November 2020: With the Cotswolds in the top five of the UK’s lockdown rural hotspots, according to Zoopla, it’s no surprise that Deanfield Homes has seen a surge in demand for the new homes at its Shipton-Under-Wychwood development, Deanfield Grange.

For one couple, Deanfield Grange has ticked all the boxes when looking for a new home to downsize to. IT recruitment consultant, Warren (53) and his wife Vicky (50) Jupp lived in a four bedroom detached home in Chislehurst, Kent for 22 years but were looking to downsize a bit and spend more time with Vicky’s parents in Spain.

Warren explains, “We love the Cotswolds and have spent much time travelling around it in our motorhome with our two Westie dogs, Monty and Lola. With Vicky’s parents living in Spain, we decided we wanted to spend more time visiting them and move to a smaller home so started looking around visiting a number of new build developments in the area until we came across Deanfield Grange.

“We really liked the fact that it was a smaller development and loved that they were built using Cotswold stone. Jaqui, the sales advisor showed us around the development and we were impressed with the layout and quality of the homes and were definitely interested. Unfortunately we missed out on the three bedroom semi-detached which we were disappointed with, but with lockdown we decided to wait and see what happened.

“A few months later and restrictions starting to be lifted, we received a call to say the sale had fallen through on the Claydon, a four bedroom detached home, which was in our price range and were we still interested?”

Vicky continues, “I was in Spain visiting my parents when Warren got the call and I was keen we didn’t miss out so Warren took a trip to the development. He facetimed me and showed me around the house and straight away I got the feeling that it was our home. Deanfield Homes also produced some virtual tours of the home, which initially I thought you wouldn’t get a feel, but as soon as I watched it I could imagine myself living there. Warren put a deposit on the house there and then without me even stepping foot into it!”

Warren takes up the story. “Our house was still on the market, so we agreed that Vicky would stay an extra two weeks in Spain to avoid having to quarantine for two weeks in our house and stop people viewing and I would get the house sold. It all worked like clockwork.

“Deanfield Homes were so helpful during the buying process. We haven’t moved home for 22 years and last time it was just after we had got married and I remember it being such a stressful time. This time round we have been so lucky as it was only ourselves and our buyers and the process was so quick and painless. We used a local solicitor who was really experienced working with Deanfield Homes and the team were superb keeping us up to date throughout the whole process. We still have a four bedroom home but have downsized by about 25% in square footage.”

Vicky comments, “We have only been in the house for a week but it already feels like home and we are so pleased. The quality of the finish is exceptional and I love the kitchen/dining room as it suits our lifestyle as we never use a separate dining room. There is also a lovely landscaped garden which won’t be too much work to look after.

“The village is also perfect with several pubs, a village shop, lots of walks for our dogs and everything seems to be just five or six miles away. We are so happy we made the move.”

Located on the edge of the sought after Cotswolds village of Shipton-Under-Wychwood, in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, features a stunning collection of three, four and five bedroom family homes, built using local materials to create attractive street scenes.

Shipton-Under-Wychwood benefits from a highly regarded primary school, tennis club, a convenience store with Post Office and two pubs, The Wychwood Inn and The Shaven Crown, the latter of which overlooks the village green and was once a guest house run by monks.

The village is located on the A361 between Chipping Norton and Burford, the M40 and the A44 run to the east of the village, with the A40 to the south. There are also good national rail connections which can be accessed from Shipton, Ascott-under-Wychwood and Kingham train stations and are serviced by Great Western Railways. Shipton station, which is an 18 minute walk from Deanfield Grange, offers direct services to Oxford, Reading and London Paddington, with the latter less than 90 minutes in journey time.

Wychwood Wild Garden is one of the village’s real highlights, a centuries old garden and woodland spanning 12.5 acres, where waterfalls, ponds and ancient trees support a variety of wildlife and provide a tranquil spot for contemplation.