Someone once said you can't buy - OnTheMarket

Someone once said "you can't buy taste" - just for once we disagree! Middleton Park is discreet, beautiful, elegant; one of the last great English country houses, and perhaps one of the best.

Middleton Stoney is a small village set between Bicester to the East and Lower Heyford to the West. It has history dating back to at least the 13th century, a fact confirmed by the age of the Jersey Arms hotel/ restaurant. The access to both towns and arterial routes is excellent, with Bicester a short drive away (from where London Marylebone is as little as a 42 minute journey by rail) and Oxford a straight run to the South. Surrounding the village is wonderful open countryside and farmland with some delightful established walks including at least one tree lined avenue that was once a Roman road.

Middleton Park has to be seen to be believed. Edwin Lutyens, prolific architect responsible for, among his many commercial and residential works, Thiepval War Memorial and The Cenotaph, was commissioned in the 1930's by the Earl of Jersey to design a landmark country house to replace the 18th Century predecessor. Lutyens, often described as "one of the greatest British architects", created a grand manor house with wonderful views over its own land, combining features from the majesty of French chateaus with the softer tones of English country houses. Its significance is such that the main house is Grade 1 listed. The four lodges (Grade 2*) shared in this brilliance, with high ceilings, elegant balustrades, stunning natural light and of course the peaceful setting. Today the grounds are carefully tended to retain all the original character, with a clever leasehold and management arrangement to ensure the property remains kept to a high standard. Adjacent to the lodge there is a pool and a tennis court for residents use, plus a dedicated double garage for this lodge which includes power. It is also the largest lodge, featuring a huge cellar plus the largest dedicated garden. To find such a property and position is rare enough, to find one so secluded but just minutes away from main road and rail access is extraordinary. It truly is a remarkable house.

The entry to the Park is between tall and elegant pillars supporting ornate iron gates, next to a keeper's lodge. The drive runs uninterrupted for perhaps half a mile, much of the time past mature trees. After several hundred metres a delightful church appears to the left, and here there are signs marked "Private, no public access". Either side of the drive the parkland is beautiful, laid out mainly as pasture, with a cricket pavilion and green off to the right just before the main buildings. When the drive splits the tennis court sits off to the left and to the right a stone homage to one of the park's gardeners marks the entry to the parking. Here the house becomes visible, nestling off to the right just past its neighbour. Park by the

thick, mature hedge and walk through the iron gates and a gravel path brings you through the delightful garden (of which more later) to a thick timber door, perfectly centred within the stone facade.

As you enter, doors to either side lead to the cloak room on the left and the cellar on the right respectively. The cellar really does need mention in its own right. During lockdown it has become THE perfect home working space, without losing any of its efficacy providing massive wine store, walk-in wardrobe, and general storage space. The main room, which you can view in our Virtual Tour, is such an ample size it houses a large dining table and this is surrounded currently by hundreds of books on a multitude of shelves. Cellar spaces can feel claustrophobic, but not here - the tall ceilings found elsewhere also feature here, and a clever touch is the addition to a "fake" casement window high-mounted on one wall with a soft light behind it! In total the space down here makes a huge difference to the overall useability - and does so with style.

Back to the ground floor, walking through the entrance into the generous dining room shows the clever ergonomics of the design. Dead ahead the living room is visible, and its natural light floods through. More light comes from a glazed terrace door to the right. And if you look back and upwards you realise how clever the design is - stairs cutting upwards, using what would otherwise be dead space above the stairs to the cellar, simultaneously breaking through the side wall to access light from two side windows. Take a left and the kitchen is perfectly placed, deliciously kitted out with a timeless suite of painted wooden units offering ample storage. All is centred around a range cooker, next to which is a modern ceramic sink perfectly placed so you can watch the bird life in the garden beyond while washing up! Through the dining room to the living room, you will be impressed by the feeling of space and positivity. The herringbone parquet wood block floor underfoot is so redolent of the era, with a lovely patina. It also contrasts perfectly with the soft vanilla wall colour and smart white woodwork elsewhere. Two fireplaces feature, one currently open and the other fitted with an electric fire. And the bookworm theme continues, with a comprehensive range of shelving covering the wall to one end. It's a lovely room, elegant and interesting but also warm and inviting.

Moving upstairs, the stairs themselves are one of our favourite features. Long, shallow steps feel strange for the first few treads, but then become so effortless. And the straight run of polished timber handrails runs right to the top, only punctuated by the simple whitepainted spindles and uprights. Then there's the peep-through opening under the riser, safe for children as its spindles continue, offering a glimpse of downstairs. It's only a staircase, but...! On the first floor there are three, beautifully proportioned bedrooms. The first is pretty much square, an ample double. Next door a similar double also plays host to a generous built-in wardrobe, and with window to two walls it feels bright and open. The third and last is also double aspect, but rather than a wardrobe here there is an ensuite shower room that is compact but nevertheless beautifully

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