As you arrive at The Old Chapel at the heart of the typical Cotswold village of Shipton Oliffe, it's easy to see it has been sympathetically renovated inside and out. The property retains much of its 1864 charm and distinctive features, including the original chapel door, arched red brickwork and stained-glass windows.
This delightful Cotswold holiday let is arranged over two floors. On the light and bright ground floor is a modern, well-equipped kitchen and utility room. The kitchen flows through to an open-plan dining and living space which is divided by a central fireplace. There's also a double bedroom on this level and a downstairs cloakroom with wash basin and WC. On the first floor are two bedrooms: the master, with ensuite shower room, and a twin bedroom with zip and link beds, which can be transformed into a super king bed if desired. In addition, there is a family bathroom with bath, walk in shower and WC.
Enjoy your morning coffee outside in the sheltered courtyard on a sun lounger or rustle up a feast on the charcoal barbeque and dine around the large wooden table. To the side of the Old Chapel there's a pretty, south-facing garden with mature trees and a pond - the perfect place to linger a while and soak up the wonderful countryside views. Between the house and the garden is a dedicated parking area, large enough for three cars.
Ground Floor
Entrance Hall:
The original chapel doors open into a wide hallway with primrose yellow walls and original wooden floor. (Note: guests arrive through the back hallway.)
Living Room:
The stylish Living Room is furnished with two beautifully comfy sofas (one four-seater and one two-seater), a large footstool (with games stored inside), a Smart television and a welcoming wood burning stove, perfect for chilly evenings. To one end is a large sideboard that doubles as a desk (the property has superfast fibre WiFi) and to one side, up a small step, is a delightful reading area with an armchair, table and reading lamp. Pass either side of the chimney and woodburner into the dining area.
Dining Area:
Seating six comfortably around a long wooden table, the Dining Area is divided from the kitchen by a half-height wall, making this an intimate space yet still connected to those cooking and preparing the meal to come. The dining area's original Victorian fireplace - now decorative only - sits on the reverse side of Living Room's woodburner.
Kitchen:
The kitchen at The Old Chapel is truly impressive. With its double aspect, vaulted ceiling, original beams, and stained-glass windows, the building's history is perhaps most evident here. As well as being beautiful, the kitchen is also fully equipped with an oven/hob, microwave, dishwasher, fridge and freezer and plenty of worktop and cupboard space. The Kitchen connects through a stable door to the Utility Room and the back hallway, making it super easy to carry out food and drinks to the enclosed patio.
Utility Room:
A super functional space with a washer/dryer, sink, storage space and cupboard storing cleaning equipment, an iron, ironing board, clothes area, a dog's towel and dog mat.
Back Hallway:
Through the stable door in the Kitchen is the back hallway, with a door out to the enclosed patio and a gate to the parking area. On arrival, guests are provided with a key to this back door. The hallway has hooks for coats and two handy benches for perching on while taking on and off shoes and boots.
Bedroom One:
The ground floor bedroom is furnished with a zip and link king-size bed (which can be set up as a twin room on request), bedside tables with reading lamps, a chest of drawers, with a make-up mirror, wardrobe and full-length mirror. This light and bright, dual aspect room has pretty, arched windows typical of a chapel.
Cloakroom:
At the end of the main entrance hall, up one step, is a cloakroom with a toilet, wash basin, vanity unit and mirror.
First Floor
A double-width carpeted staircase with a handrail leads upstairs to:
Bedroom Two:
This pretty bedroom is set up as a twin room, with two, zip and link single beds, but can be set up as a king-size bed on request. The bedroom is furnished with bedside tables and reading lamps, a chest of drawers, full-length mirror, and a large walk-in wardrobe. (The highchair and cot are stored in here.)
Family Bathroom:
The bathroom, with deep blue tiling, has a full-size, extra deep bath, walk-in shower with rainfall and handheld showerhead, a toilet, and a washbasin with vanity unit and mirror.
Bedroom Three:
The twin-aspect master bedroom features an impressive gallery window (with curtains) overlooking the cottage's kitchen and stained-glass windows. The bedroom is furnished with a king-size bed with bedside tables and reading lamps, a chest of drawers, a large, walk-in wardrobe and a full-length mirror.
En-suite:
The en-suite features a cubicle shower, toilet, washbasin with vanity unit and mirror.
Outside
The Old Chapel has two lovely outside spaces where guests can eat, relax and enjoy the location. Directly outside the back door there is a fully enclosed courtyard area with a charcoal BBQ, table and seating for six guests, two sun loungers and a firepit. The courtyard has a tall gate leading out to the parking area which has space for three cars. On the far side of the parking area stone steps lead to a delightful south-facing sloping grassy area with mature trees, a small pond and a footpath down to a bench where guests can sit and enjoy the views over the open Cotswold countryside.
