Property description
SITUATION
Edgcott today is a village and a civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale District of Buckinghamshire and sits in the middle of a triangle of three market towns, Buckingham, Aylesbury and Bicester. Each of these is within approximately a 15 minute drive. There are bus links to Aylesbury and Bicester from where there are Chiltern Rail links to London and Birmingham. Local amenities including a village shop, a post office and a public house are located in Grendon Underwood which is 1.5 miles away. Aylesbury and Bicester offer a wider variety of shops and social facilities.
Once the home of a powerful chieftain, Hurca, the village name is derived from the Old English for "Oak Cottage". In the Domesday Book of 1086 it is recorded as Achecote, "aecen" (from which the word "acorn" is derived) being the Old English word for oak. In 1159 it was called Hochecote and by 1223, it was named Echecott, becoming Eggercote in 1550. It had become Edgecott by the 1600s and Edgcott after 1980. The manor of Edgecott was once owned by the physician and poet Sir Samuel Garth, 1661 to 1719. Hurca raised a cross on the small hill which overlooks the village, now the site of St Michael and All Angels Church. Remnants of this cross are said to still lie in the churchyard. One large stone, once called "The Gospel Stone" lies east of the south door.
DESCRIPTION
An 18th century six bedroom detached barn conversion lovingly converted by the current owners in the late 1980\‘s, beautifully situated in approximately 4 acres of formal gardens and paddock land, with excellent equestrian facilities, including two stables and adjoining tack room, and a triple garage, with the double garage benefitting from a power door. Yew Tree Farm is an oak framed barn set behind electric gates and situated in secluded landscaped grounds, with immediate access onto adjoining paddocks.
The barn has three reception rooms, including an impressive dining room with its own Minstrels gallery and a spacious drawing room with an imposing inglenook fireplace.
There are two separate paddocks totalling approximately 2.2 acres, with the main paddock having a 36 ft. Nissan barn, pony shelter and vehicular access to the road. The south-facing landscaped gardens enjoy an abundance of flower and shrub beds, troughs and pots, all with a computerised sprinkler and dripper system. There is also a large filtrated Koi carp pond and a natural spring pond with an island and a duck house. In addition to the Nissan barn, there is a newly-surfaced all weather tennis court, a heated swimming pool, a triple garage, a workshop, stabling and a tack room.
Yew Tree Farm now provides highly contemporary and flexible accommodation throughout with character features including inglenook fireplaces to both the drawing room and dining room, with a ceiling height chimney breast built and designed with hand cut bricks. There are vaulted ceilings with exposed beams, galleried landings, solid oak window frames and external doors, and ledge and brace internal doors. From a modern perspective, there are sixteen solar panels which have been installed, within the second paddock, which serve the barn and produces lower energy costs as a whole.
Originally a barn belonging to one of the local farms, Yew Tree Farm has been the subject of a complete redevelopment project. The current owners bought the 18th century barn and had it painstakingly rebuilt from 1987 to 1989. Every single oak beam was removed, numbered and then put back in its original place. To provide the bedroom accommodation, the owners purchased a second barn from the Oxford College. The barn had to be the same width and height to match the ridgeline of the original barn.
The walls of Yew Tree Farm are 18 inches thick and are made up of the original brickwork, with con blocks in the centre and thermalite walls on the inside with insulation between each layer. These three layers allow beams to show on the exterior and interior of the building. To add even more character, profile brickwork was also added. The centre wall supports the original roof inside while new rafters and a tiled roof was built over the top.
Entering this exceptional family home via the gable end entrance porch with oak pillars and inset herringbone brickwork, you are greeted by a solid oak door, which opens to the good-size reception hall which has a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, and a minstrel\‘s gallery. Engineered oak flooring continues to the inner hall. The cloakroom includes a wash basin and a low-level wc.
The beautifully presented drawing room, overlooks the surrounding landscaped gardens and paddock land beyond with glazed double doors to the terrace. The brick inglenook fireplace has been based on an Oast house design with a hand cut profile brickwork chimney breast, inset lights and an open fire, with gas supply available. The conservatory is of stone and glazed construction, overlooks the Koi carp pond, has a water tap and glazed doors to the garden with panoramic views towards Marsh Gibbon.
