Listed for £475,000
October 15, 2024
Sold for £295,000
2006
Sold for £133,500
1998
REDUCED BY £50,000 to sell! Beehive Cottage is a charming quintessential English-countryside residence set in the heart of Berkswell village. Delivering bags of charm, a thatched roof and many period features it’s easy to fall in love with this home. There are two bedrooms, a large kitchen/diner and a cosy lounge, bed two/sitting with wet room on ground floor. Follow the character twisting stairs up to main bedroom and bathroom. The property is set on a large plot with countryside views and off road parking and has the added benefit of a garden view home office.
PROPERTY IN BRIEF
Substantially reduced to an attractive price to sell.
Ginger are delighted to offer this two bedroom Grade II listed thatched roof country cottage, located in the heart of Berkswell Village. Built circa 1650. Protected by a conservation area to maintain the character of this village.
This is a unique and fantastic opportunity to purchase a piece of history, a home full of charm, period character and located within this delightful and highly sought-after village.
The cottage bulges character, but does have some limitations with height of ceilings, twisting staircase as you would expect from this type and age of property. Please be sure these factors work for you.
On the ground floor, the property has an entrance hallway with useful storage, a spacious living room with feature inglenook fireplace and log-burning fire, with stable doors into the south-facing garden. A spacious kitchen/dining area also leading out to the garden. In addition, there is an adaptable room which is the second bedroom/sitting room featuring en-suite with shower.
The character narrow staircase twists its path upstairs to the principal bedroom which enjoys dual aspect views as well as a large bathroom boasting a period-style roll-top bath and plenty of storage space.
In addition, there is a separate timber cabin which is the home office and separate storage. A generous driveway, patio and garden areas with vegetable patch and south-facing aspect looking into open fields behind. There is a greenhouse and shed which are not included but can be negotiated.
This is a lovely home, full of character and looking forward to a new owner to love, enjoy this historic building and be part of a welcoming village community.
APPROACH
The property is positioned along Lavender Hall Lane, the road that brings you in and out of the village towards Balsall Common and to Berkswell train station.
A few steps up the road is the village green, local village store, cafe and especially the highly-rated and popular Berkswell Primary School. Let’s not forget the Bear pub which is a popular resting stop in the village, and the village church. The village offers an abundance of walks on hand, whilst being convenient to Solihull, Coventry, local villages, major road, rail and airport links within easy reach.
The adjoining villages of Balsall Common and Meriden offer a wide range of shops and amenities.
The property enjoys a thatched canopy to the front with an entrance gate leading from the roadside, with a pathway running around the side to the gardens.
Separately, slightly along the road is the farm gate access to the driveway, greenhouse, office and storage facilities.
LIVING ACCOMMODATION
Welcome inside. The moment you step through into the entrance hallway you will immediately gain a sense of character, charm and everything you would expect from a country cottage. Firstly, the exposed beams all around the property plus the feature plasterwork all setting the scene for your viewing.
To the right of the entrance area is the living room. A lovely bright space benefiting from dual aspect views looking out into the front, and through into the south-facing rear garden and onwards into country fields. The key feature to the living room is the Inglenook fireplace which houses a dual-fuel burning fire with space to the side for logs, alcoves in the wall for candles, and a quaint window to the side. Imagine those cosy nights in snuggled up on the sofa, and what a setting on Christmas eve this must be.
The living area is spacious, with plenty of floor space to accommodate comfortable chairs, media centre and additional storage, as well as having ceiling spot lighting, and a stable-style door leading out to the rear garden. Also benefits from central heating.
Further internal door leads through into the second bedroom, guest room or snug area, this is a lovely adaptable space, whether being used as the current owners do as a charming relaxation space to take in a good book, or as originally planned, bedroom number two, particularly having the cloakroom and en-suite shower room. This room enjoys high-level ceilings, exposed beams and stone works and contrasting carpet that flow through from the living area. There is a central heating radiator, low-level opening window looking into the garden with a stone window sill, ceiling light and some space above for a bit of storage, with door leading through to the en-suite.
The en-suite/cloakroom is accessed via the feature wooden door complimented by a traditional latch, offering a corner WC with dual flush, a wall-mounted hand wash basin with chrome mixer tap and a ceiling mounted shower, all beautifully tiled to mid-height. The cloakroom/en-suite has an opening window presenting a view out into the rear garden and fields. There’s also an electric radiator to dry off your post shower towel.
The kitchen/breakfast/diner is a lovely space, running the full depth of the property, and is the room that you are likely to spend most of your day whilst at home. This is a generous room and is broken down into three zones which work really well.
Firstly, as you walk from the hallway, you find yourself in a cosy sitting/breakfast/dining area, which is perfect for a breakfast/small dining table, having a window to the front to provide a view into the village, and a nice place to sit at meal times.
