EVERY WEEK
APRIL 20, 2022
ISSUE: 16
PRINTED IN THE UK
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THE VOICE OF THE COUNTRYSIDE
Why happiness is a retriever APRIL 20, 2022
Magic meadows: the seven wildflowers you should sow Ancient and modern: a farmhouse for the 21st century Doctor Dolittle, armchair fishing and satanic birds
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ONE FAMILY SPECIALISING IN FINE FURNITURE SINCE 1866
An impressive giltwood chimneypiece and overmantel mirror, entirely hand made after an original Rococo piece, c.1750 at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The frame has been hand-carved in laminated, solid mahogany by a dedicated team of five expert craftsmen under the guidance of Brights of Nettlebed director, Henry Stamp. After many months of carving, the piece was oil gilded in metal leaf and finished with a shaped base in White Carrara marble. Rococo emerged in France in the 1720s and remained the predominant design style until it fell out of fashion in the 1770s. Excessively flamboyant and characterised by a curved asymmetric ornamentation and a use of natural motifs. This is an exclusive hand made item available to view and purchase. Bespoke commissions undertaken.
£24,550
Width: 62¾ inches (160cm) Height: 107 inches (272cm) Aperture width: 35¼ inches (90cm) Aperture height: 37¼ inches (95cm)
NATIONWIDE HOME APPROVAL SERVICE | BESPOKE COMMISSIONS UNDERTAKEN OVER 1,000 ITEMS OF EXCLUSIVE CLASSICAL FURNISHINGS IN STOCK CALL 01491 641115 | WWW.BRIGHTSOFNETTLEBED.CO.UK NETTLEBED
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OXFORDSHIRE
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RG9 5DD (OPEN TUES-SAT)
KING’S RD
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LONDON
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SW6 2DX (OPEN MON-FRI)
1 BURWASH, EAST SUSSEX
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handsome Grade II* listed Georgian country house with beautifully proportioned rooms. Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and overlooking its land, extending to about 24 acres, the property includes secondary accommodation, farm buildings and equestrian facilities. M A I N H O U S E E X T E N D I N G T O O V E R 1 0 , 0 0 0 S Q F T | 1 0 B E D R O O M S | 2 D E TA C H E D C O T TA G E S F U R T H E R 1 B E D R O O M F L AT | S W I M M I N G P O O L | T E N N I S C O U R T | S TA B L E YA R D | M A N È G E B U R WA S H 0 . 4 M I L E S | E T C H I N G H A M 2 . 4 M I L E S ( L O N D O N C H A R I N G C R O S S F R O M 1 H O U R 1 6 M I N U T E S )
Guide price £3,500,000 Knight Frank London & Tunbridge Wells edward.rook@knightfrank.com 020 3930 1379 charlotte.hall@knightfrank.com 020 3866 7826 simon.biddulph@knightfrank.com 01892 888494 Ref: TNW012073068
knightfrank.co.uk Winner of six customer service experience awards in 2021
TOWCESTER, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Guide Price: £1,350,000
7 Bedrooms | 5 Reception Rooms | 3 Bathrooms | N/A EPC
A Grade II listed 19th century Georgian house with gated driveway parking, a double garage and approximately 0.36 acres of enclosed garden. The house was built in 1820 for a local mill owner and was extended in 1830 with an additional wing. A comprehensive restoration programme includes a new heating system, complete rewiring, and a new, English Heritage approved, slate roof. The property is within walking distance of amenities in the historic market town of Towcester.
