3 Bedroom end-of-terrace house ● Witts End, Eversholt ● £525,000 (Offers In The Region Of)

When Inga first walked into the spare room of the house at Ivy Cottages at Witts End, she thought the owners of the property had hung an image of a horse on the wall. When she looked more closely, she realised she was gazing at a living picture. “I couldn’t believe it – what I was actually seeing was a real horse,” she recalls. “We have a sanctuary for retired police horses opposite and we can look out from here and watch them in the fields.” It was this sense of country living that first appealed to both Inga and her partner, Luke. “It just felt so open and light, with such a sense of space because of the big skies,” she continues. “There were lots of footpaths to walk along with our dog and heaps of wildlife to spot. We have a resident badger here who comes to visit us every summer.” She adds: “The cottage was also just the right size for us – with a low-maintenance garden and plenty of room to host friends and family.”

PAST AND PRESENT

Originally a farmworker’s cottage, the property, which dates back to the early 1830s, is the last one on the charming row. “The people who originally lived here would have worked for Witts End Farm,” Inga explains. “Some of them played in a brass band and we have some lovely photos of them.” Today, the interior has a bright, modern feel, but nods to its past can still be seen in the style of some of its windows. “We have redecorated since we have been here, keeping the décor fairly neutral to make the most of the natural light. We also removed the wall between the sitting room and snug to create a larger space with a play area at one end for our daughter. This works very well as we are now able to keep an eye on her.”

A WARM WELCOME

The cottage, which has an abundance of kerb appeal, is entered from the front via an entrance hall that leads to a ground-floor cloakroom. To the right is the sitting room, which is a warm and welcoming space, especially during the colder months. “We have a wood burner in there which makes it very cosy in the winter,” she says. A door from the former snug end of the room opens onto stairs leading down to the lower ground floor. “We use this space as a utility room and gym, which works very well for us – but it could have all sorts of other uses for the next owners.”

A TRANQUIL PLACE

The kitchen dining room sits at the back of the house and opens up onto the garden. “First thing in the morning, before everyone else is awake, I like to come in here and have my coffee and watch the birds in the trees. It is very peaceful,” Inga observes. “In the summer, I pull the glass bi-folding doors right open onto the garden to create one large space.” Excellent for family living and entertaining, the kitchen features beautiful, country-style painted cabinets and wooden work surfaces. There is a breakfast bar for light snacks and a dining table for formal meals. “We have had lots of lovely occasions in the time we have been here,” she adds.

BEDROOM OPTIONS

All three bedrooms are currently on the first floor, together with the family bathroom. Two of them have built-in storage; the spare room looks out towards the horses. “I think this is my favourite room,” she admits. Previous owners had also made use of two loft rooms, accessing each one via a separate set of ladder steps. “These are good spaces that are carpeted out and have skylight windows,” Inga explains. “I think if we had stayed here, our next move would have been to have had a proper set of stairs fitted. There is space for this at the top of the existing staircase.”

A PRECIOUS GEM

Now relocating to Cambridge, however, Inga and Luke will miss their home and its location. “This really is a gem of a place to live, with its lovely pub and village hall. We can walk into Woburn to go to the market there and we are well placed for Milton Keynes, with its many facilities.” It is easy to catch trains to London, to reach the M1 motorways and to travel into Cambridge and Oxford. “Most of all, however, I think I will miss the lovely light that we have here – and being able to walk straight out of the house in my wellies to go across the fields.”

• Property reference CWR080610195
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