Little Horwood Road, Winslow, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, MK18

A contemporary architect designed detached eco-friendly bio house with five bedrooms and a separate double garage set on a plot of over 10 acres including established wraparound gardens leading to approximately 9 acres of private woodlands with two ponds. The 2021 property was designed by the current owner and his wife with the architects Hinton Cook assisted by Potton. The modernist exterior, recalling the work of Le Corbusier, is dictated by pitched zinc roofs and clear vertical and horizontal axis, accented by vertical Siberian larch cladding. Set in the partially rendered walls is an estimated over 500 sq. ft. of glazing in the form of skylights, windows, and doors, in PPC aluminium frames. This extensive use of glass ensures the ingress of natural light and optimises views of the garden and grounds.

An overview of Canada House, Winslow

The interior of the ergonomic, timber framed house has a pivotal, double-height reception hall with a statement curved staircase which rises to a glass balustraded bridge on the first floor connecting to the landing. The sophistication of the build is aided by the use of high technology, without over specification, which includes control of the lighting and heating/cooling throughout the house, and which is energy efficient. The front door opens to a double height reception hall. The hall accesses accommodation in the south wing, it has a door to the kitchen/breakfast/family room and is open plan to the dining and sitting areas. A further walkthrough leads to the corridor accessing the ground floor north wing with the guest bedroom suite (bedroom two), a cloakroom, and the utility and plant rooms. There are two further separate reception rooms: the drawing room and the office. The first floor is accessed from the staircase or the lift rising to a balustraded bridge. This (truncated)

South Wing Ground Floor

South Wing

Reception Hall/Dining/Sitting Room

Windows like glass walls are on the west and east of the reception hall with outsized porcelain floor tiles which continue throughout the reception areas. A bespoke open oak and steel curved staircase has glass balustrades. The ground floor has underfloor heating and there is a glazed two-person Gartec lift. A walkthrough accesses the two reception areas which are demarcated by a central wall, creating a dining area measuring nearly 17 ft. by 16 ft., with room for a table seating a dozen, and a sitting area measuring nearly 24 ft. by over 17 ft. The central wall, with space on either side, has a built-in firewood store and a double-sided woodburning stove. This fire has a glass door flush with the wall facing into the dining area and a raised granite hearth below another glass door facing into the sitting area. The dining area has sliding doors opening to the south facing garden, as does the sitting area with garden views and space for relaxed seating.

Kitchen/Breakfast/Family Room

The over 29 ft. by over 17 ft., triple aspect kitchen/breakfast/dining room has sliding doors overlooking the main patio on the south side of the house with views over the garden with the same flooring and underfloor heating as the reception areas. The kitchen/breakfast area has a further window overlooking the south side and a range of contemporary fitted base and wall units with contrasting matt doors. An island, with matching storage beneath, has marble composite sides and a worksurface with an inset one-and-a-half stainless steel sink with a Quooker Cube tap (hot/cold/sparkling and filtered water) and a Neff induction hob with an extractor over. Integral Neff appliances include two ovens – conventional and steamer, a microwave, and a separate full-size fridge and similar but separate freezer. There is an under-counter Caple wine cooler.

North Wing Ground Floor

Guest Bedroom Suite

The north wing corridor, accessed from the reception hall, has a floor-to-ceiling window and two skylights. Doors leading immediately off the corridor access a cloakroom and bedroom two, which is the currently used as a guest suite. The over 21 ft. by over 17 ft. bedroom has a pitched roof and is triple aspect with an outsized glazed door to the patio. One set of wooden fronted sliding doors opens to a dressing room with fitted shelving and lights; and a similar set opens to the en suite bathroom. This fully tiled room has wood effect ceramic floor tiles and two raised and obscured windows. There are a walk-in double shower and a vanity unit with a drawer and an ovoid inset hand basin which matches the modern Scandinavian reconstituted stone stand-alone bath – also ovoid - with stylised feet.

Drawing Room and Office

Measuring over 19 ft. by over 17 ft., the triple aspect drawing room, which currently is used as a play room and a gym, is accessed from the farther end of the north corridor. It has a pitched ceiling and extends like a glazed peninsular into the driveway with views over the garden on two sides and sliding patio doors opening to the paved approach to the front door. The office, positioned in the middle of the corridor, measures over 13 ft. by nearly 10 ft. It has a window overlooking the north side of the garden.

Utility Room

The utility room has a differently tiled floor and a window alongside a glazed door opening to the side. There are modern fitted base and wall gloss doored units and a stainless steel sink and drainer with a mixer tap set in the worksurface. There is space and plumbing for a washer dryer and a Foxydry fan airer is suspended from the ceiling. Centrally positioned is a secure built-in cupboard; sliding doors access the plant room for the house.