Michael Graham Towcester Richard Irlam 01327 350022 Michael Graham London Bob Bickersteth 0207 839 0888
michaelgraham.co.uk michaelgraham_living
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KEMPSFORD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
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beautiful Grade II listed thatched home in an enviable edge of village location, only two miles from the market town of Fairford. The property has a separate annexe, detached home office with facilities for guests and wonderful grounds with private gardens, general stores and paddocks. 3 - 5 B E D R O O M S | 2 - 3 B AT H R O O M S | 3 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S A N N E X E | H O M E O F F I C E | P A D D O C K S | A P P R O X I M AT E LY 4 . 2 2 A C R E S LECHLADE 5 MILE S | HIGHWORTH 6 MILE S | CIRENCE STER 12 MILE S
Guide price £1,495,000 Knight Frank Cirencester rupert.sturgis@knightfrank.com 01285 895776 Ref: CIR012223241
knightfrank.co.uk Winner of six customer service experience awards in 2021
Grade II Listed Water Mill Shamley Green, Surrey Guildford Station: 4.9 miles (London Waterloo from 33 minutes) Impeccably converted home located within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 4 reception rooms, 5 bedrooms (5 en suite), further bathroom, cinema room, bar, wine room, gym, spa, indoor swimming pool, outdoor swimming pool, gardens and meadowland. About 8 acres | Guide £8.5 million Theo James-Wright Savills London Country Department 020 4579 2399 theo.jameswright @savills.com
Alastair Mercer Savills Guildford 01483 944 079 alastair.mercer @savills.com
savills
savills.co.uk
Heart of The Cranborne Chase Tollard Royal, Wiltshire Shaftesbury: 7.5 miles, Salisbury: 18.5 miles An exquisite unlisted former rectory with Georgian proportions. 3 reception rooms, 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, swimming pool with pool house and home office, stables, manège, 3 bedroom cottage, coach house, barn, garaging, gardens, kitchen garden, woodland and pasture. EPC = D About 33.3 acres | Guide £4.5 million Camilla Elwell Savills London Country Department 020 4579 2766 camilla.elwell @savills.com
James McKillop Savills Salisbury 01722 638 312 james.mckillop @savills.com
savills
savills.co.uk
Surrey, Near Camberley
An impressive country house in a beautiful parkland setting Heathrow Airport: 20.5 miles, Basingstoke: 18.5 miles, Reading: 18 miles, Central London: 35 miles Reception hall | Drawing room | Dining room | Sitting room | Library | Orangery | Kitchen/breakfast room | Cinema room Home office | Ice well | Principal bedroom with bathroom and dressing room | 4 Further bedroom suites Coach House with two 2-bedroom apartments | Garaging | Swimming pool Treehouse | Mature gardens and grounds | Parkland About 17 acres
Over 50 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.
Tom Shuttleworth
George Hughes
Country Department 07919 128 193
Sunningdale Office 01344 206 540
thomas.shuttleworth@struttandparker.com
george.hughes@struttandparker.com
/struttandparker
@struttandparker
struttandparker.com
Meet Our Experts
Our Surrey specialist is widely regarded as the go-to advisor for anyone looking to buy a property within the coveted private estates and villages in the area.
Trevor Kearney I lead the London office team covering the super-prime markets of north Surrey, Sunningdale & Windsor. At the same time, I’m a founding director of our specialist Sports & Entertainment team providing confidential property advice for leading figures in the world of sport, media and entertainment. Surrey runs through my veins: it’s where I grew up and now live with my wife and young son. I’m deeply passionate about the area which has so much to offer families—fast links to central London, with acres of beautiful countryside, some fantastic restaurants and excellent schools. I’ve been working in the prime Surrey market for 18 years, often selling houses privately before they are launched. Our clients lead exceptionally busy lives and they appreciate someone who is straight talking–that’s my strength. It’s also why I’ve embraced new ways to communicate with them, achieving a number of record-breaking sales to clients who follow my Instagram account. To find out more about our Experts, please visit our website: http://sav.li/meetourexperts Instagram: @SuperPrimeSurrey.
SOLD | St George’s Hill, Surrey This was another great family home which combined stylish grandeur with contemporary living and has a fantastic leisure complex.
