AN HISTORIC MILL HOUSE IN TIDMARSH, READING UK 

An historic, Grade II listed mill house with excellent proportions and character, dating back to around 1600. It is situated in a delightful setting within a small village of ancient origins and approximately six miles west of Reading.

Porchh• Drawing room • Dining room • Sitting room • Cloakroom • Family room • Laundry room • Boiler room • Kitchen/breakfast room • Utility • Master bedroom with en suite and dressing room and separate en suite bathroom • Second bedroom with en suite shower room • two further first floor double bedrooms • two bathrooms and second shower room. Large conference/entertainment/media room • two attic bedrooms with dressing room • Oil fired central heating • Triple bay garage • Useful garden outbuildings. Approximately 1.36 acres of mainly lawned gardens

Situation

Believed to have Saxon origins, the small village of Tidmarsh lies astride the A340 Pangbourne to Theale road and is very conveniently located just to the west of Reading in delightful open countryside. The River Pang flows through the village along the east side from its source high up in the Berkshire Downlands, on its way to meet the Thames at Pangbourne and historically the long straight road between Pangbourne and Theale is attributed to the Romans being a direct route from Silchester (Calleva) to the nearest crossing point on the Thames. The Parish Church of Saint Laurence has Norman origins notably with a superb carved doorway and one of the few apses found in the County, The 12th century Greyhound Inn, which has been serving ale since 1625, is of cruck timber frame construction with a thatched roof which sweeps down almost to the ground at the rear. In the centre of the village is the Millennium Recreation Ground. The countryside surrounding the village is particularly scenic and designated an area of ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’. There are excellent road links to the M4 motorway and Reading and for rail commuters there are mainline stations at Pangbourne and Theale providing excellent services to Reading and London (Paddington). The area is also well served by state and private schools including a highly regarded primary school at nearby Englefield.

Description
Whilst the present Mill House dates back to around 1600, the Mill itself is believed to actually date back to the thirteenth century when under the control of the Abbot of Reading, but may even have origins in Roman times. The Mill was still being used as a flour mill in the 1930’s.
Between 1917 and 1924 the distinguished author and biographer, Lytton Strachey, widely known for his critical book, Eminent Victorians, lived at the property with the artist Dora Carrington and it became a meeting place for members of the influential Bloomsbury Set. Visiting guests included the famous author Virginia Woolf and her artist sister Vanessa Bell, the artist Duncan Grant, the author E. M. Forster and the economist John Maynard Keynes amongst others. The present owners have carried out extensive restoration and refurbishment with great care taken to maintain and improve the property’s authentic character, origins and integrity including the working mill wheel which can now be seen behind a protective glazed surround. Matching replacement solid oak framed windows matching an original design have been fitted and a luxury custom-designed Mark Wilkinson kitchen/breakfast room has been fitted with granite work surfaces, a range of built in equipment and an Aga. Throughout the mainly beamed accommodation reflects the history as well as the architectural design and craft skills of the last 500 years to provide a house of immense character with authentic period features restored in a glorious riverside setting.