Croft House - Winkfield

The market for houses in the rural idyll of Winkfield never seems to slow much, as buyers find everything the parish has to offer quite irresistible.

Said to be England's 2nd largest parish, Winkfield covers a huge area of Windsor Forest and contains several scattered hamlets such as Brock Hill, Chavey Down, Maidens Green, North Street, The Plain and Winkfield Row.

There are a wealth of pubs and restaurants that can be enjoyed by couples or families, including The Cottage Inn and The Drunken Pear. And nearby you will find St Mary’s Lane, which in World War II was the entrance to an RAF airfield made up of a grass take off and landing strip. Young men, mostly in their late teenage years, learned to fly there in open-cockpit, single-engined, De Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes.

But time has moved on and today, St Mary’s Lane is fast becoming one of the most exclusive addresses in the area. Its an idyllic rural setting offering complete solitude, yet its close to shopping centres, leisure complexes and parks.

Just on the market in St Mary’s Lane you will find Croft House, a charming farmhouse style property occupying a delightfully secluded position with formal gardens and paddock in excess of 1 1/2 acres.

Planning permission has been obtained for an enlargement with excellent possibilities of even building your new dream home (subject to planning permission). Other parts of St Mary’s Lane are already enticing substantial investment property. As you approach Croft House, its easy imagine the possibilities.

The current structure has an entrance vestibule, reception hall, sitting room, dining room, study, family room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, cloakroom, master bedroom with en-suite shower room, 3 further bedrooms, sitting area, family bathroom, gas fired central heating/detached garage complex with 2 stables and office unit, delightful secluded gardens.

At £1.1 million freehold, it offers a unique opportunity for those looking for a large, executive family home in a great location.

Without doubt, Croft House will attract a great deal of interest from prospective homebuyers.

BACK IN TIME

In close proximity you will find St Mary’s Church, which dates from the 13th and 14th centuries. The church houses a very interesting 12th century shaft piscina with intricate carving, including a horn-blowing huntsman.

Historians tell us that the church underwent sweeping changes in 1592 when an extraordinary row of wooden pillars were installed down the middle of the nave. Bride and Groom now have to part company as they return from the altar. The Royal Arms are 18th century. The 17th century White Hart Inn, opposite the church, used to be the local Court House. Judge Jeffreys is said to have sat in judgement there. Ward’s manor house called Godwins also stood somewhere in this area. He would have rarely visited it.

There are several more interesting houses and grand old buildings around including Abbey Farm and Abbey Gate house, the old Forge, Handpost Farm, Keepers Cottage, Knights Hall in Winkfield Lane, the Pump Room, the Old Rectory and Tile Cottage at Winkfield Row.

The recorded history of Winkfield dates back from before the Norman Conquest, when most of the land belonged to the Abbey of Abingdon.

The name comes from Wineca’s Field. Wineca being a man’s name meaning Little Friend. In 942, when the village was owned by a nun named Saethryth, the parish boundary was the subject of a detailed charter, in which can be identified such places as Bracknell, Chawridge Farm and Black Moor (around Englemere Pond).

Today, a couple of motorways are located within 6 miles of Winkfield, the M3 is at Bagshot and the M4 at Maidenhead, but thankfully the village continues to hang on to its rural identity.