Stone Cottage, Oakley

Tucked away on a quiet, private no-through lane, this extended 18th-century cottage is a charming, period home with character and thoughtful modern updates throughout. The rendered stone elevations, slate roof, and tall brick chimney stacks speak to its age, while inside, exposed ceiling beams, a staircase with visible timber framing, and a handsome open fireplace in the sitting room give a real sense of the building's history. The property has been sensitively extended and modernised over the years, most recently with a smart, sustainable energy system.

The accommodation extends to approximately 2,143 sq ft, including the garage. On the ground floor, a welcoming sitting room with fireplace and a separate dining room sit either side of a staircase and modern downstairs shower room, with the well-proportioned kitchen overlooking the rear garden, an adjoining utility room, and a conservatory completing the principal living space; an integral garage provides further storage and houses the property's battery system. Upstairs, the first floor offers four bedrooms, including a spacious principal bedroom with paddock views, plus a generous family bathroom with a separate shower and bath.

Outside, the property sits on approximately 1.36 acres, comprising well-established gardens immediately around the house and a private paddock on the opposite side of the lane. A particular highlight is the comprehensive solar energy system: 10 solar panels were installed at the end of 2020 and commissioned in January 2021, working alongside a Tesla Powerwall battery (housed in the garage) and an EV charging point. Together, these allow the current owners to generate, store, and export their own solar energy, and to take advantage of off-peak and EV electricity tariffs.

Oakley is a sought-after Buckinghamshire village surrounded by open countryside yet within easy reach of Oxford, Aylesbury, Thame, Bicester, and the M40, with a good range of everyday amenities both in the village and in nearby Brill and Long Crendon. Families are well served for schooling: Oakley Church of England Combined School is under a mile away, as is Brill Church of England Combined School, with secondary schooling at Lord Williams School, Thame, or Wheatley Park School, Wheatley. For private education, Ashfold School lies just a couple of miles away in Dorton, while further afield the area falls within reach of Buckinghamshire's well-regarded grammar school system (including schools in Aylesbury and Buckingham), as well as independent senior schools such as Stowe School near Buckingham and Headington School, Oxford, making this a popular pocket of the county for families weighing up both state and private options. The village is a popular choice for commuters, with Haddenham & Thame Parkway station offering frequent services to London Marylebone, while Bicester's stations provide further fast links to London and Oxford, and the M40 gives easy road access to London, Birmingham, and beyond.