Oxfordshire Limited Edition – August 2019

80 |OxfordshireLimitedEdition|August 2019

Stunningviewsandcommunityspiritmeetbeautifulmoderninteriorsatthis£ 1. 5 m

Chilsonhome.DeniseBarkleymeetsthecurrentownersofTheOldSchool

AN OLD-SCHOOL

WAY OF LIFE

P

icture-perfectviewsand

sunsetsoverthestunning

EvenlodeValleymeanthat

EdwardandHelenCaldwell

likenothingbetterthan

relaxinginthedrawingroom

oftheirgorgeoushomeinChilson.

“WefellinlovewithTheOldSchoolfor

itsbeautifulandfar-reachingviews,especially

fromthedrawingroomwhichhasfloor-to-

ceilingwindowscreatingatriple-aspectview,”

Helenrevealed.

Withacentralwood-burningstove,thisis

theperfectroomforentertainingatanytime

oftheyear.Helenadded:“Itisourfavourite

placeinthehouse–anidealspottorelaxand

soakupthepeaceandtranquility.”

ThevillageofChilsonnestlesinthe

EvenlodeValleyinWestOxfordshire,midway

betweenChadlingtonandCharlbury.

Edwardsaiditisasmallvillagewitha

strongcommunityspirit:“Chilsonitselfis

oneoftheremainingunspoiltCotswold-style

villages–itisontheveryedgeoftheactual

boundaryoftheCotswolds.”

Builtinthelate 19 thcentury,their

detachedstone-builthomewas,asits

namesuggests,formerlythevillageschool.

Thecoupleboughtit 14 yearsago.Helen

explained:“Wewerelookingforahouse

inthecountrysidethatwouldcomfortably

accommodatemyelderlymother,aswellas

visitingfamilymembers.

“Whileithasbeenmodernisedand

extendedconsiderablyovertheyears,youcan

stillseeglimpsesofitshistory,forexample

intheporchwheretheflagstoneshavebeen

worndownbythepatteroftinyfeet!”

Thehousehadalreadybeenextendedand

theCaldwellsextendeditfurther,addingto

andmodernisingthespacewhilemaximising

itsimpressiveviews.Helensaid:“Having

giventhemasterbedroomtomymother,we

createdalargesecondbedroom–effectively

anothermasterbedroom–andintheprocess

wealsoextendedthekitchenandaddeda

utilityroom.

“Withalargeextendedfamilytoentertain,

wewantedabiggerkitchenandinstalled

new,hand-madeCotteswoodunits,along

withgraniteworksurfacesandGaggenau

appliances.”

Thecoupleensuredthatthenewkitchen

layoutmadethemostofthepanoramicviews