Hawkridge Hill, Frilsham, Hermitage, West Berkshire

Hawkridge House sits in an outstanding, elevated setting within the rolling countryside of the Berkshire Downs on the outskirts of the small village of Frilsham which has a church and a popular pub, The Pot Kiln . The larger village of Yattendon is 2 miles away and is home to The Royal Oak Pub, The Renegade brewery and tap room, a shop, post office and primary school. The surrounding countryside offers many opportunities for walking, riding and other country pursuits with a selection of footpaths and bridleways nearby. Newbury is 6 miles away and offers a wide range of amenities including a world famous racecourse, the Watermill Theatre and a Waitrose supermarket. In the wider region, Oxford, Reading and Winchester are all within easy travelling distance.

Transport links are excellent with the A34, M4 and M3 providing fast road connections to London, The West Country, Oxford and the South Coast. Newbury has a direct and regular rail service to London Paddington taking from 41 minutes. There is a wide selection of preparatory and secondary schools in the area including Brockhurst and Marlston, Elstree, Cheam, Downe House, St Gabriel’s, Marlborough College, Radley, Wellington, Bradfield and Pangbourne.

Hawkridge House is a magnificent late Victorian country house of grand proportions and located in an elevated setting in the heart of the Berkshire Downs. The house is unlisted yet contains many exquisite features with a clear Arts & Crafts influence. The house enjoys full and part oak panelling in the majority of the reception rooms, with intricate carvings and there is fine plasterwork with ornate detail. There are a number of beautiful original stained-glass windows and some fine original mosaic tiles. The current owners have replaced the majority of the windows and repaired and insulated the roof. The formal reception rooms are centred around a panelled and galleried central reception hall and include an elegant drawing room, a panelled library and a large dining room. The is also an impressive traditional billiard room.

An inner hall links through to the kitchen/breakfast room which has an Everhot range and a delightful outlook over the swimming pool and terrace. There is an adjacent playroom and a garden room with a door to the terrace. There are three separate cellars and a large utility room. On the first floor there are seven main bedrooms including a beautifully proportioned principal room enjoying southerly views over the gardens, a dressing room and a bathroom with wonderful original fixtures. A principal guest room has an en suite shower room and a further guest wing has two bedrooms and a bathroom. There are three further bedrooms, two further bath/shower rooms and a study.

The Tower Wing has been restored by the current owners to provide a self-contained guest apartment or wing which has its own front door and kitchenette on the ground floor. There are four bedrooms all with en suite shower rooms and a sitting room over the first and second floors with a first and ground floor link to the main house as required.

Outbuildings
Hawkridge House has an attached former coach house and stables which now provides garaging, a workshop and store rooms.

Gardens & Grounds
Hawkridge House is approached via a sweeping gravel driveway with double wrought-iron security gates opening from the lane. The driveway continues around the house, with gravel turning circles to the south and west and a lower driveway beyond. To the east of the house is an enclosed York stone terrace with a swimming pool and surrounded by well stocked herbaceous and flower borders. To the west of the house there is a covered veranda which overlooks a further formal garden. The gardens and grounds predominantly lie to the south of Hawkridge House and are mainly laid to lawn, interspersed with mature specimen trees. They have been historically planted to maximise the enjoyment of the seasons and there is a pond stocked with Koi carp. Surrounding the gardens and giving extra privacy is mature woodland with many interesting varieties including Copper Beech, Scots Pine, Walnut, Cherry, Turkish Oak, English Oak, Lime, Yew, Damson, Acacia and Cedar trees. The woodland is carpeted with bluebells in the late Spring. The kitchen garden has been beautifully maintained and includes a Victorian green house and a range of vegetable and fruit cages. A path runs alongside through an attractive avenue of apple trees.