5 bedroom detached house for sale

Rooms

Agents Note
Council Tax G Woking borough council. Freehold

The Story
Sitting outside on a warm spring evening, with a glass of wine, the owners of The Hobbits often hear the gentle chinking sound of the nightjar among the trees. Their West End home nestles in an enviable, semi-rural position, tucked away on a plot of over half an acre and surrounded by woodland. “This is like our own little piece of England,” one of them says. “As you come down the leafy lane and the gate closes behind you, you are enveloped in peace and quiet – it is just lovely. We see and hear all kinds of beautiful birds here and there are deer and other animals in the woods. It is your own private heaven and yet you are just 20 minutes from the stations at Brookwood or Sunningdale and then just 35 minutes from central London by train.”

THE GREAT AND THE GOOD
It was not just the location of The Hobbits that appealed to the couple, however. “We fell in love with the quirky house too,” he admits. “I always feel that a house like this is like the Mona Lisa – no-one really ever owns it but different people are its custodians across its history – and we are incredibly lucky to have been looking after it for the past 16 years.” Believed to have been built between 1823 and 1839, local folklore has it that Hobbits was gifted to an officer returning from the Crimean War. “The regiments would camp at West End Common when they were getting ready to go to war,” he explains. “Queen Victoria and the gentry would come out to watch them prepare. The story goes that she gifted six cottages to six officers for their services to their country.”

FLEXIBLE SPACES
Despite the fact The Hobbits has been extended over the years, you can still gain a sense of its original shape, the owner observes. “We also loved its huge garden, which has an oak tree in it that must be 400 years old, and the versatility it offered.” Indeed, the couple went on to build a large, quadruple, barn-style garage and workshop, with a self-contained apartment above it. Complete with a sitting room, bedroom and shower room, this has been perfect for visitors but could equally be ideal as a short-term let or work space. “We also have two other outbuildings, one of which is currently a gym, and the other, which has three rooms, is a great games room and bar for entertaining, but both could have other uses.”

ALL SEASONS
The main house has been updated over the years, with great sympathy for its period style and original features, including beams. Improvements have included a new oak floor in the dining room, spotlights in ceilings and a new fitted kitchen. “We have tried to maintain a classic, timeless style throughout,” he explains. At ground-floor level, a lobby leads into the reception hall, which has access to a cloakroom and a study. This in turn leads into the kitchen and the dining room. “The dining room has two large windows, as well as French windows on to the garden, so it is a lovely space to entertain,” he says. “The sitting room is a wonderful room in the winter, especially at Christmas, when the fire is roaring.”

WOODLAND VIEWS
There are five bedrooms plus a generous family bathroom upstairs in the main house. The master bedroom has an en suite shower room. “Four of the bedrooms are double in size,” he says. “The fifth is a single where my wife likes to do the ironing as she can look out towards the woodland and watch the birds.” With the extensive grounds, there could be potential to extend the main house further (subject to the relevant planning permissions. “This house has been ideal for us as it is but it certainly holds a lot of flexibility and potential for new owners to enjoy it as they wish,” he adds.

LIFESTYLE HOME
The couple will miss being able to stroll out from home through picturesque woodland and heath. “We love to see the mist rising on early morning walks and the sun setting in the evening,” he says. “This is such a beautiful place to live. When we have friends over for barbecues in the summer or are simply sitting outside relaxing on our own at the weekend, it always feels as if we are on holiday. Two or three weeks after moving here my wife asked me if was happy with the move – and I remember replying that we hadn’t just bought a house, we had bought a whole way of life.”

SETTING THE SCENE
The Hobbits sits in more than half an acre of beautiful grounds. It benefits from gated access and a large driveway. There is a quadruple garage and workshop within the grounds, which has a self-contained apartment above it. Two additional outbuildings are currently a gym and games room but could also have a variety of uses. The mature, well-kept gardens also include areas of lawn and terrace.

Disclaimer
Chewton Rose Estate Agents is the seller's agent for this property. Your conveyancer is legally responsible for ensuring any purchase agreement fully protects your position. We make detailed enquiries of the seller to ensure the information provided is as accurate as possible. Please inform us if you become aware of any information being inaccurate.