An irresistibly gorgeous Cotswolds home comes to the market, with five bedrooms, five reception rooms and perfect village location
James Fisher takes a look at a cottage in Long Compton that ticks every box.

Within the oft-forgotten appendage of the Cotswolds AONB is the magnificent School Cottage in the Warwickshire village of Long Compton. It’s for sale via Knight Frank at £1.65 million.
Situated on a private no-through road, the Cotswold-stone property offers a wealth of character, including original flagstone flooring, fireplaces and exposed timbers, as well as a modern kitchen and some five reception rooms.
There are five double bedrooms on the first floor, plus a family bathroom and a separate shower room; there’s also a separate en-suite bedroom downstairs, though in these times of home working that could just as well be used as a home office space.
The outside space is a real draw. There’s a substantial garden, mostly laid to lawn with a range of beds, mature shrubs and trees, is ideal for entertaining and enjoying the summer nights and surrounding countryside. Admittedly, those feel a long way away right now, but… well, the nights are now getting shorter, and before you know it there will be blossom on the trees.
Long Compton itself is a lovely, classic Cotswold village: there’s a pub a shop, a primary school and a church; the larger town of Chipping Norton is four miles away, and Shipston-on-Stour is six miles. And you don’t need to worry about the quality of the other amenities that are nearby (hint, it rhymes with ‘baylesford’) [For the uninitiated, James is talking about Daylesford Farm Shop — Ed].
[School Cottage is for sale via Knight Frank at £1.65 million — see more details and pictures.]
Of course, if you have £1.65 million to spend you have some lovely other options, even in this sought-after neck of the Cotswolds. So what else did we see nearby?
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
If you're happy to compromise on a central village location, but want more space and seclusion, then Strutt & Parker are selling Cherington Mill at £1.695 million, complete with stables and almost eight acres.
And if you don't have £1.65 million? This classic chocolate box cottage elsewhere in the village is far smaller, just as cute, and £475,000. It's also for sale via Knight Frank.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
Credit: Alamy
Seven golden rules for selling a country house
With coronavirus now seemingly past its peak in Britain, we're tentatively beginning to look ahead to how life will get
James Fisher is the Deputy Digital Editor of Country Life. He writes about property, travel, motoring and things that upset him. He lives in London
-
The Country Life guide to Somerset: What to do, where to stay and how to eat
Somerset is rich in natural beauty and history, but it is its wealth of small-scale food and drink producers, farmers and makers that really set it apart from the competition. Find out how to make the most of it all with our indispensable guide.
By Natalie Millar-Partridge Published
-
How to make a gloomy city garden into a haven of colour and nature
Tiffany Daneff discovers how to transform a typically dark London back garden into a light-filled green haven that is always in use. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
By Tiffany Daneff Published
-
Classical style meets fun and flair in a seven-bedroom manor in Cornwall
At Polstrong Manor, the current owners have combined period charm and elegant modern interiors to create a flamboyant country home 10-minutes from the beach.
By James Fisher Published
-
Two halves make a sublime four-bedroom home in Kent's North Downs
A contemporary extension to a traditional clapboard house brings light and life to Lavington House.
By James Fisher Published
-
The week in property statistics: Service charges reach record high
Plus, how first-time buyers prop up the mortgage market, why you need to move north if you want to live by yourself, and house-price growth slows
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A seven-bedroom oast house for sale in East Sussex, where your dreams can run riot
Unlisted, yet full of character, this property in the High Weald National Landscape is an eccentrically furnished family home that screams fun.
By James Fisher Published
-
Character, history and comfort combine in a four-bedroom farmhouse in Norfolk
Willow Farm near Southburgh is that rarest of things — a perfect combination of period charm and modern elegance in some of England's best countryside.
By James Fisher Published
-
A Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse that's part of the fabric of Bath's history
With 5,500sq ft set over six floors in the centre of Britain's most architecturally rich city, there is much to love here.
By James Fisher Published
-
17 delightful homes for sale, as seen in Country Life
Our round-up of some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a wonderful Cotswolds home and a happily affordable cottage in the West Country.
By Toby Keel Published
-
'This is the most money you'll spend on anything ever': The things that really matter when buying your first home in London
It’s easy to dream of what the ideal first-home in London might be, but when the cost of living in the capital is this expensive, being near a Gail's isn't as important as you think it is.
By James Fisher Published