4 Bed Semi-Detached House, Northington, SO24

Country living in spacious 4 bedroom period cottage with extensive gardens.

4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 reception rooms, large open-plan country kitchen, outdoor, idyllic location on the edge of woods and farmland.  12 minutes from Winchester and close to Alresford.

The front part of the cottage is Victorian, and provides a cosy sitting room with working fireplace, looking down over the front garden and pond.  There is  coat cupboard  / pantry by the front door and another useful under-stairs cupboard currently used as a wine cellar.  Upstairs are two pretty bedrooms (one double, one single), both with original Victorian fireplaces, and a charming double aspect bathroom.  All the rooms have original wooden floor boards.

A door from the front cottage leads to a large open-plan country kitchen, with oil-fired aga, fan oven and induction hob.  Extensive storage with shelving and built in plate rack and large walk in larder.  A light and airy room, with sky lights and and French doors opening onto the patio. Leading off the kitchen is a large conservatory with bi-fold doors onto a decking area for outdoor dining and seating, and lovely views over the garden and countryside beyond.

Fired Earth terracotta floor tiles run front the front door through most of the downstairs.

From the back of the kitchen, a door leads to a passage with a couple of steps up to the downstairs wet-room and lavatory, which also houses the washer and dryer.  This bathroom services a downstairs double bedroom which has doors onto the back gardens.

Another door from the passage leads onto the large family reception room, with doors to the garden.  Upstairs is the master bedroom, with fitted cupboards and bathroom, with shower over bath.

The house is newly decorated in Farrow & Ball.

The gardens
Extensive gardens are a feature of the property.  The current occupiers keep chickens and are self sufficient in vegetables during the summer due to 10 raised beds which are equipped with an automatic irrigation system.  In the top garden (views from family room and downstairs bedroom) are raised beds, fruit trees, a wild flower garden as well as a large shed for tenants' use.  Beyond the back garden are trees and farmland.  West facing, there are often gorgeous sunsests.

The middle south-facing garden, accessed from the kitchen and the conservatory, contains the decking area, with shade provided by the pergola which looks charming in the summer with roses growing around it.  There are also small raised beds for herbs and flowers, and a herb garden.

The front garden, through which the house is accessed via a path up from the drive, is mostly laid to lawn, with a pretty border and a large pond (home to newts and wildlife), as well as another herb garden that used to be the village well.

Plenty of parking in the drive, and additional parking in the church yard opposite if needed.

The community
The house is in a small, friendly community, on the edge of Grange Park, with stunning walks from the front door, and a local pub.  Conveniently located for shops and schools in the pretty Georgian town of Alresford (less than 10 mins away) and Winchester (just over 10 mins away).