Cottage overlooking Watership Down could be yours for £600,000

Derelict cottage near Watership Down with its own rabbit-filled garden is for sale for £600,000 but could be worth £1.2m if restored to its former glory

  • The 400-year-old house is ‘not for the faint-hearted’ and is too dangerous to enter because stairs may fall in
  • Elizabeth Cottage, at Crookham Common, near Newbury, Berkshire, has been uninhabited for over a decade 
  • But the home is set to go on the market tomorrow and may be of interest to fans of Richard Adams’ 1972 novel

A derelict country cottage overlooking Watership Down is up for sale for £600,000 – despite fears the roof could cave in.

The 400-year-old retreat, which comes with its own garden full of rabbits, is ‘not for the faint-hearted’ and is too dangerous to enter because the stairs may collapse.

Elizabeth Cottage, at Crookham Common, near Newbury, Berkshire, has been empty for over a decade but will go on the market tomorrow for fans of Richard Adams’ 1972 novel and could be worth £1.2million when it is done up.

As well as rabbits down the ‘jungle’ garden, there are also mice, rats, deer, badgers and foxes overlooking Watership Down, which can be seen around four miles away in neighbouring Hampshire.

A derelict country cottage overlooking Watership Down is up for sale for £600,000 – despite fears the roof could cave in

The 400-year-old retreat, which comes with its own garden full of rabbits, is ‘not for the faint-hearted’ and is too dangerous to enter because the stairs may collapse

Elizabeth Cottage, at Crookham Common, near Newbury, Berkshire, has been uninhabited for more than a decade but will go on the market tomorrow for fans of Richard Adams’ 1972 novel

Adam Hinchliffe, from Brighton-based Auction House Sussex, said anyone brave enough to take on the cottage and restore it would end up with a dream home.

The house has four bedrooms, its original 400-year-old timber beams as well as fireplaces and being set in stunning countryside. There is a one bedroom annex and 1.5 acres of land, much of which is overgrown.

It is also still close to the M4 and main train line into Paddington station in London, meaning commuters should not be put off.

Mr Hinchliffe said: ‘Properties like this rarely come on to the market. This is in an exquisite location backing on to Crookham Common.

‘There is a certain magic attached to the idea about doing up a wreck like this, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. This property needs total renovation and will be a stunning property when it’s been completed.’

He added: ‘It’s one of the last chances before Christmas to buy a house in 2021. There has been plenty of interest in Elizabeth Cottage with potential buyers downloading legal packs from our website, so it’ll be interesting to see who is really up for such a wonderful project.’

Auctioneer Adam Hinchliffe, from Brighton-based Auction House Sussex, said anyone brave enough to take on the cottage and restore it would end up with a dream home

The home has four bedrooms, its original 400-year-old timber beams as well as fireplaces and being set in stunning countryside. There is a one bedroom annex and 1.5 acres of land, much of which is overgrown

A description of the house online reads: ‘An unusual opportunity to acquire a detached four bedroom property on good size plot in a rural setting, requiring complete refurbishment.

‘The property is in poor repair and looks to have been derelict for many years. Elizabeth Cottage and land sits on a plot approximately 1.5 acres, with access to Crookham Common to the rear.’

It continues: ‘The main house comprises three reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room and utility room on the ground floor.

‘First Floor there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. To the rear of the property there is a one bedroom annexe and outbuildings.

‘The property has development potential, the adjacent plot Elizabeth Farm obtained planning permission for three detached houses in 2012.’

It adds: ‘THERE WILL BE NO INTERNAL VIEWINGS POSSIBLE TO THE BUILDINGS DUE TO ITS POOR CONDITION. INTERESTED PARTIES ARE WARNED NOT TO ENTER.’

It is also still close to the M4 and main train line into Paddington station in London, meaning commuters should not be put off

Watership Down was made famous by Adams’ novel about about a family of rabbits, which was turned into a hit Hollywood film. Pictured: The movie

Watership Down was made famous by Adams’ novel about about a family of rabbits, which was turned into a hit Hollywood film.

The cottage overlooks the country mansion of Phantom of the Opera composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber at Sydmonton, five miles from Crookham Common.

It is also a mile away from Greenham Common, a disused wartime airfield which was the focus for the peace protest in the 1980s.

Here hundreds of female anti-nuclear campaigners chained themselves to fences surrounding the base, including stretches of Crookham Common, and forced the US to withdraw cruise missiles from British soil.

Brighton-based Auction House Sussex will sell the cottage at a livestreamed auction on Tuesday.

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