Chiltern Railways has updated its timetable Chiltern Railways is introducing a new timetable from Sunday in response to the next phase of the Government’s roadmap for the easing of lockdown in England. The train operator has been running a reduced timetable since last March while providing train services for key workers. The new timetable will increase capacity and improve connectivity on weekend trains between London Marylebone and Oxford. On Saturdays capacity will increase by 11 per cent between Marylebone and Oxford and by 13 per cent on Sundays. All of the Oxford services will be calling at Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Haddenham and Thame Parkway, Princes Risborough, High Wycombe and Gerrards Cross.
Country Life
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put his country house in Thame up for rent, a house which comes complete with swimming pool and tennis court.
It may not be quite as grand as Chequers, but Boris Johnson’s country cottage is available to rent for those wishing to follow in the Prime Ministerial footsteps or simply enjoy rural Oxfordshire.
Strutt & Parker are seeking £4,250 pcm for Grade II-listed The Old Farm House, which is set at the end of a single-track lane in North Weston, a few minutes’ drive from Thame, in Oxfordshire.
The property spans 2,659sq ft across two floors, with a vast sitting room, kitchen and breakfast room, dining room and family room on the ground floor and four double bedroom upstairs, plus a magnificent, separate garden room. The rooms are unfurnished but have plenty of delightful details, such as fine fireplaces and exposed beams.
Time is running short for homebuyers in England to save up to £15,000 on stamp duty. When lockdown restrictions were eased last July, the Government raised the exemption threshold for the tax on the purchase price of properties from £125,000 to £500,000. The reform was intended to boost the house market and the overall economy of the country although reports of sellers pushing up prices deflated initial excitement somewhat. Unless the current stamp duty concession is extended beyond March, previous rates will be reintroduced from the beginning of April. As a result, mortgage advisers, estate agents, conveyancers and other professionals engaged in house purchase are working flat out to help buyers complete their purchase before the March 31 deadline.
A footbridge over the Chiltern main line in Beaconsfield will undergo a major overhaul to make it safer and more reliable for passengers and the public. A £1.2million investment by Network Rail will see the footbridge at Beaconsfield Golf Club overhauled later this month. The high-maintenance old footbridge will be entirely replaced with what Network Rail say is a more reliable, modern structure. It will mean fewer railway closures in the future for repairs to take place, and a better way to cross the tracks for pedestrians. Lawrence James, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: “Upgrading the public footbridge at Beaconsfield Golf Club will not only ensure that this public right of way is safely maintained for years to come, but will also provide continued reliable journeys for passengers using the Chiltern main line.