The Lee, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, HP16

Impressive 1913 built country residence offering a wealth of charm and character features steeped in local Liberty family history set within beautiful landscaped gardens of about two acres.

Description

Pipers is an impressive 1913 built country house, offering a wealth of charm and character features and which is rich in local Liberty family history.

The house is set within beautifully landscaped formal gardens including a swimming pool and tennis court. At the entrance there is the landmark Grade II listed figure head of Admiral Lord Howe taken from the Navy’s last wooden warship.

The main entrance porch and front door lead from an attractive walled courtyard with the family entrance via another courtyard to the side. The ground floor layout is spacious and adaptable for both a modern day family lifestyle and more formal entertaining; the magnificent drawing room is worthy of special mention with its vaulted roof, galleried windows on either side and feature stone fireplace. Leading off the drawing room in wings is a pretty sitting room with study area and the dining room with an attractive rounded bay window. The family sized kitchen/breakfast/family room, superbly fitted with an extensive range of bespoke units has granite worktops and incorporates an Aga with hob.

The informal dining area, featuring a hand crafted dresser, has at the far end an enlarged sitting area with doors overlooking the patio. Doors lead to a study and a rear hallway leading to the utility/boot room and large TV/play room. A superb wine cellar is accessed from the hall.

Upstairs there are a total of seven bedrooms with the smallest currently used as a dressing room. The two principal bedrooms are in the wings, both with internal windows by their doorways, which overlook the vaulted drawing room. They both have spacious well-appointed en-suite bathrooms. The remaining bedrooms are served by two further bathrooms, one en-suite to bedroom four which also has a mezzanine platform.

An undoubted feature is the wonderful gardens and grounds beautifully landscaped with areas of lawn interspersed by well stocked flower beds with neat hedges and dwarf walling. The centre piece is an idyllic ornamental pond and waterfall. There is a Victorian style greenhouse as well as sheds and summer houses together with a productive vegetable and soft fruit garden. Within the rear garden there is an enclosed hard tennis court and to the side a heated swimming pool.

The house is approached via electric entrance gates where the Admiral Lord Howe figurehead is prominently sited with a sweeping gravel drive flanked by staddle stones with plenty of parking and turning space in front of the house. There is an oak framed triple bay garage (one open) with a useful studio/annexe with en-suite bathroom above. Within the enclosed courtyard there is a second oak framed carport with attached tractor mower and garden store.

Agents Note: The tennis court has been resurfaced since the images were taken.

Location

The Lee is an idyllic and largely unspoilt quintessential English village set around the green with the Cock & Rabbit public house in one corner and the 12th century church and village hall close by. This picturesque scene has been the location for many television dramas, including a number of Midsomer episodes.

The towns of Great Missenden (Chiltern Line) about three miles, Chesham (Metropolitan Line) about 4½ miles and Amersham (both Metropolitan and Chiltern Line) about seven miles all provide multiple shopping facilities and amenities as well as stations offering a London commuter service into Marylebone or Baker Street.

The area is renowned for its excellent educational facilities both private and state, including Dr Challoner’s Grammar School for boys and High School for girls in Amersham and Little Chalfont respectively and Lee Common Church of England Infant School for 4–7 years close by.

Great Missenden - 3 miles
Amersham - 7 Miles
Heathrow Airport - 28 miles
Central London - 36 Miles
All distances are approx

Square Footage: 5,974 sq ft


Acreage: 2 Acres

Additional Info

Arthur Liberty was born in Chesham, Buckinghamshire in 1843 and was first employed in a shop in Regent Street, London. In 1875, with a loan from his future father-in-law, he leased his first shop, opposite his employers and within 18 months he had acquired 218 Regent Street, now the world famous Liberty store.

Arthur frequently visited his grandparents at Chartridge Farm and with his new found wealth he moved into the Manor House at The Lee in 1890, owning the estate by 1898. As Lord of the Manor he extended the estate to cover over three thousand acres, stretching well beyond the parish boundaries encompassing twelve working farms, many houses, cottages and public houses.

His influence and wish for improvements to the village included fresh water pumped from the Missenden valley, with many visual reminders such as the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Well, on the green and the Cock & Rabbit village pub, built in1907 still remaining to this day. Arthur Liberty died in 1917 having built Pipers for his nephew and eventual heir, Ivor Stewart-Liberty.

The Admiral Lord Howe Ship Figurehead at the entrance to Pipers is the local landmark, the Grade II listed wooden figurehead of Admiral Lord Howe taken from the Navy’s last wooden ship originally called HMS Howe, dated 1860.

The ship never saw sea service and was renamed at various times as HMS Bulwark and HMS Impregnable. It remained at Devonport as a training ship before being broken up in 1921 with many of the timbers used for the mock Tudor extension to the Liberty store in London.

The figurehead was brought by Ivor to be sited at the entrance to Pipers where it has remained ever since. The current owners of Pipers have carried out major restoration works including the pitched roof shelter allowing local residents and tourists to enjoy its magnificence.