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<\/p>\nA story book cottage is usually reserved for grandmas, farmers or families of bears – essentially anyone who doesn\u2019t need to commute to an office. <\/p>\n
Yet that needn\u2019t be so. There are some picture perfect country cottages, complete with thatched roofs, rambling roses and crooked beams, within that prized one-hour commute to London, putting that idyllic rural lifestyle within reach for even a full-time 9-5er.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many buyers, the dream isn\u2019t just about leaving London, it\u2019s about upgrading their lifestyle without losing touch,\u201d explains Theo James-Wright, director at country-house specialist Blue Book Agency. <\/p>\n
\u201cThink long walks through ancient woodland, pottering around weekend farmers\u2019 markets and settling down for cosy evenings beside the fire \u2013 all just a short train ride from the city. <\/p>\n
\u201cPlaces like Shere, Chiddingfold and Haslemere in Surrey, or Lingfield, Cuckfield and Rye in Sussex, are packed with beautifully-preserved cottages, winding lanes and proper community spirit.\u201d <\/p>\n
Jonathan Harington, founder at Haringtons UK, the buying advisor for London and the country, adds: \u201cThere\u2019s something undeniably irresistible about picture-perfect cottages with roses around the door, low beams and wood-burning stoves, but still being able to get into town. <\/p>\n
\u201cUnspoilt villages with pretty high streets, excellent schools, and thriving food scenes with fast connections nearby mean you can wake up to birdsong, take the dog for a walk along the river and still be at your desk in London by 9am \u2013 with a bit of luck!\u201d <\/p>\n
He continues: \u201cWith hybrid-working here to stay, these commuter-belt idylls are hotter than ever with buyers looking for more than just a house \u2013 they want a lifestyle, character and a real sense of escape. And the right cottage, in the right spot, offers exactly that.\u201d <\/p>\n
Here, we\u2019ve rounded-up the prettiest cottages little more than 60 minutes from London to live out your countryside fantasies. <\/p>\n
Yew Tree Cottage, East Hagbourne, Oxfordshire<\/p>\n
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Yew Tree Cottage<\/p>\n
Savills<\/p>\n
Tell only who you must, but you can get to Didcot in Oxfordshire via a fast train in around 50 minutes, making this part of the world within spitting distance of the Cotswolds unbelievably commutable. <\/p>\n
Secreted-away off a no-through lane within a conservation area, peace and quiet is pretty much guaranteed, while the enchanting garden is accessed through a pretty arched gate and comes with gravel path, trickling brook, pergola wound with roses and wisteria, and a wooden bridge. <\/p>\n
Inside, there\u2019s charm aplenty with slate-tiled floors and a vaulted-beamed ceiling across a 30-foot kitchen-living-dining space with a decorative fireplace. <\/p>\n
Double glazing and a garden office mean it works just as well for city slickers as it does country bumpkins. <\/p>\n
Amelia\u2019s Cottage, Rolvenden Layne, Kent <\/p>\n
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Amelia\u2019s Cottage, Kent<\/p>\n
Zoopla\/Warner Grey<\/p>\n
With its clapperboard front, this two-bed cottage in the rural hamlet of Rolvenden Layne \u2013 just an hour and four minutes (to be precise) from nearest station Rye into central London \u2013 could be mistaken for being in New England. <\/p>\n
The Grade II-listed property is full of old-world character, from its welcoming sitting room complete with a log-burner to its country-style kitchen featuring a Range cooker and its cosy breakfast room with a stable door that opens onto the garden \u2013 surprisingly long and pretty with an outbuilding at the end currently used as hobby space. <\/p>\n
There are two double bedrooms and a bathroom with a traditional claw-footed tub upstairs, while beyond the idyllic white picket fence there\u2019s an all-important gastro pub for pints and plates (not small like in every Soho eatery \u2013 hurrah) to please even the most discerning city foodies. <\/p>\n
Yours for \u00a3400,000 through Warner Grey. <\/p>\n
Rose Cottage, Turville, Buckinghamshire <\/p>\n
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Savills<\/p>\n
Yours for \u00a31.1m (via Savills)<\/a> in the Chiltern village of Turville, Grade II-listed Rose Cottage is a sight for sore eyes indeed with a gorgeous timber frame, old tile roof, eaves-lined dormers and leaded windows that set a remarkably picturesque scene. <\/p>\n A stone path and a rose-covered porch lead the way inside where vaulted ceilings, two open-brick fireplaces and stripped floorboards provide a charming backdrop. <\/p>\n The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang windmill as seen from Rose Cottage<\/p>\n Savills<\/p>\n There\u2019s a dual-aspect sitting room with original bread oven, from when the cottage was a bakery, together with a Shaker-style kitchen and a spacious cellar for storing all the bottles you just can\u2019t find room for in your London terrace (although it could easily be repurposed as a home office). <\/p>\n But the best bit? Uninterrupted views of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang windmill in the distance \u2013 the ultimate bragging rights for the movie buffs among you. <\/p>\n Post Office Cottage, Upper Froyle, Hampshire<\/p>\n Post Office Cottage, Upper Froyle in Hampshire<\/p>\n Hamptons<\/p>\n Listed for \u00a3875,000 with Hamptons<\/a>, this Grade II-listed thatched cottage believed to date from 1490 is just an hour from Waterloo and offers plenty of bang for your buck. <\/p>\n It was formerly two cottages and a post office before settling on its current guise \u2013 a surefire conversation starter at your first dinner party in residence \u2013 and features exposed beams, leaded windows and inglenook fireplaces, amongst other covetable period details. <\/p>\n Post Office Cottage, Upper Froyle in Hampshire<\/p>\n Hamptons<\/p>\n There\u2019s a drawing room, snug, dining room, kitchen and cloak room on the ground floor, plus three bedrooms with plentiful storage and a bathroom upstairs, but arguably the real draw here is the elevated view over the pretty garden \u2013 featuring lavender beds, mixed hedgerows and vegetable patch \u2013 to the wide-open countryside beyond. <\/p>\n Sure, it needs a spot of updating inside, but don\u2019t they all?<\/p>\n Maythorne Cottage, Southwell, Nottinghamshire<\/p>\n Gascoines<\/p>\n Fancy a wildcard? Just 20 minutes from Newark station in Nottinghamshire, where you can catch a direct train to London and be in line at a Pret within the hour, is this five-bed Georgian cottage in the market town of Southwell, for sale for \u00a3950,000 through Gascoines<\/a>. <\/p>\n Unlike most traditional cottages, this one\u2019s been modernised whilst retaining its original charm, from exposed brick to an Inglenook fireplace and wooden beams, but has all the mod cons (and more) you might not expect \u2013 gated driveway and heated swimming pool included. <\/p>\n Its 3,520-square-foot of living space is huge for something billed as a cottage still and includes six reception rooms, mezzanine dining room and seven bedrooms \u2013 meaning you\u2019ll be inundated with guests \u2013 while outside the detached property sits on an enviable one-acre plot with beautiful garden and woodland lawns that offer views for days. <\/p>\n Thatched Cottage, Nasty, Hertfordshire <\/p>\n Thatched Cottage in Nasty, near Ware, Hertfordshire<\/p>\n Fine & Country<\/p>\n Just quarter of an hour\u2019s drive from the town of Ware, serviced by an unusually reliable connection to Liverpool Street, the ironically named, actually very pretty hamlet of Nasty is home to equally pretty Thatched Cottage. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Rose-Cottage-Savills-4.jpeg\")
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