Trevor Kearney Savills London Office 020 4579 2736 tkearney@savills.com
SOLD | St George’s Hill, Surrey One of the finest houses on St. George’s Hill, finished to an exceptional standard with a contemporary interior design theme.
SOLD | St. George’s Hill, Surrey Definitely one of my favourite houses, this was one of the most valuable sales on this magnificent estate in recent times. Covering approximately 16,000 sq ft it has 6 bedrooms, two self-contained staff flats and all the amenities including an indoor pool complex, spa, gym, wine room and underground garaging.
SOLD | The Crown Estate, Oxshott This exceptional family home was one of the most exciting open market listings to launch and sold within two weeks.
SOLD | Wentworth Estate, Surrey We exchanged and completed on this stunning house in February while it was still in the early stages of construction.
Exquisite Contemporary Home Claygate, Surrey Claygate Train Station: 1.4 miles, Kingston upon Thames: 5.5 miles Luxury home of almost 5,000 sq ft, situated in a highly sought after private estate and refurbished to the very highest of standards. 2 reception rooms, 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, cinema room, garage and off-street parking and beautiful landscaped gardens. EPC = B Guide £3.25 million Karl Matier Savills Esher 01372 898 251 kmatier@savills.com
Tim Ross Savills Esher 01372 898 329 tross@savills.com
savills
savills.co.uk
Mansion with Stunning Views St George’s Hill, Weybridge, Surrey Weybridge: 1.8 miles, Cobham: 3.9 miles Built by the current owners, this luxury property has been the subject of a bespoke architectural design with views of the golf course. 4 reception rooms, 8 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, wine room, gym, swimming pool, annexe, triple garage and south backing gardens. EPC = B About 1.53 acres | Guide £11.95 million Simon Ashwell Savills Weybridge 01932 911 404 sashwell@savills.com
Nathaniel Bracegirdle Knight Frank Weybridge 01932 591 605 nathaniel.bracegirdle @knightfrank.com
savills
savills.co.uk
Charming Tarrant Home Wentworth Estate, Surrey Heathrow Airport: 9 miles, Central London: 25 miles A fine house, combining character and contemporary luxury, with private gated access to the East Course. 5 reception rooms, 5 bedrooms (1 en suite), family bathroom, triple garage, landscaped gardens and grounds with views over the golf course. EPC = E About 1 acre | Guide £4.95 million Paul Finnegan Savills London Office 020 4579 2553 pfinnegan@savills.com
Paul Cockerham Cockerham & Tellwright Sunningdale 01344 596 500 paul@cockerhamtellwright.com
savills
savills.co.uk
Luxury Modern Mansion St George’s Hill, Weybridge Heathrow Airport: 13 miles, Central London: 24.1 miles Built in 2010 to a high specification and situated within the internationally recognised St. George’s Hill. 4 reception rooms, 6 en suite bedrooms, indoor swimming pool, gym, steam room, cinema room, study, triple garage and landscaped gardens. EPC = C Guide £9,999,950 Ben Hehir Savills London Country Department 020 4579 2605 ben.hehir@savills.com
Simon Ashwell Savills Weybridge 01932 911 107 sashwell@savills.com
savills
savills.co.uk
Diverse Residential Farm Coventry, Warwickshire Coventry: 6.1 miles, Rugby: 12 miles Attractive residential farm steeped in local history dating back to the 17th Century. Grade II listed 6 bedroom Manor House, 3 bedroom barn conversion, courtyard of traditional farm buildings with planning permission for 4 dwellings, modern agricultural buildings, arable and pasture land. About 160 acres | Guide £2.85 million Philip Hoare Savills Banbury 01295 500 273 phoare@savills.com
Elizabeth Goodman Savills Oxford 01865 521 448 elizabeth.goodman @savills.com
savills
savills.co.uk
Home with Stunning Views Headley, Surrey Leatherhead: 4.4 miles, Reigate: 9 miles Rare opportunity to purchase a wonderful country house in magnificent private grounds. 5 reception rooms, 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, billiards room, cinema room, 4 bedroom cottage, 3 bedroom cottage, outbuildings, stables, landscaped gardens and fenced paddock. EPC = F About 8 acres | Guide £4.25 million Theo James-Wright Savills London Country Department 020 4579 2944 theo.jameswright @savills.com
