Cottage that has heart and charm

ASANA Cottage in Wargrave does exactly what its name promises. In yoga, an asana is a steady, comfortable seat.

The owner, who moved in during 2017 after swapping a London flat for countryside air, wanted stairs, her own front door and the ability to run or cycle straight from it.

She found all of that, plus a village where the surgery, pharmacy and shop are a short stroll, the Bull pub and the river are down the road and a station links neatly into the wider world.

“There is so much kindness in the walls here,” she says. “I wanted the name to reflect a sense of retreat, comfort, security, safety and nurturing.”

Set in Victoria Road, Asana Cottage is mid-terrace in a row of four cottages, with private off-street parking for two cars and a mature front garden that sets the house back from the street behind foliage and clean lines.

Part of the property is 300 years old which is evident in the beamed, low ceilings, with an addition created 80 years ago and further rooms integrated in 2013.

Inside, the ground floor feels coherent and well-considered rather than “done” for effect. You arrive through a porch with storage into a beamed sitting/dining room anchored by an inglenook with a Tortoise fire-box open fire — proper flames, brickwork and the sort of focal point that makes winter bearable.

Most rooms benefit from underfloor heating, with the ground floor finished in hard-wearing tiles and original windowpanes keeping the cottage character intact.

At the rear, the kitchen/breakfast room has quartz worktops, a peninsular breakfast bar for coffee-and-laptop mornings and a stable door to the garden so dogs (and people) can wander in and out.

Next door, a separate study looks over the rear and sits beside a smart downstairs shower room, handy as a work zone, guest space or, in a pinch, a ground-floor sleeping arrangement for visiting parents. Upstairs, three double bedrooms are joined by a dedicated dressing room and a family bathroom with a freestanding tub and separate shower. The dressing room keeps the main bedroom uncluttered. The owner will tell you the calm is noticeable.

There is a new heating system, comprehensive re-wire, new kitchen and bathroom — so you can move in and get on with living rather than planning trades. Outside, a gravelled forecourt takes two cars off-road (no more circling for a space), then a gate leads to the principal garden, which is well tended, with an apple tree, a re-laid patio and a built-in barbecue incorporated from salvaged bricks.

It’s private at the back too, with a tiered layout and gravel for low maintenance. There’s mains gas, power to outbuildings and all the everyday utilities you’d expect.

Wargrave is three miles from Henley, closer still to Twyford’s mainline for fast London connections and the village has its own branch-line station for the easy hop to Twyford and the Elizabeth line beyond.

The village itself is lively rather than loud — tennis, rowing, two marinas and a cluster of clubs give it that “everyone knows someone” feel, while coffee shops, pubs and places to eat mean you can leave the car at home.

Schools in the village are well regarded, with the Piggott School a known draw for families comparing catchments. Asana Cottage avoids the usual period-property compromises.

Character is intact with beams, brick and proportions that feel human. Yet, the day-to-day is modern with warm floors, storage, a kitchen that’s the hub of the home and a ground-floor study. As the owner puts it, it’s “a cottage with heart and charm”.

Asana Cottage offers village life with real connections, footpaths and the river on your doorstep with coffee and pubs in your orbit.

l Asana Cottage is on the market with Davis Tate for offers in excess of £700,000, freehold. For more information and to arrange a viewing, call 0118 934 4433.