Folly Meadow Hammersley Lane Penn Buckinghamshire

Folly Meadow is a 6 bedroom family home perfectly located in an elevated position in the highly desirable and picturesque village of Penn in leafy Buckinghamshire. Although beautifully located for the peaceful countryside of The Chilterns, the property is also well placed for quick commuting to central London. Transport links in the area are excellent.

A beautiful home with a fascinating Royal legacy, having been the well loved private residence of Princess Sophia, Queen Victoria’s Goddaughter.

Layout of the Property

Folly Meadow is predominantly laid out as a large spacious bungalow with all the main receptions rooms and 5 of the bedrooms on the ground floor and a further guest bedroom suite on the top floor.  The views from the upstairs bedroom and adjacent large loft room sweeps across the entire grounds and on a clear day, the turrets of Windsor Castle can be seen across the valley beyond.

On the ground floor an impressive reception/dining hall, with a fireplace and plenty of room for a sitting area or dining table, gives access to the main lounge, kitchen diner and the bedrooms. The lounge is of large proportions, with a dual aspect overlooking the immaculate gardens, and a decorative fireplace with a wood surround and marble hearth. French doors open on to the outside terrace and the swimming pool.

A family/breakfast room, with an additional fireplace and wood burner, opens into the kitchen, which is well equipped with a good range of units, and complemented by Welsh granite worktops. Integrated appliances include an electric hob, extractor, oven, dishwasher, and with space for a fridge/freezer. A boot room leads into the gardens. Just off the kitchen, a useful inner hallway has an excellent range of built-in storage cupboards and a further drinks fridge. This inner hallway leads into a large bedroom which is currently serving as a joint office for the current owners with stunning views from two large windows across the manicured lawns.

The principal bedroom lies to the front of the property with a dual aspect and lovely garden views. There are built-in wardrobes and a vanity unit, together with a walk-in dressing room. The en suite is well appointed with a free standing Victorian style claw foot bath. There are three remaining bedrooms on the ground floor, one with wardrobes and a vanity unit, and one which is currently used as a study. A family shower room services these bedrooms.

Stairs from the reception hall lead up to a further bedroom suite, with far reaching views over the surrounding grounds, and benefits from an en suite cloakroom/dressing area. Adjacent is access to a huge boarded walk-in attic which could easily be made into a further 2 bedroom suites/games room, it's from the dormer windows in the roof here that you can see the views of Windsor Castle when the day is bright and clear.

Self Contained Apartment/Nanny Flat

Attached to the property is a self-contained newly renovated annexe, with its own front door and private outside patio area (photos of the annexe are not supplied due to a guest staying at the time of photography but interested buyers will be able to visit the annexe at their viewing appointment).  The annexe enjoys a lovely peaceful sitting room overlooking the front lawns, a well equipped kitchen with a breakfast bar, and a double bedroom with views and door access to a rear private patio and a gated area leading to the swimming pool.

Outside Grounds

Folly Meadow is approached through double wrought iron gates onto a large circular driveway providing ample parking for 10 plus cars. There is a large double garage to the left with a separately enclosed workshop currently served as an art studio by the current owners. The garage also has loft access for storage.

There is an additional entrance to Folly Meadow via a five bar gate into the paddock. The grounds are a delight and a real feature of the property. A generous expanse of lawn lies to the front, with beautifully planted beds and borders that change with the seasons, with high hedging providing privacy to the front of the house.

The lush green paddock, enclosed with post and rail fencing, wraps around the house to the side and rear, together with a two bay stable at the top end with running water and electricity. There is a gateway to the side of the stable block that leads to a footpath for great adventures and walks across the adjacent fields beyond. 

At the front of the house there are steps leading to the front door and round to a patio and entertaining area and outdoor heated swimming pool with pump house. The large patio area enjoys a well stocked shrub border to the side and a feature well. There is also a sweet garden playhouse beside a prized stunning willow tree that looks spectacular in the spring and summer months. A further covered area on the patio is ideal for year round outside dining and has coloured spot lights and power for a DJ deck for outside pool parties and entertaining.

The garden also benefits from a detached storage shed/workshop and a gardeners outside WC and washing facilities .

A truly stunning location for a family residence in one of the finest areas in Buckinghamshire, near the best schools with the most convenient transport links. Folly Meadow really is a perfect place to reside in the UK countryside.

Commuting to London or Oxford

The M40 gives access to London, Oxford, Birmingham, Heathrow and the M25. There are regular Chiltern line train services to London from both Beaconsfield and High Wycombe taking just 28 minutes direct into Marylebone.

Local Schools

Buckinghamshire is famed for its choice and standard of first class schooling. Local village schools include Tylers Green First and Middle schools. The county is one of the last to maintain the traditional grammar school system, including, Royal Grammar School and John Hampden (High Wycombe) for boys and Wycombe High School and Beaconsfield High School for girls. Local independent preparatory schools include High March, Pipers Corner, Godstowe for girls and Caldicott, The Beacon, Davenies for boys, to name a few. High Wycombe is also home to one of the most famous girls boarding schools in Europe, Wycombe Abbey.

Nearby Sports Pursuits

The beautiful surrounding area offers excellent walks and bridle paths and there’s a wealth of sporting and recreational amenities available in the local area with rowing clubs in Henley and Marlow and other nearby sports such as two popular golf clubs, horse riding stables, plus a clay pigeon shooting club. Penn village has its own playing fields for cricket and football and a vibrant tennis club while the local towns have popular rugby and football clubs.

A Royal History

Folly Meadow was the former home of the famous suffragette Princess Sophia Duleep Singh - Daughter of the last Sikh King - Maharaja Duleep Singh and the Goddaughter of Queen Victoria. Princess Sophia along with Emmeline Pankhurst led the well documented demonstrations outside Government in 1910. The protest that ensued after Sir Winston Churchill's refusal to engage led to the incident known as Black Friday.  During World War 1, Princess Sophia volunteered for the British Red Cross from 1915-1917.  In 1918 when the Vote for Women over 30 was passed, Princess Sophia joined the Suffragette Fellowship where she remained a member until she passed away in 1948.  Her time at Folly Meadow, (known then as Rathenrae) is well documented and photographed in many articles, books and publications across the world including several documentaries about her life mentioning all the above roles she served as a philanthropist and activist.

Folly Meadow originally dates back to 1920 and sits in a wonderful plot of almost 2 acres which includes landscaped gardens, a heated outdoor swimming pool and a immaculate paddock with stabling for 2 horses.   The house benefits from an attached one bedroom studio apartment which could easily be incorporated back into the main residence, but is also ideal as guest accommodation or as a short term let. There is also a large double garage set away from the main house.

Prime for a Redevelopment

The prime position of the site could also offer a superb opportunity for a total redevelopment of the home subject to the necessary planning consents. Fully topographical surveys have been conducted recently with views to develop the residence and possibly look to separate the annexe and the main home to create two separate homes on the land. 

Services

All mains services connected

EPC = D

Tenure Freehold and No forward Chain

Local Authority Wycombe District Council