Jamie Williams Savills Reigate 01737 428 484 jgwilliams@savills.com
savills
savills.co.uk
Unique Former Dairy Shamley Green, Surrey Guildford: 5 miles, Central London: 35 miles A truly unique home with a Mediterranean feel, located in a sought after area between Shamley Green and Blackheath. 2 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms (2 en suite), further bathroom, swimming pool, annexe, landscaped gardens and countryside views. EPC = F Guide £2.5 million Alastair Mercer Savills Guildford 01483 944 176 alastair.mercer @savills.com
Ed Tighe Savills Guildford 01483 945 798 ed.tighe@savills.com
savills
savills.co.uk
Close to Ascot Racecourse Ascot, Berkshire Ascot: 1.3 miles, Windsor: 5.8 miles, Heathrow Airport: 11.9 miles Magnificent family home set in attractive grounds behind private gates. 4 reception rooms, 6 bedroom suites, games room, cinema room, detached gym, detached garden room/studio, triple garage and attractive south west facing grounds. EPC = C About 0.6 acres | Guide £4.5 million Paul Finnegan Savills London Office 020 4579 3003 pfinnegan@savills.com
Karen Brannigan Savills Sunningdale 01344 961 225 kbrannigan@savills.com
savills
savills.co.uk
Kent, Bearsted
An outstanding Grade I listed country house with exceptional interiors and set in beautifully landscaped grounds Bearsted Station: 1.1 miles (London Victoria 1 hr 9 mins), Maidstone: 3.3 miles, Central London: 44 miles Reception hall | Drawing room | Dining room | Sitting room | Study | Family room | Kitchen/breakfast room Principal suite with ensuite bathroom and dressing room | 8 Further bedrooms (4 ensuite) | 2 Further bathrooms Delightful landscaped gardens and grounds with lake | Swimming pool | Tennis court Garden pavilion and greenhouse | Garaging | Outbuildings About 5 acres
Over 50 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.
Guide Price £4,500,000
Oliver Custance Baker
Andrew Harwood
JSA: Savills
Country Department 020 7591 2207
Sevenoaks Office 01732 807 279
Country Department 0207 409 5945
oliver.custance.baker@struttandparker.com
andrew.harwood@struttandparker.com
wpeppitt@savills.com
/struttandparker
@struttandparker
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Hampshire, Popham
A well-kept arable farm with period farmhouse and buildings in an excellent location Micheldever Station: 4 miles, Basingstoke: 8.5 miles, Winchester: 11 miles, Heathrow: 40 miles, Central London: 58 miles Attractive Grade II listed farmhouse built in the mid-19th Century with 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms and 2 bathrooms Detached 4-bedroom cottage | Pair of semi-detached 3-bedroom cottages | Range of income generating traditional farm buildings Modern farm buildings | Productive arable land | Amenity woodland and a successful farm shoot About 508 acres (205 ha) in total For sale as a whole or in up to two lots
Over 50 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.
Guide Price £7,250,000
Will Whittaker
Gabriella Placidi
National Estates & Farm Agency 020 7318 5166
Southern Estates & Farm Agency 01722 344 023
will.whittaker@struttandparker.com
gabriella.placidi@struttandparker.com
/struttandparker
@struttandparker
struttandparker.com
Hertfordshire, Hunsdon
A fine residential farm in a prime location with a secondary off-lying block nearby Hunsdon: 1.5 miles, Ware: 4 miles, Stansted Airport: 15 miles, Central London: 35 miles Lot 1a: 3-Bedroom farmhouse with planning to extend to 5 double bedrooms | Single storey outbuilding Site to construct a further self-contained cottage | About 5.6 acres Single storey former agricultural barn with residential consent | About 479 acres of arable land and 46 acres of woodland set in 2 blocks About 530 acres (214 ha) in all Available as a whole or in up to four lots
Over 50 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.
