Tucked away in an exclusive enclave within one of Oxford’s most sought-after residential suburbs, this handsome four-bedroom executive home offers a warm welcome with heaps of well-designed and beautifully presented space to make your very own.
Its enviably peaceful location to the west of the city, just off ultra-desirable Cumnor Hill, belies the fact that 10 Scholar Place is so close to the buzzing heart of Oxford city centre and the train station (two miles) for London/Birmingham commutes. Alternatively, dip into village life in nearby Cumnor which has a primary school, two pubs, village stores, post office and butchers.
Scholar Place is a friendly community of just 16 similar residences built in the mid-1990s and enjoying the camaraderie of regular social events.
At first sight, number 10 is impressive - this smart double-fronted red-brick house makes a statement with its ornate gables and stained glass front door. It’s tucked away at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac with off-street driveway parking in front of the double garage.
Inside, there’s more than enough room for the family to spread out with a beautiful, light-filled 28ft living room and separate dining room, 22ft kitchen, utility room, home office and cloakroom, while upstairs there are four excellent double bedrooms - two with en-suite shower rooms and all with built-in wardrobes - plus a large family bathroom.
This is a super family home, let’s give you all the details . . .
Light, airy and super-spacious
A curved paved pathway, flanked by neat lawns, takes you to the attractive stained glass front door which opens into the spacious entrance hall. It offers an elegant entry to the rest of the house complete with a useful understairs cupboard for storing coats and shoes, and a cloakroom/WC.
The double doors to the left open into the living room, 28x13ft of alluring space that works for all the family needs – relaxation, TV viewing, entertaining friends and so on. The decor is neutral and this is reflected throughout the entire house, so you can personalise it as you wish.
With a bay window at the front and French doors to the rear opening onto the garden patio, the impressive focus of this lovely light-filled room is the feature red-brick fireplace stylishly inset with a gas fire. It evokes a heritage inglenook style with a solid oak mantel flanked by seated nooks and slim windows either side. With the fire lit on a cold winter’s day, they’re cosy spots for reading.
The 13x13ft dining room adjoins and is the perfect place for Sunday lunches or candlelit entertaining, complete with a bay window overlooking the garden.
You might prefer to enjoy casual breakfasts and family suppers round a table in the kitchen, an ultra-spacious 22x11ft. The fantastic range of contemporary monochrome floor and wall-mounted cabinets offer long sweeps of worktop plus masses of storage space and the entire room is flooded with natural light via the duo of windows. There’s a wall-mounted Bosch oven, Neff gas hob, dishwasher and fridge/freezer. Alongside, the utility room has a sink, plumbing for washing machine, dryer etc and a door to the garden.
If you crave a more open-plan layout to the downstairs living space it might be possible to remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room to create a larger family hub or, going even further, to also remove the wall between that and the living room (subject to any necessary planning permissions).
An office completes the downstairs layout and can accommodate a couple of desks under the window.
And so to bed . . .
The light, airy feel of 10 Scholar Place continues as you climb the stairs to the first floor sleeping quarters – and they’re superb!
In the refined 15x13ft principal bedroom there’s plenty of space for clothes and shoes storage in the walk-in wardrobe and built-in wardrobes. This private haven also has a large en-suite shower room – all three of the upstairs bathrooms were updated to a contemporary high standard five years ago.
Guests can relax in their own 13x11ft bedroom complete with en-suite shower room while the remaining duo of bedrooms, both doubles, would suit youngsters needing space for their desks, games devices, toys and so on - as well as beds of course! They share a nice big and modern family bathroom with both bath tub and shower cubicle.
Into the garden . . .
When the weather warms up and the sun shines the garden is where you want to be, and at 10 Scholar Place you have an easily maintained 80x35ft plot that’s mainly laid to lawn – perfect for the children to run about and kick a ball and safely screened on all sides by mature trees, hedging and shrubs.
A paved patio runs nearly the entire width of the house and is the place for al fresco family meals and barbecues or a spot of sunbathing. An electric awning positioned above the living room French doors offers some welcome shade when needed.
Another peaceful spot is the pretty summerhouse tucked into a corner of the garden and the ideal place for afternoon tea, a pre-supper G&T or just relaxing with a good book.
Round and about
The endless attractions at the heart of Oxford city centre are within a couple of miles, so you can choose to drive, go via bus or walk, but the bells and whistles of everyday life can also be found in the village of Cumnor. Along with shops and primary school, the village hall has a busy weekly diary of activities while the local hostelry, The Vines, has a nice big garden and a weekly ‘pie and a pint’ night.
One of Oxford’s most popular pubs, The Fishes, is also nearby serving tasty and innovative dishes, focused on fresh and seasonal, all day, every day. It has a wonderfully picturesque pub garden and is part of the renowned Peach Pubs group who also own the AA-rosette Bear & Ragged Staff in Cumnor.
It’s less than a mile to the new West Way Square at Botley, at the bottom of Cumnor Hill, which replaces the former dated 1960s shopping precinct with a sunny piazza lined with shops including a Coop supermarket specialising in food from local growers and producers, Tesco Express, Iceland, chemist, coffee shop and restaurants.
It’s a little further to Waitrose on Botley Road, plus other national retailers such as Aldi and Dunelm and renowned local business, The Oxford Wine Company.
Education is, of course, a priority for families and Oxford positively heaves with excellent private schools – Magdalen College School, Christchurch Cathedral School, Oxford Sixth Form, Headington School, Oxford High, the Dragon School and St Edward’s School to name but a few and all within three miles. The local primary school, Cumnor CE, is within walking distance and Ofsted-rated ‘good’ whilst the nearest secondary, Matthew Arnold School, is just around the corner and also ‘good’.
Nearby, the River Thames and Farmoor reservoir offer extensive fishing and watersports options, or just the chance to relax waterside. The university city of Oxford is, of course, a cultural haven with excellent theatres, museums and music venues as well as superb shopping centred round the Westgate mall. And in the summertime there’s nowhere nicer to be with punting, cricket, al fresco drinks and dining, outdoor theatre and picnics in the parks.
THE FINER DETAILS
What3Words: https://w3w.co/eagles.tins.basic
Distances: Oxford City Centre 3 miles
London 64 miles
Heathrow 52 miles
Square Footage: 2,332 square feet | 216 square metres
EPC: C
Local Authority: Vale of White Horse DC | whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Heating: Gas Central Heating
