A 'hidden jewel' in Oxfordshire deemed to be 'one of the most important houses' within its Thameside village

(Image credit: Singleton & Daughter)

published 19 August 2022

The 45ft-long orangery at Whiteways at Whitchurch-on-Thames—only 10 minutes’ walk from Pangbourne and within easy reach of Reading and Oxford—dates from the 1920s and is believed to have been designed by Frank Loughborough Pearson, who designed Truro Cathedral in Cornwall.

It runs all the way along the back of the house, with terracotta floors and four sets of doors opening onto the terrace. The leafy surrounds beyond include a croquet lawn, a koi-carp pond, wildflower meadow and a kitchen garden and the house itself is a Victorian ‘hidden jewel’ with six bedrooms.

It is one of the most important houses in the Thameside village, say agents Singleton & Daughter, who are currently overseeing the sale of Whiteways with a guide price of £2.75 million.

Whiteways is currently on the market via Singleton & Daughter with a guide price of £2.75 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.

Whitchurch-on-Thames: What you need to know

Location: 7 miles Northwest of Reading and just over 20 miles south of Oxford. The nearest train station is located at Pangbourne where fast services run to London Paddington, Oxford and Reading.

Atmosphere: The area is home to many scenic footpaths and bridle tracks as well as two well-regarded pubs (conveniently located within walking distance of the property). The village of Pangbourne is situated just across the river and is home to a number of award-winning shops, a supermarket, restaurants, riverside pubs and a health centre.

Things to do: Explore the surrounding countryside and the river meadows that form this lovely corner of the country. Pangbourne is home to an adventure centre offering climbing and canoeing courses, and there are tennis courts and football pitches in the area to keep the active entertained. Young families will enjoy Beale Wildlife Park and Gardens, and National Trust Property, Basildon Park, is also in the area.

Schools: Pangbourne College, Bradfield College, Downe House, The Oratory and Cranford House are all good options and Whitchurch Primary School is rated 'outstanding' in Ofsted reviews.

See more property for sale in the area.

Credit: Strutt and Parker

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Annunciata grew up in the wilds of Lancashire and now lives in Hampshire with a husband, two daughters and an awful pug called Parsley. She’s been floating round the Country Life office for more than a decade, her work winning the Property Magazine of the Year Award in 2022 (Property Press Awards). Before that, she had a two-year stint writing ‘all kinds of fiction’ for The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, worked in internal comms for Country Life’s publisher (which has had many names in recent years but was then called IPC Media), and spent another year researching for a historical biographer, whose then primary focus was Graham Greene and John Henry Newman and whose filing system was a collection of wardrobes and chests of drawers filled with torn scraps of paper. During this time, she regularly gave tours of 17th-century Milton Manor, Oxfordshire, which may or may not have been designed by Inigo Jones, and co-founded a literary, art and music festival, at which Johnny Flynn headlined. When not writing and editing for Country Life, Annunciata is also a director of TIN MAN ART, a contemporary art gallery founded in 2021 by her husband, James Elwes.

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Whitchurch-on-Thames: What you need to know

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