Guide Price £6,275,000 (Lot 1a £1,300,000)
Mark Rimell
Will Whittaker
Country Department 020 7318 5025
National Estates & Farm Agency 020 7318 5166
mark.rimell@struttandparker.com
will.whittaker@struttandparker.com
/struttandparker
@struttandparker
struttandparker.com
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3 ST GEORGE'S HILL , SURREY
T
he central portion of an impressive Tudor-style property within a private estate. Located on one of the most elevated points of St George's Hill, the property enjoys fabulous views.
6 B E D R O O M S | 5 B AT H R O O M S | 2 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S GA R D E N | RO O F T E R R AC E | GA R AG E | C E L L A R | E P C E W E Y B R I D G E 2 . 5 M I L E S | C O B H A M 2 . 6 M I L E S | WA LT O N - O N -T H A M E S 3 .7 M I L E S
Guide price £2,850,000 Knight Frank Weybridge andrew.chambers@knightfrank.com 01932 809938 Ref: CBM012122939
knightfrank.co.uk Winner of six customer service experience awards in 2021
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OXSHOTT, SURREY
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luxury family home providing bright and spacious accommodation located within the private and exclusive Crown Estate. The impressive south-west facing garden includes a large terrace, outdoor swimming pool, breeze house and a pool/ summer house. 6 B E D R O O M S | 4 B AT H R O O M S | 4 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S O U T D O O R SW I M M I N G P O O L | I N TE G R A L D O U B L E GA R AG E | E L E C T R IC CA R C H A RG E R | E P C C OXS H OT T 1 . 1 M I L E S | C O B HA M 2 . 5 M I L E S | E S H E R 3. 5 M I L E S
Guide price £4,000,000 Knight Frank Cobham nathaniel.bracegirdle@knightfrank.com 01932 800998 Ref: CBM012173009
knightfrank.co.uk Winner of six customer service experience awards in 2021
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SEND, SURREY
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n immaculately presented character home dating back to 1878, with the added benefit of a coach house. Situated in the rural village of Send, the property is positioned in the middle of a beautiful mature garden, which is just under an acre.
4 B E D R O O M S | 3 B AT H R O O M S | 4 R E C E P T I O N R O O M S C O U R T YA R D | C O A C H H O U S E | G Y M | 3 G A R A G E S | O U T B U I L D I N G S | E P C D R I P L E Y 2 M I L E S | W O K I N G 4 M I L E S ( L O N D O N WAT E R L O O F R O M 2 7 M I N U T E S ) | G U I L D F O R D 5 M I L E S
Guide price £2,100,000 Knight Frank Cobham tom.knowlden@knightfrank.com 01932 800998 Ref: CBM012199243
knightfrank.co.uk Winner of six customer service experience awards in 2021
This is the life.
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Luxury Portfolio International® has some of the most diverse luxury real estate listings in the world. Let our exclusive network of well-connected, locally tuned brokers and agents find your next home.
