Oakleys is a 15th century grade II listed oak framed cottage built around 1485, and is actually half of a medieval Hall House. It is cosy, romantic and full of historic atmosphere and character. Modern luxury in a classic period setting with free wifi, comfortable beds with high quality linen and we are dog friendly too. Oakleys also has a private sauna house with walk in shower installed in the old wash house in the garden, if this is appealing contact us to book when you make your reservation for Oakleys and we will provide fluffy robes and extra towels for a truly spa like experience.
History
Hall Houses were so called as they had a centre hall which had an open fire for warmth and cooking in the centre of the room on the compacted earth floor. Originally there was no chimney, it was added together with the inglenook fireplace probably in the 16th century. The smoke from the fire would rise up and exit through the roof and Oakleys roof timbers are still blackened from the soot of those fires. The carved oak joists in the living room were also added in the 16th century and it has been suggested that such carvings would indicate the owner was reasonably wealthy, possibly a wool merchant.
You can see the original taper burns on the right hand side of the beam over the fireplace, which are thought to be charred marks from candles or rush-light tapers used to see when cooking over the fire. Some have even suggested that these are of ritualistic origin or to ward away evil spirits.
In 2001 we built the kitchen and garden room extension, installing a new central heating system with underfloor heating to the dining room, garden room and kitchen, creating a luxurious and spacious property, resulting in five star luxury in a historic setting.
The Village
Oakleys is set in the heart of the quiet rural hamlet of Foxearth, which has a beautiful church and is the centre of many country walks surrounded by open farmland and woodlands, many of which are ancient pathways of old. Foxearth is a short drive away from the villages of Pentlow, Long Melford and Clare where there are many good country pubs and restaurants. The Pinkuahs Arms in Pentlow is within walking distance on a sunny evening, being around one and a half miles either by footpaths across the fields or by country lanes.
The Cottage
From the road in the village there is a pretty front garden with a large log store and parking for 2 cars. You enter the house through a small hall and into an atmospheric dining room with lots of ancient oak beams and some original wattle and daub walls. There is a large oak dining table and dresser which houses the white bone china crockery, cutlery and place mats. This room also has a cosy reading snug area built in around the front window and a sound system with speakers that are connected through to the kitchen so the cook gets to enjoy the music too.
The flooring throughout the ground floor is Tudor brick, with underfloor heating to all ground floor rooms except the sitting room where there are radiators and the wood burning stove.
Off the dining room are both the kitchen and the large sitting room.
The kitchen is large and very well equipped with a dishwasher, washing machine, massive Maytag American fridge freezer, double induction hob over twin ovens, good preparation work top, a pretty ceramic sink, plenty of useful cupboard space, and lots of light through the windows looking out onto the rear garden.
The sitting room has a lovely ancient moulded beam ceiling and a large Inglenook fireplace which houses the wood burner. There are three comfortable sofas and a large bookcases with a collection of reference books and games. There is a large Freeview HDTV discreetly hidden inside a pretty custom made oak cabinet with dvd player and a hifi system with iPod connectivity on the bookcase.
The garden room is off the sitting room, an ideal spot for relaxing with a coffee and a good book or watching the many birds that visit the garden. It has fitted pine pews where everyone can sit and chat and a large coffee table.
There is a retractable clothes line in the garden for drying clothes and folding airers in the main bedroom wardrobe if the weather is wet. Stand them in the garden room and the under floor heating dries your clothes in no time at all.
There is a small hallway leading back to the garden room, downstairs loo, the garden and up the staircase onto a large landing.
There is a sauna house installed in the old wash house in the garden which you can book with us for an extra charge of £70 to cover energy, laundry and housekeeping.
Upstairs
On the landing is one of the built in Breton beds which is 3 foot 6 wide and 6 foot 5 long and can be closed off with heavy curtains and has a TV with built-in DVD, window and shelving.
From the landing is the bathroom, master bedroom, garden bedroom and front bedroom.
The master bedroom has a vaulted pine ceiling with a king size bed and views over the back garden and out to the open countryside. It has ample storage and double built in wardrobes and cupboards.
The garden bedroom has a double bed with original lime plaster walls and oak floorboards, large chimney stack and dormer window which looks out onto the garden. There is a built in wardrobe with plenty of hanging space and room for luggage.
The front bedroom also has the original old lath and plaster walls and oak floorboards. The second four foot wide built-in Breton bed (suitable for one adult or 2 small children) gives the room lots of character with steps to make it easy to get up into and again has its own curtains, TV and DVD player and shelving. This bedroom has an oak wardrobe and chaise longue, and looks out over the front garden and onto the village.
The bathroom has a bath, wash basin, loo, large airing cupboard and heated towel rail and a separate large, modern walk in shower.
Linen
All of our beds are as comfortable as we can make them with hotel quality linen made from Egyptian cotton and the mattresses are very comfortable. This is a feature that is very important to us as we know from our own experience that a good night’s sleep means you will enjoy your holiday all the more. Towels and bath mats are also provided.
The Garden
The back garden of Oakleys has a large terrace with a table and chairs and outside lighting with space to eat outside comfortably. The walled garden has plenty of shady spots from the fruit trees and shrubs with a further BBQ area with seating under a rose covered pergola. Logs are available during the winter.
Dog Friendly
We are happy to accommodate up to two well trained dogs, we are dog owners ourselves and wouldn’t leave home for long without them. We do ask that dogs are not allowed upstairs as this keeps the bedrooms a dog free zone for all our guests.
We can provide poo bags, dog beds and dog blankets, just ask our housekeeper or help yourselves from the garden shed and cupboard by the front door.
Connectivity
Free wifi available and a landline that accepts incoming calls so you can stay connected.
Mobile phone signal a little erratic