors into the Kitchen/Dining Area, making it the perfect set-up for outdoor entertaining. (Please note: The greenhouse and sheds are not for guests’ use.) With your back to the house turn and be amazed by the one-acre garden. It is the perfect Cotswold country garden, with an immaculately mowed lawn, mature trees – with a couple of tree swings - an orchard, a spinney, paths through a wild area, borders full of flowering shrubs and border plants and a pond crammed with wildlife.

Guests are encouraged to pick apples and pears when in season to use during their stay and, when cooking in the wonderful kitchen or on the BBQ, help themselves to the herbs - rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, and mint – all marked up for easy identification!