Old School House occupies a particularly lovely position in Northend, a small and highly regarded Chiltern village surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the area. The Common is immediately adjacent, while an extraordinary network of footpaths and bridleways stretches out through the surrounding hills, woods and valleys towards places including Turville and Christmas Common. It is the sort of setting where you can quite genuinely leave the car at home and disappear into the countryside for hours.

The house itself is equally appealing. Dating from the mid-19th century, its traditional brick and flint elevations and pretty gabled roofline give it plenty of period character, while substantial alterations and improvements have created a home of just over 2,000 sq ft with a much more contemporary feel inside.

The ground floor is particularly impressive. At one end is the 22'5 kitchen/breakfast room, a bright and sociable space with extensive glazing onto the garden, sleek cabinetry, granite work surfaces and a large central island. There is plenty of room for a breakfast table and doors open directly onto the terrace, making this a natural everyday hub of the house.

From here the accommodation flows through to the dining/family room, another generously proportioned space which provides considerable flexibility. Beyond is the superb 27'8 sitting room, with dark timber flooring and a striking freestanding wood-burning stove. Together, the rooms give the house that increasingly rare combination of open, sociable spaces and somewhere to retreat to.

Upstairs are three established double bedrooms together with a fourth room currently arranged as a large dressing room. Importantly, this room is open to the landing at present rather than being a conventional enclosed bedroom, but the layout lends itself very easily to partitioning to create a good fourth bedroom if required. The principal bedroom has its own en suite, while the remaining bedrooms are served by the family bathroom.

Outside, the garden is a real extension of the living space: broad, predominantly lawned and enclosed by mature hedging and planting, with terraces for eating and entertaining. There is off-road parking to the front.

And while the setting feels wonderfully tucked away, it is by no means isolated. Henley-on-Thames and Watlington are within easy reach, the M40 can be accessed via Junctions 5 and 6, and the area is particularly attractive for schooling, falling within sought-after Buckinghamshire grammar school catchments.

For us, Old School House has unusually wide appeal. It has the space, garden and schooling to make a terrific family home, but without the scale or burden of a large country house, making it equally compelling for downsizers looking for somewhere special. Above all, though, it is the combination of the house and its position beside the Common that makes it stand out.