luxuryportfolio.com @LUXURYPORTFOLIO
OXSHOTT, SURREY £5,500,000
FREEHOLD
[6-7 bedrooms] [6 en suite bathrooms] [6 receptions] A unique grand residence located on one of Surrey’s most prestigious private estates extending to over 9,340 sq ft. The property is offered with a swimming pool, spa and steam room, gym, cinema, summer house, tennis court and landscaped gardens. EPC C Hamptons Esher
01372 887825
HAMPTONS.CO.UK
WINDLESHAM, SURREY £15,000,000 FREEHOLD
[22 acres] [extensive & adaptable accommodation] [approx. 25 miles from central London] A unique opportunity to acquire a rare period property with lovely features, but also with the potential to be further enhanced or re-built to create an architectural masterpiece, subject to consents. Very secluded plot with far reaching views adjoining Sunningdale golf course. EPC G Hamptons Sunningdale
01344 985941
HAMPTONS.CO.UK
REIGATE, SURREY PRICES FROM £465,000 Codes House is a development of eight contemporary one and two bedroom apartments situated close to Reigate Town centre. Each apartment benefits from allocated parking and private outside space. 01737 244 422 reigate@hamptons.co.uk
EPSOM, SURREY
HORLEY, SURREY
PRICES FROM £385,000
PRICES FROM £465,000
A new development of nine impressive two and three bedroom apartments, all with parking and outside space. Finished to an excellent specification by renowned local developer Turnbull Homes.
Westvale Park is a collection of two, three and four bedroom houses designed for modern family life. The site includes various amenities for families including a nursery and primary school.
01372 734 950 epsom@hamptons.co.uk
01737 244 422 reigate@hamptons.co.uk
HAMPTONS.CO.UK
With nature in my mind.
Get back to nature with your own Baufritz country home built with traditional and hero materials. Get information at #CountryHouse on www.baufritz.co.uk
An immaculate Grade I listed manor house set in beautiful gardens of just over four acres in the Peak District National Park Bakewell, Derbyshire 7 reception rooms, principal suite with bedroom, two dressing rooms and bathroom, 6 further bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 dressing rooms, gym, wine cellar, banqueting house, prospect house, mirror pond, kitchen garden, tree-lined main drive and rear drive. Chesterfield (London St Pancras from 1hr 50 mins): 12 miles; M1 (Junction 28): 19 miles; Manchester International Airport: 34 miles.
Guide price: £3.75 million
Viewing: Edward Caudwell 07766 565893 or edward@caudwellandco.com Tel: 01629 810 018 • Tel: 020 7839 0888
www.caudwellandco.com
Own It.
Co-owned dream homes p a ca so.com
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THE
DECORATIVE ANTIQUES & TEXTILES FAIR
Spring 2022 Wednesday 4 to Sunday 8 May Battersea Park, London
Exclusive access to Britain’s leading antique dealers, fairs and private collections.
Antiques and 20th century design for interior decoration Book tickets at decorativefair.com Be inspired @decorativefair
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Property market
S
INCE the arrival of the railway in May 1845, the cathedral city of Guildford and the surrounding towns and villages in what is now the Surrey Hills AONB have been an early port of call for Londoners in search of a country retreat within easy striking distance of the capital. And as the country-house market catches its breath in 2022 after a two-year buying frenzy fuelled by stamp-duty relief, low interest rates, strong demand and limited supply, it’s been ‘business as usual’ for Tim Harriss of Knight Frank’s Guildford office (01483 617910), who reports a flying start to the year. After a hectic month of trading in March, which saw every house sold in Guildford go for more than the asking price, early April went one better with the sale of the landmark, 15,000sq ft Southways in White Lane,
Penny Churchill
Surrey spectacular If these impressive properties are anything to go by, this resilient county is in fine health which exchanged and completed on April 4. Extensively renovated in 2018, the imposing period property stands on high ground on the edge of town, overlooking protected open countryside that includes Newlands Corner, Pewley Downs, St Martha’s-on-theHill and the Chantry Woods. Now, for the second time in 10 years, Mr Harris is handling the sale of idyllic The Old Rectory at Hascombe, having previously sold it to the current owners. Now, he quotes
a guide price of £8.5m for the elegant, Grade IIlisted country house set in some 20 acres of gardens, paddocks and woodland. The land on which it stands was once part of the vast Bramley estate held by William the Conqueror’s half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, until his disgrace, after which it passed to the Le Fay family. The ancient village of Hascombe, the name of which means ‘valley of the witch’, sits in a natural amphitheatre of steeply wooded
