Country house for sale in Church Road, Penn HP10

A historical Grade II listed village house of Queen Anne origins, set in 4 acres of mature grounds with a detached coach house. EPC exempt.

Watercroft is a period family home, Grade II Listed, it enjoys an abundance of character features throughout.

The accommodation is flexible and well presented, offering three reception rooms, six bedrooms and five bathrooms in the main house with the additional benefit of a detached coach house.

The house is set in stunning grounds with a natural pond, formal gardens and meadowland with breath taking distant views. The formal reception rooms offer views of the gardens with all giving access via French doors to the pretty garden terrace.

The kitchen/breakfast room is fitted with a good range of built in units, granite work surfaces and integrated appliances include a large gas fired Aga with electric companion oven. The drawing room has elegant bow windows and an attractive feature fireplace. The morning room/formal dining room enjoys beautiful wall panelling with fruit motif cornicing and a wide, open fireplace with concealed store cupboards to either side.

The prep kitchen is accessed from the kitchen/breakfast room and is equipped with a range of units with oven and hob and good areas of work surface. There is further storage rooms adjacent that could also be utilised as a home office with tiled floors and door to the driveway.

The first floor accommodation is formed by two separate areas each accessed via individual staircases. Stairs from the inner hallway lead to the principal bedrooms with the first bedroom suite off the half landing and comprising a wonderful bright bedroom with fitted wardrobes
and cupboards and an en suite bath and shower room. From the main landing the main bedroom suite comprises a large double bedroom with full length windows enjoying views over the gardens, there is built in storage and this room is served by a generous bathroom.
A further bedroom suite has a fitted wardrobe, doors to a balcony area and a generously sized en suite bathroom.

Stairs rise from the landing to a second floor bedroom with storage cupboards and door to loft storage. An eaves bathroom lies adjacent.

At the other side of the house, a staircase leads from the office and secondary kitchen to the accommodation which comprises a generous landing area and two double bedrooms with a beautifully equipped bath/shower room.

The Coach House
This is an attractive brick and flint building which has been cleverly converted into accommodation.
It comprises a large studio room with room adjacent, which could be used as a kitchenette, with a door to a cloakroom.
On the first floor is a bedroom with eaves
storage and a fitted bathroom.

Gardens and Grounds
The grounds are a true highlight of this country home, enjoying 4 acres in total surrounded by further open countryside, creating a private and tranquil space to enjoy.

The entrance gates open onto a large area of driveway for parking, with access to two garages and a carport. The garden enjoys a large area of lawn, stocked with an array of shrubs and flowers, a beautiful pond, a rose walkway, cobbled terrace areas for entertaining and a manicured formal garden bordered by Yew hedging. An all-weather Astroturf tennis court is complemented by vegetable and herb gardens, overlooked by a beautiful orangery with mature vine, perfect for entertaining and enjoying the garden. The garden leads onto meadow land with a gate leading to a further field and light woodland, backing onto the open countryside. The views are far-reaching with Ascot grandstand visible on a clear day.
There are multiple outbuildings throughout the grounds which can be utilised for a variety of uses, including 2 greenhouses, a potting shed, and multiple store rooms.

Historical notes

Originally a Queen Anne farmhouse, with
alterations – notably the bow windows in
around 1811.
General De Haviland’s (of Pennsylvania
fame) family occupied the property for
many years and it was purchased by one of
the Pitts in the 18th century.
Watercroft was reputedly used by French
refugees from the Napoleonic wars, who
were encamped in or around the village of
Penn and Tylers Green. One of their tasks
was the brewing of beer manufactured in
the brick and clapboard Brewhouse on
the premises, using pure water from the
springs, probably from the position of the
existing pond.
The book ‘Buckinghamshire’ by
Alison Uttley published in 1950 gives
the following reference to Watercroft
‘There are few charming old houses by the
roadside, one of them being Watercroft.
It has ironwork balconies and weathercock
made by craftsmen brought from Chelsea
to teach the French boys who lived in the
Penn district at the time of the French
Revolution. [In later times] Sir George
Grove had this house and his friend,
Arthur Sullivan wrote ‘The Lost Chord’
and the good tunes of ‘Onward Christian
Soldiers’ and the Mikado in the little
summer house.

Additional Information:
Council Tax Band: H
Local Authority: Buckinghamshire Council
EPC Rating: Exempt
EPC Rating (Coach House): E<br /><br />