NEW HORIZONS

Maxine and Miles Hancock’s Cotswold home blends modernity and tradition, but an old-fashioned festive welcome is always guaranteed

- JO LEEVERS

Living room

The open-plan layout is perfect for larger gatherings. Sofas, Beliani. Sideboard, Neptune. Woodburner, Aga. Garland (along console), Lights4Fun

AT HOME WITH

Owners Maxine and Miles Hancock, their children Hugo, 12, and Lottie, nine, plus Rex the doberman and Toby the French bulldog. Maxine is a customer retention manager for BMW and Miles works in railway engineering.

House A new build home with five bedrooms, which was completed in 2021.

Exterior

In the warm tones of Cotswold stone, the house blends traditional materials with a contemporary architecture. Architect, The DMD Group

The Cotswolds has always felt like a special place for Maxine and Miles Hancock. ‘We got engaged here and since then we’ve had many happy family holidays in the area,’ says Maxine. The couple had long dreamed of building their own home – a plan that almost came to fruition a few years ago but then unfortunately fell through. Undeterred, the couple bided their time until Miles spotted that a plot of land had come up for sale in one of their favourite Cotswold towns, Stow-on-the-Wold. ‘It immediately caught my eye and we decided to go for it,’ he says.

It was a bonus that planning permission for this house was already in place, but the couple liked that they could still be involved in all the stages of the build, including choosing all the finishes and final details. ‘Right from the start, this felt like a joint venture,’ adds Maxine.