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Find the best properties at countrylife.co.uk
Left: Southways, Guildford, sold this year. Above and below: Georgian The Old Rectory, Hascombe, is Grade II listed, with impressive interiors and landscaped grounds. £8.5m
hillsides in the heart of the Surrey Hills AONB, four miles from Godalming and eight miles from Guildford, surrounded by a cluster of large country houses and secluded country estates. It was to Hascombe that Hollywood came in the early 1960s, when screen idol Dirk Bogarde bought the Nore estate as a country retreat when he was resting between acting engagements, before moving to West Sussex and on to France. The Old Rectory has been beautifully maintained by the current owners, who have built on the efforts of previous generations, reconfiguring the hallway and main staircase to create an impressive reception hall with double-height ceilings and a galleried landing, extending the coach house, refurbishing the interiors and creating the impressive landscaped gardens. April 20, 2022 | Country Life | 89
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Property market
Seven-bedroom Gresham Place, Whyteleafe, is reached along a sweeping drive. £3.25m
Historically, the imposing Georgian façade has been the most significant of the 18thand 20th-century additions to the former rectory, which dates from the 16th century. The house offers 6,400sq ft of well-ordered living space, including the splendid reception hall, three principal reception rooms, a sitting room and kitchen/breakfast/family room on the ground floor, with an apartment and leisure suite in the converted coach house. The bedroom accommodation, comprising a large master suite, eight bedrooms and five bathrooms, is perfect for a large family, the agents suggest, although it is too much now for the current owners, who are looking to downsize.
Having bought the house in the 1980s from the local authority, which had boarded up the original Arts-and-Crafts features and run the property as a foster home for babies awaiting adoption, the owners have painstakingly restored Gresham Place as a family home of great character and charm. Approached along a sweeping private drive through an avenue of trees underplanted with a vast array of spring-flowering bulbs, the house offers more than 9,000sq ft of accommodation, including a large reception hall, three main reception rooms, a sumptuous master suite, six further bedrooms, four bath/ shower rooms and a separate two-bedroom annexe. The beautifully landscaped gardens
and grounds include extensive terraces, a pond, swimming pool and summer pavilion. Few North Surrey agents can match the expertise of Tim Garbett, who, since retiring after 40 years as Knight Frank’s uncrowned ‘king of St Georges Hill’, continues to strut his stuff on the international stage as the founding partner of Garbett & Partners (07831 576616), a role he happily combines with that of a doting great-grandfather. After eight months of ‘an unbridled buying frenzy’ in the exclusive enclaves of St George’s Hill and Wentworth, which saw record sales in 2021 at prices ranging from £5m to £20m, Mr Garbett can see prices levelling off in 2022. Although no one wants to talk about the war, Mr Garbett expects current levels of interest from the Middle East and China, supported by English families relocating from fashionable parts of London, to hold up in the face of an otherwise uncertain future. English buyers in particular may be drawn to Cumbroc in Camp End Road, St George’s Hill, a striking, contemporary family house that has been lavishly upgraded by the vendors and comes to the market at a guide price of £5.5m through Garbett & Partners. The lightfilled, 4,250sq ft house, which enjoys distant views from first-floor balconies, offers luxurious accommodation throughout, with a galleried reception hall, double-aspect open-plan drawing room, a galleried dining room, stateof-the-art kitchen/breakfast room, and four bedroom suites, plus a spare bedroom. The house stands in more than an acre of landscaped gardens planted with mature trees and shrubs and level areas of lawn, with outdoor amenities including a canopied entertaining terrace and a heated swimming pool.
Arts-and-Crafts Gresham Place is now a family home of great character and charm Over on Surrey’s eastern edge, the village of Whyteleafe sits in a dry valley of the Surrey North Downs within the predominantly rural Tandridge District, just south of the Greater London border. The village expanded following the arrival of the railway in 1856 and now boasts three railway stations that provide fast and frequent services to London Bridge and Victoria. Hamptons’ prime team (020–7493 8222) is handling the sale, at a guide price of £3.25m, of handsome, Edwardian Gresham Place in leafy Portley Wood Road, Whyteleafe.