First Floor South Wing

The glass balustraded first floor bridge has an oak floor that continues throughout the landing, which has double doored oak storage cupboards at the top of the stairs. The four first floor double bedrooms have a heat recovery ventilation system (working in reverse in the summer) with vents and thermostats in each room. The heating, like the Lutron lighting system throughout the house, can be controlled remotely by an app. The simplicity and span of the glazing means that a mechanical cleaner can be used internally. On this floor and below, the fitted blinds for the unusual windows will be left.

The Principal Bedroom Suite

A door off the corridor opens to a walkway with a window overlooking the north. Opposite are floor-to-ceiling cupboards with blackened glass sliding doors; the lower doors are well above head-height with shorter cupboards set above. On the far right is a concealed coffee-making area with a stainless steel sink and taps set in a marble top; on the left are industrial metal storage shelves. The triple aspect air-conditioned bedroom has a pitched ceiling, and a bank of nearly 8 ft. tall wardrobes with mirrors at each end; the eastern corner has windows. The southeast corner is glazed and a sliding patio door accesses a south-facing balcony seating area with views over the garden. The balcony has a composite decked floor and a glass balustrade. A fully tiled five piece en suite bathroom includes a vanity unit with a granite surface and a counter top hand basin, a walk-in double shower, and another, different, Scandinavian reconstituted stone stand-alone bath with stylised feet.

Bedroom Three and En Suite Bathroom

Triple aspect bedroom three is at the far end of the corridor, measuring over 19 ft. by over 17 ft. and like the principal bedroom, has a pitched roof. There are built-in wardrobes along the west wall and windows in the southwest corner as well as separate windows facing north and south. A door opens to the fully tiled en suite shower room with a matching modernist three piece suite and a heated towel rail.

Bedrooms Four and Five and Family Bathroom

There are two further double bedrooms off the corridor. Bedroom four has fitted wardrobes with mirrored sliding doors, bedroom five has a space, enclosed on three sides for a wardrobe to be built. Both rooms have windows overlooking the south garden with plantation shutters fitted and both share the family bathroom. The family bathroom has an obscured window facing north and is fully tiled. Like the other bath and shower rooms there is a mirrored cabinet over the basin with an automatic light. There is a matching contemporary suite including a concealed cistern hanging WC, a hanging vanity unit with a hand basin, a walk-in double shower, and a heated towel rail. There is another modern, Scandinavian reconstituted stone stand-alone bath with centrally placed taps.

Outbuildings & Gardens

Double Garage, Wet Room, and Store

The separate double garage measuring over 19 ft. by over 18 ft., is constructed similarly to the house and has the same degree of insulation. It has light and electricity connected, a ceramic tiled floor and an up-and-over electronically controlled door onto the drive. There is a personnel door along one side and a further door accesses a fully tiled wet room with a shower, basin, and WC designed for muddy children and/or dogs. On the other side, a door opens from the garden to a store in the rear of the garage.

Gardens

Canada house has two entrances. One is via electrically controlled metal front gates which open to a block paved drive which leads to the front of the house and expands to form parking for numerous cars. Another is via a personnel and double timber gates accessing the main drive. Surrounding the house is porcelain tiled paving set on concealed metal pedestals which immediately drain rainwater. The paving expands to become a seating area to the south which has an outside stainless steel kitchen with covered burner plates, storage beneath and an inset sink. On a further paved area is a hot tub under a specially designed modernist metal gazebo and there is a hand-built and engineered climbing frame for older children. A constant supply of firewood from the woodland is kept in a nearby store.

Gardens Continued

The secluded wraparound garden was levelled for the build, leaving raised, planted banks forming some boundaries. Drainage channels were laid and there is a balancing pond in the garden with bullrushes which is fed with purified water from the septic tank. A rainwater harvesting tank has been sunk in the garden and the area around planted with trees. The low maintenance garden is almost entirely laid to lawn (currently mown by two robotic lawnmowers) and is planted with a variety of specimen, native trees such as silver birch and holly. The nature of the garden and the woodland beyond attract diverse wildlife from three types of dear to wild ducks and bats. The birdsong from the surrounding trees is exceptional.

Woodland

To the west of the garden, a tail of land belonging to Canada House leads north and spreads out to form the approximately nine acres of indigenous woodland, creating a secluded setting.

Locality

The nearby historic market town of Winslow dates back to Saxon times and is known for its Georgian, and earlier architecture, and the market square. It has a close-knit community that includes a variety of cultural and social activities. The town has a range of shopping and leisure facilities, GP and dental surgeries, a library, a range of public houses and restaurants, and a veterinary surgery. There is a Church of England combined school and the Sir Thomas Fremantle secondary school. Winslow is also in the catchment area for the Royal Latin School in Buckingham. East West Rail’s new Winslow railway station is due to open in 2026 and intended to become a transport hub for the area.