Christmas is fast approaching, which of course means the annual drunken watch of The Holiday.
Yes, as with Love Actually and Gremlins, there are some films that you just can’t escape and the Cameron Diaz house-swapping one seems to be on every night over the Xmas period. Which is fine - who doesn’t love it? And, more to the point, who hasn’t fantasised about spending the holidays in a lovely English cottage like Diaz does, with snowfall over a chocolate box village, a cosy fire and Jude Law popping over for a quick flirt?
Well, here’s your chance to make those fantasies a reality. OK, it’s not THE cottage in the film, but it’s a dead ringer and actually comes with a modern upgrade that makes it even more appealing.
Southview House is a stunning 5-bedroom home set in over two acres with a private woodland on a peaceful country lane.
It’s located in the village of Hailey, on the edge of the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire, which is every bit that chocolate box village. Olde worlde, irresistible, incredibly cosy in the winter.
“The area is like something out of a storybook,” says Sonya, the current owner, “We’re just a short drive from the train station at Charlbury, and from there it’s a quick 1-hour journey to Paddington, making it an easy escape from London. It’s all the best parts of the Cotswolds - stunning views, beautiful stone cottages, and peaceful surroundings.”
Southview House is a stone cottage with parts dating back to the 1600s. But it has been entirely remodelled and extended in recent years providing modern and bright reception spaces that blend the houses' many period features with a contemporary twist.
“Living here is like stepping into a cosy, modernised version of The Holiday,” Sonya confirms, “It has all the charm of that traditional English cottage experience - low beams, small rooms, and snug spaces - but with a contemporary twist. The extension with glass doors brings in so much natural light and connects the inside with the outside.
The whole house transforms with the seasons: in winter, it’s like living in a snow globe, cocooned in warmth, with the inglenook fireplace and original bread oven adding to the snug feel. But in summer, we open all the doors, and it becomes a party house. We have an outdoor table that fits 20 people, and we host all the kids’ birthday parties here. It’s one of those homes that just feeds your soul.
The open plan living room and kitchen leading onto the garden and the woods beyond is indeed stunning. Back through the dining room and across the hallway is a cosy sitting room with inglenook fireplace and exposed timbers. On the far side of the house, beyond the kitchen is a laundry room and double bedroom with en suite. This room has its own external door so can be accessed without the need to walk through the main house.
Upstairs there are four further double bedrooms with exposed timber beams and window seats, overlooking the cut flower gardens. The grounds of the house are most notable extending to 2.1 acres with lawns, vegetable patch and a super space for alfresco dining including a barbeque and eating area next to a well-equipped outdoor kitchen. There is a timber frame garage and workshop, a very generous games room with home office at the rear, and a wood-fired hot tub that can accommodate 10 people.
Beyond the garden is a magical private woodland with pathways meandering among bluebells and wild garlic. There is a treehouse and campfire area for those who like to brave the elements. I mean, what more do you want?
“We bought the property in 2016,” says Sonya, “Though it was sold as one house, it was originally three cottages that hadn’t been joined together properly, with a lot of damp and an overgrown garden. We kept the beautiful original stone walls but beyond that, it was almost a complete rebuild. We wanted to preserve the character while transforming it into a modern, family-friendly home.
We basically built a brand-new house in the skin of the old house, adding new plumbing, insulation, windows, heating, and light fittings. We also reorganised the layout and built an extension at the back to improve the flow and open up to the kitchen to the garden. During the renovation, we lived in an outbuilding for a year, which gave us time to really think through how we wanted the space to work for our family.”
So it really is like The Holiday? We can meet Jude Law?
“Just like in The Holiday, we can walk through the forest to our local pub in a nearby hamlet, winding down picturesque lanes to get there. Our first winter, we got snowed in, and there was something magical about it; no one else uses the lane, so we made the first footprints in the fresh snow. And while we can’t promise Jude Law as a neighbour, the experience is every bit as romantic and picturesque. The Beckhams also aren’t too far away!
Well, the Beckhams will do, I suppose...