Contemporary, five-bedroom Cumbroc, St George’s Hill, has luxurious interiors. £5.5m
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Annunciata Elwes
New kids on the block Exciting developments and new-builds shaking up the property world
Bayswater W2, from £1.5 million Once one of London’s original big department stores alongside Selfridge’s, Liberty and Harrods, The Whiteley’s mammoth site (1.1 million sq ft) on Queensway is now firmly shielded by scaffolding, as renowned architect firm Foster + Partners beavers away at its landmark conversion, which will retain the Grade II-listed building’s façade and famous dome. Launched last year and set to complete in late 2023, it will include 139 residences ,from one to five bedrooms curated by Finchatton, some with enormous terraces and ceiling heights of 6m (19½ft), 20 new shops, cafés, restaurants, a cinema and a state-of-the-art gym, plus London’s first and flagship Six Senses hotel and spa, with 110 rooms, 14 branded residences and a members’ wellness club. The Whiteley’s reimagining will be the cornerstone of a major regeneration of Queensway and the wider Bayswater area, including a new gate into Hyde Park. (www.thewhiteleylondon.com) Surrey, from £635,000 Arts-and-Crafts Hampton Manor was built as a retirement getaway for a man called Charles Hampton Weekes, a clergyman and schoolmaster at nearby Charterhouse. It has had many reincarnations since then, hosting Canadian officers, medical students and trainee nurses from St Thomas’s Hospital, even becoming a hotel. In three acres of mature, landscaped grounds near Godalming, the manor has now been restored by Beechcroft and converted into 24 two- and three-bedroom apartments, each with its own private terrace, balcony, garden or roof garden. Hamptons (01483 905232) 92 | Country Life | April 20, 2022
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Rutland, £1.3 million This six-acre plot of land close outside the picturesque village of Thorpe by Water (the water being the River Welland) could soon hold Seatonthorpe Hall—a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom house with a Georgian-style front and an indoor swimming pool and sauna (totalling 10,516sq ft), subject to the application’s approval, with further accommodation above a triple-garage annexe. The surrounding fields are rolling and serene and the market town of Kettering is about 12 miles south. Fine & Country (01780 750200)
9000
London W8, from £4.86 million Moments from Kensington Palace Gardens, the three distinct buildings of Lancer Square, by architect Squire & Partners, contain 36 residences (currently 70% sold) ranging from one to four bedrooms and three penthouses, private spa with treatment rooms and a 20-metre (65½ft) pool, secluded garden with contemporary art installations and 24-hour concierge. The handsome red-brick square’s design draws inspiration from the site’s history as part of Kensington Palace grounds and kitchen garden and, later, Kensington Barracks, housing cavalry and infantry, including the Royal Lancers. With a Kensington Church Street frontage, there’s also Grade A office space and retail units. (www.lancersquare.co.uk) Hertfordshire, from £610,000 Digs at the former Royal Masonic School for Boys at Bushey, on the outskirts of Harrow, have surely improved since noisy pupils were careering around and even since the striking neo-Gothic building was regularly used as a film set, from Nuns on the Run and Lucky Jim to Monty Python’s Flying Circus and three ‘Harry Potter’ films. Dilapidated at the turn of this century, the building and its 100-acre site have been sensitively transformed by Comer Homes, which has even established a stonemason’s workshop on site, using Bath stone to repair the hand-carved staircase, Gothic window arches, fireplaces and so on. Renamed Royal Connaught Park, it now contains 300 residences—‘the epitome of contemporary luxury in perfect harmony with Victorian splendour’—starting at £610,000 for a two-bedroom apartment. (01923 222292; www.thecomergroup.com) April 20, 2022 | Country Life | 93
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