The kitchen then opens into the cooking area in the middle of the room, which provides a good compliment of traditional style wooden units and real wood work-surface for preparation, a twin Belfast sink with a chrome flexi-hose mixer tap. The kitchen is surrounded by period beams, exposed brick/ stone work, and splash-back tiling around the sink. The opposite side of the room is the cooking area, with the Rayburn cooker, which is not included in the sale, however is negotiable. There is good hanging space above for pots and pans, and nooks and crannies to the side for your spices and oils.
Moving to the rear of the kitchen is more of a utility area, which has some work-surface space, and under counter provisions for a washing machine and dishwasher. There is space within the kitchen area for a larder-style fridge/freezer. There are handy power points around the work -surface area for smaller appliances, as well as space for storing shoes and the dog bed. A low-level window looks out to the rear garden, with a stable-style door leading out to the south-facing garden.
UPSTAIRS ACCOMMODATION
The loveable twisting staircase winds its journey upstairs, where the home continues the character theme and delivers two spacious rooms. One being the principal bedroom and the second being a large bathroom.
The exposed wooden stairs rise from the living room where they split halfway to give access into the bathroom, and stairs continuing up to the bedroom area. As you arrive at the top of the stairs in the bedroom area, the character of the original beams and plaster work set the scene for this relaxing and delightful space, and especially with the window to the rear looking into the south-facing garden and fields yonder. There is a further window to the front, which delivers plenty of natural light and features wooden shutters for night time.
The bedroom is spacious with painted wooden exposed floor boards giving good space for a large bed, storage cabinets and even a comfy chair to sit quietly and read a book. The owners have created some shelving around the stair area, which is perfect for bedtime reading books, with some additional shelving into the side of the chimney breast. The bedroom also has central heating and lighting
The bathroom is a lovely space, generous in its proportions, and perfectly placed to serve the main upstairs bedroom. The bathroom continues the charm of the original beams, exposed wooden painted floors and a window to the side elevation looking into the village green. The bathroom has a period-style roll-top bath with Victorian style taps and shower attachment, a large Heritage pedestal wash basin with individual hot and cold taps and a classic WC. There is a central heating radiator with towel rail attached, and the bathroom provides excellent storage cupboards to take care of towels and provide some extra shelving space to tuck things away. Another lovely feature in the bathroom is the pulley drying rail, and there is access into the loft space.
OUTDOOR SPACES
Not only is this country cottage located in a highly desirable and beautiful scenic village, but the property itself enjoys a lovely setting, delightful south-facing rear garden and views into open fields behind This property really does demonstrate the true meaning of a country cottage.
The rear garden can be accessed via many ways, from the property leading out from the kitchen, or from the living room, both having stable-style doors. As you step out from the cottage you’re welcomed by a patio area, the ideal space to socialise, taking a glass of wine after a hard day at work, or for the obligatory barbecue. Being next to the property allows you to mix the socialising both inside and out.
The patio then steps up into the generous lawn with a picket fence looking into the adjoining fields, and a delightful lawn area which enjoys the benefit of trees, fruit trees and planted beds.
There is a separate pathway leading from the patio which takes you to the driveway, shed and greenhouse. Towards the front of the garden is a vegetable patch and garden shed. Please note the greenhouse and shed are not including sale but are negotiable.
Along the side of the house is some good storage space under the eaves of the thatched roof, a cold water tap, and pathway leading back to the front of the cottage.
OFFICE SPACE
This property has a separate timber structure, which has been converted in to a useful home office space. Providing window, lighting and power, which is ideal when working from home to take some distance away from the house. The front of this construction is being used as additional storage.
DRIVEWAY
The property offers a generous driveway to the side with a farm-gated vehicle access. To the right of the driveway is a useful store, which backs onto the converted office space, a greenhouse to the side and also a gate leading into the garden to reach home. Both the large shed and greenhouse are not included in the sale, but the client is happy to negotiate.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The roof was re-thatched in 2014.
Vendors have lived here since 2006
Heating system in mains gas combi boiler
New kitchen, wet room and bathroom between 2010- 2012
Annual electricity and gas combined approx. £1500
Annual water £375
Council tax, 2 persons living there £1995 Band D
We are advised this property is Freehold, please seek confirmation from your legal representative.
We are advised the council tax band D is payable to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.
The property is grade 2 listed, and within a conservation area. Please be clear of restrictions these points bring before committing to a viewing or offer.
Ginger have not checked appliances nor have we seen sight of any building regulations or planning permissions. You should take guidance from your legal representative before purchasing any property.
Room sizes and property layout are presented in good faith as a guide only. Although we have taken every step to ensure the plans are as accurate as possible, you must rely on your own measurements or those of your surveyor. Not every room is accounted for when giving the total floor space. Dimensions are generally taken at the widest points.
All information we provide is in good faith and as a general guide to the property. Subjective comments in these descriptions imply the opinion of the selling agent at the time these details were prepared. However, the opinions of a purchaser may differ. Details have been verified by the sellers.
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