Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire

** VIEWING IS A MUST ** A quite exceptional eight bedroom village house with period features, flexible accommodation set in wonderful grounds, in all about 5.31 acres.

Situation
Whitchurch is a pretty village situated within the Buckinghamshire countryside. The village has excellent facilities, including a state combined primary school, local butchers, vets, post office and well-regarded public house.
Connection onto the motorway network is found at junction 13 (Milton Keynes, 18 miles) for the M1, and junction 9 (Bicester, 19 miles) for the M40 and trains to London Euston may be reached in under 30 minutes from Leighton Buzzard or from Aylesbury Vale Parkway into Marylebone in less than 1 hour.
There is a wide selection of schools in the area: Whitchurch Combined School (state primary 4-11 years) within easy walking distance and school bus services to Aylesbury Grammar School for boys, Aylesbury High School for girls, Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School and Waddesdon Church of England School. Private schools include Swanbourne Preparatory School, Ashfold Preparatory School, Berkhamsted Independent School and Stowe Independent Boarding and Day School.

History of the house
The house is Grade II Listed and believed to have dated from the early 16th century and was extended to the rear in the 18th century and early 20th century to give the impressive property that we see today. Whitchurch House has been home to famous occupiers including the Anstruther family in the early 20th century The author Jan Struther (under the pen name of Joyce Anstruther) was brought up at the house. Her father, Henry Torrens Anstruther was a justice of the peace for Buckinghamshire. Jan was known for the novel Mrs. Miniver, and a number of well-known hymns.

Whitchurch House
The handsome Whitchurch House was built of local Oving stone, and rendered elevations and overlooks its beautifully landscaped private formal gardens. Extensively renovated by the current owners in 2010, the property was fully refurbished including, replumbing, insulating, rewiring, and repairing and replacing the main frontage. Today the property offers expansive well-proportioned living accommodation arranged over two floors with many beautiful original period features, including beamed ceilings, panelled walls, and open working fireplaces.
On entering from the rear paved courtyard, through the charming porch entrance, the house opens up onto the central hall, the oldest part of the house featuring an original red brick and iron fireplace, which is centrally positioned between the four reception rooms, and staircase with fine turned balusters, and moulded handrail leading to the first-floor accommodation.
From the hallway you enter the comfortable drawing room which features a historic inglenook fireplace with log burner. From the drawing room you enter a wonderful, well-proportioned dual aspect panelled dining room. The kitchen/breakfast room is located at the rear of the property giving easy access to the gardens and benefits from a bespoke kitchen, with plenty of workspace, Aga cooker and integrated appliances, including a Bosch coffee machine and microwave. This leads to a good size utility room and pantry. Completing the ground floor is a further large reception room currently fitted with a home bar, a playroom and home gym or separate sitting room, cloakrooms, a second utility room, and staircases down to two dry cellars. The main staircase leads to the first floor accommodation with a dual height feature window giving optimum light. The principal bedroom is of generous size, flooded with lots of natural light with beautiful original exposed beams, with adjoining double dressing room.
Within the older part of the house the remaining space comprises of 3 further bedrooms and two bathrooms one of which enjoys the views over the formal gardens of Whitchurch House. There is also access from the landing to the extensive unconverted attic space. The rear part of the house makes a wonderful guest area, comprising 3 bedrooms all of which are of generous size and a further family bathroom. This has the potential to be used as separate/ancillary accommodation.

Garden and grounds
The gardens, grounds and paddocks are a real feature of the property providing an exceptional amount of privacy. From the top of the gardens you are led towards the house through established hedging and gardens which gives a wonderful sense of arrival and privacy.
To the rear of the property is a large entertaining terrace and the formal walled gardens with well-established borders and planting and includes a delightful secret garden which could form a wonderful vegetable garden or similar, and for those summer months, there is a wonderful private outdoor (air source heat pump) heated swimming pool.
Accessed from the rear, through electric gates, there is a 3 bay car port with an electric charging point, giving access to enclosed mature grazing paddocks together with a range of field shelters and out buildings with potential for renovation to modern structures. Separately accessed through gates, there is a delightful coach house with off road parking and separate post code (HP22 4JE) comprising tack room, four stables with planning for conversion for a home office, now lapsed. The current owners have spent a great deal of time and thought in creating a wonderful country property in peaceful surroundings.

Property information
Services: Mains water, electricity and drainage are connected. Oil fired central heating.
There are 3 heating zones, 2 water cylinders and a water softener system located in the
cellar for the house.
There are mains electric, and water provided to the paddocks.
The property has a Fibreoptic to home connection which provides ultra-fast access to
the internet.
EPC Rating: E
Local authority: Aylesbury Vale District Council
Tenure: The property is being offered freehold with vacant possession on all parts of
the property available on completion.
Council Tax: Band H.
Planning: The property benefits from planning approval for conversion of the coach
house to form a home office and associated alterations under application number
20/02623/APP from Buckinghamshire Council, dated 23rd September 2020,
which has now lapsed.

Distances
Winslow 5.8 miles, Aylesbury 5.4 miles, Tring 14 miles, Buckingham 12 miles, Leighton Buzzard Station 8.5 miles (30 mins to London Euston), A41 4.7 miles (access to M25) Oxford 33.1 miles, Aylesbury Station 5.5 miles (60 minutes to London Marylebone).
(All times and distances approximate).

Viewings: By strict appointment through Fisher German LLP and Knight Frank LLP.
Directions (Postcode HP22 4JF)
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