The refitted and superbly presented kitchen/breakfast room provides a dual aspect with views of the magnificent gardens. The ceiling is vaulted with exposed beams and LED lights, and there is ample space for a breakfast table and chairs. The kitchen has been refitted with a range of good-quality Magnet cream coloured storage units, drawers, pan drawers, glass display cabinets, a plate rack with display shelving above, and granite work surfaces. Integrated Neff appliances include a double oven including a fan oven, a five ring gas hob with an extractor hood above, and a dishwasher. In addition, there is a Calor gas Aga and an American style fridge/freezer. A door leads to an inner lobby which has a stable door to the Mediterranean gardens and access to the loft space above, with pull-down ladder, power and light.
To the right of the reception hall, is the inner hallway, which leads to four spacious bedrooms and the refitted family bathroom, which is finished to a high standard. There are surrounding garden views and a staircase to the first floor with an understairs storage cupboard. The master bedroom enjoys a dual aspect with views of the landscaped gardens and paddock land beyond. There is a range of built-in wardrobes with hanging space, shelving, drawers and sliding mirror doors. The en- suite bathroom comprises a stunning suite of a freestanding roll top bath with a shower attachment, a curved shower cubicle with an Aqualisa shower, a wash basin set into a vanity unit with a granite top and a storage cupboard beneath, and a WC.
The remaining three bedrooms to the ground floor overlook the Mediterranean garden, with the refitted family bathroom comprises of a panelled bath with a shower attachment, a curved shower cubicle with an electric shower, a wash basin set into a vanity unit with a granite top and a storage cupboard beneath, and a WC. There is also a rear lobby/boot room, which lends itself to providing the prefect annexe facility, if required.
The landing has a walk-in storage cupboard which houses a boiler and a water softener. The loft is boarded with a light connected. The guest bedroom is dual aspect with panoramic views towards the village of Marsh Gibbon. Storage-wise, there is a range of built-in wardrobes with hanging space and sliding mirror doors. The en suite shower room was fully refitted in August 2016, with a double walk-in shower, a wash basin and a WC. A door opens to a walk-in airing cupboard with shelving and a light. The bedroom six and the study room have views of the gardens and mature trees.
There is a family room to the first floor with exposed beams and views over paddock land, providing the ideal space for a children\‘s TV room etc. Steps lead up to a door which opens to the galleried landing/reading area overlooking the hall. A further door leads through to the minstrel\‘s gallery and the stairs to the dining room, where you are treated to an abundance of timber framed walls, vertical and horizontal ceiling beams and the imposing inglenook fireplace, overlooking the gallery railings.
Externally, the formal gardens enjoy a variety of mature trees, which are interspersed around the garden and include cherry trees, alder trees, Swedish birch trees, Indian Bean Trees, apple trees, pear trees, plum trees and crab apple trees. Within the main part of the garden, there is an enclosed all weather tennis court which was resurfaced in August 2016. The Mediterranean garden has raised flower and shrub beds, a fig tree and herb beds. To the front of the barn, there is a log store and an enclosed utility area which has a pedestrian gate to the road and houses the LPG tanks.
The property is accessed via electrically operated wrought iron double gates to the driveway which is laid with Creteprint pattern imprinted concrete. A wrought iron pedestrian gate opens to a path which leads to the barn. The formal landscaped gardens are laid to lawn and wraparound Yew Tree Farm and back onto open paddock land. There are seating areas taking advantage of the southerly aspect and flower beds and borders containing mature and specimen shrubs. There is a natural spring pond surrounded by mature trees and shrubs, with an island and a duck house. Further into the garden, a filtrated Koi carp pond with a UV light system is surrounded by a rockery with a feature wooden bridge
Beyond the driveway, is pedestrian gated access to the hardstanding stable yard fronting the two stables and tack room, with a further five bar gate giving access to the two separate paddocks with water troughs and measuring approximately 2.2 acres in total. One paddock has sixteen solar panels which serves the barn, and the main paddock has a Nissan Barn with storage space which has the potential to become an American style barn with loose boxes or the ideal space to store classic cars etc. There is also the advantage of a five bar vehicular access gate leading to the road.