Park lodge with character and comfort

COLEY Rec Lodge in St Saviours Road in Reading is one of those characterful survivors from the 1800s.

Set behind hedgerows with a pedestrian gate and path, this Victorian-style detached lodge stands opposite Coley Park with an open, south-westerly outlook across the recreation ground.

Bought through agent Sara Batting four years ago, this former lodge to Coley Park has been the setting for a warm chapter in its owners’ story.

Lanfranca, whose late father worked in the marble trade in Italy, moved here from London when he became unwell so he could spend time walking in the park.

She later married Sebastian, her long-time school friend, in a chapel on the outskirts of London, to which Sara was also invited. Life has moved on again and the couple are now dividing their time between the UK and Italy, so the lodge is ready for its next guardians.

The house delivers what people want from a period home without the draughty compromises — high ceilings, a handsome bay, original-style parquet flooring and a fireplace.

You enter through a gabled porch into a hall that connects two reception rooms — a sitting room and dining room with ideal proportions for everyday living and for entertaining.

At the back, the 19ft kitchen/breakfast room runs the width of the house, with an adjacent pantry and there’s a utility room plus a ground-floor shower room.

Upstairs are three bedrooms and a generous family bath/shower room. Bedroom one faces the park and bedrooms two and three look over the established rear gardens.

There is a first-floor bathroom and the whole house totals around 135 sq m (1,453 sq ft).

Gas-fired central heating and modern sealed-unit glazing help with everyday comfort. Outside, to the sides and rear, you’ll find lawns, shrubs and flowers, a greenhouse for those with horticultural leanings and a sunny southerly deck/patio for evening suppers.

Unusually for a lodge house in this position, there’s gated vehicular access from the edge of the park to private parking at the rear.

Coley Park is just over a mile from Reading town centre, so shops, restaurants, the cinema and the Oracle are within walking distance and there are good local amenities, schools and buses on hand.

For commuters, Reading’s mainline station gives fast connections to London Paddington (from about
25 minutes) and you’ve also got Reading West and Green Park stations in the mix, plus access to the Elizabeth line. Heathrow is roughly
45 minutes away in decent traffic.

If you prefer green space to spreadsheets, the River Kennet and Prospect Park are both close for weekend walks. Football at the SCL Stadium and golf at Calcot Park are within easy reach and, if your sporting tastes run to the turf, Ascot, Windsor and Newbury racecourses are all comfortably driveable.

l Coley Rec Lodge has a guide price of £695,000. For more information and to arrange a viewing, call Sara Batting on 0118 950 2341.