Practical, no fuss countryside living

HILLTOP in Main Street, Stoke Row, is set in a quarter-acre plot and the house has been extended and shaped for modern family living.

Beginning with a bright central hall, from here, the formal sitting room waits for quieter evenings, anchored by a log burner that earns its keep once the temperature drops.

Alongside, there’s a separate snug to keep the TV, homework or guitars out of sight when you want the main room to stay civilised.

The heart of the house is a well-judged open-plan space that ties together the kitchen, dining area and a relaxed seating zone so the cook isn’t marooned while everyone else talks.

It’s practical as well as sociable, with direct access to a proper boot room/utility — somewhere to shed the dogs and sports kit, plus a neat study nook for laptop sessions that don’t warrant taking over a bedroom.

The flow is straightforward, the lines of sight are good and the whole set-up makes hosting easy without forcing all of life into one echoing box.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms, two with their own en suites. A separate family bathroom covers the rest. None of it is fussy: it’s accommodation that does what it should without stealing space from the places you spend time.

A converted two-bay garage adds a useful layer of flexibility. At different stages of life, it can be a gym, studio, games room or overspill office.

The garden has been thought through with the same practical eye. There’s a broad entertaining terrace straight off the house for summer meals, a proper lawn where you can put up goals or a marquee without apologising for the slope and mature shrubs and trees that settle the plot into its village setting and lend privacy.

Stoke Row itself is one of the Chilterns’ friendliest addresses, with country pubs, good walks and a community that knows each other.

Stoke Row Primary School sits at the village heart and is well regarded. Older children have strong state options including Gillotts in Henley and sixth-form at The Henley College, while independents such as The Oratory, Cranford House and Pangbourne College are within straightforward reach.

Seven miles away in Henley, you’ve got Rupert House and St Mary’s on the prep side, with Shiplake College, Queen Anne’s in Caversham and Reading Blue Coat nearby for seniors. It’s a line-up that lets families mix and match without moving house every few years.

Practicalities are sound. Oxford is roughly 20 miles for big-ticket shopping or theatre, London about 44 if you’re running a hybrid week, and Heathrow about 32 when you need an early flight.

l Hilltop has a guide price of £1,600,000, freehold. For more information and to arrange a viewing, call Robinson Sherston on (01491) 411911.