Clarence Cottage, Marlow Road, Bourne End, Buckinghamshire

GRADE II LISTED • C.1600S • BOURNE END, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
Clarence Cottage — Four Centuries of Character,
Craftsmanship & English Heritage. No Onward Chain.
Well End, Bourne End, Buckinghamshire | 5 Bedrooms | 3 Bathrooms | Multiple Reception Rooms | Gardens Over 150ft
£1,250,000 Guide Price • Freehold • No Onward Chain
211.3
SQ M / 2,274 SQ FT
5 - BEDROOMS
3 - BATHROOMS
150ft+- GARDEN
No Onward ChainGrade II Listedc.1600s HeritageInglenook & Log BurnerAga Range KitchenPrincipal Dressing Room SuiteFireplaces ThroughoutWalled Courtyard GardenMarquee-Sized Second Garden<0.5 mile to stationHeathrow 25–30 mins
Professional photography availableFull video tour availableDetailed floor plan availableFull colour brochure available

Some homes are built. This one was born.
Clarence Cottage has stood in this village since the early 1600s. It was here before the roads were laid, before the station was built, before the surrounding landscape took the shape it holds today. Four hundred years of English family life have passed within these walls — and the building is more beautiful, more characterful, and more full of soul for every one of them.

Approaching Clarence Cottage for the first time is a genuine moment. The façade — with its exposed oak timber framing, the traditional tiled path cutting through the front garden, and the manicured hedgerow that frames the whole picture — is the image of quintessential English period architecture at its most authentic and beautiful. This is a home that stops you before you have even reached the front door. It is striking, it is immediately lovely, and it wears its age not as a burden but as a distinction that no amount of money can manufacture from scratch.

Grade II-listed buildings of this age, in this condition, in a village of this quality, rarely come to market. When they do, they are acquired by people who understand what they are looking at — buyers who recognise that four centuries of craftsmanship, original materials, and irreplaceable character represent a standard of ownership that the finest new build, however well appointed, will never rival. Clarence Cottage is that property. And it is available now, freehold, with no onward chain.

At guide price, Clarence Cottage represents exceptional value per square foot for a Grade II-listed period property of this scale, character, and connectivity. With 211.3 sq m (2,274 sq ft) of internal accommodation — plus a garage of 22.2 sq m (239 sq ft) and outbuildings of 39.7 sq m (427 sq ft) totalling 273.2 sq m (2,940 sq ft) — comparable listed properties in neighbouring Marlow, Cookham, and Beaconsfield consistently command considerably higher prices for equivalent or lesser space and character.

Who is this home for?
Clarence Cottage is for a family who want more than square footage — who want history, warmth, character, and a home that feels like nowhere else. It is for the buyer who has always been drawn to period properties but has waited for one that is truly special. It is for those who want their children to grow up somewhere that fires the imagination — with beamed ceilings above their beds, a garden large enough for any adventure, and a kitchen that smells of the Aga from the moment you walk through the door. It is for professionals who need exceptional connectivity without sacrificing the quality of life that only a village setting like this can provide. And it is for anyone who understands that a building which has stood for 400 years, and still looks this good, is not a compromise — it is the finest possible choice.
The accommodation — room by room

RECEPTION HALL
The front door opens into a reception hall that sets the entire character of the house in a single moment. An open fireplace on one wall, a beautiful feature staircase with traditional barley-twist spindles rising ahead of you, and original detailing throughout — this is not a corridor, it is a proper entrance hall that tells you exactly what kind of house you are in. Warm, considered, full of period detail, and generous enough in scale to make a lasting impression on arrival. From here, the rest of the ground floor unfolds naturally in every direction.

FORMAL DINING ROOM
To the right of the hall is the formal dining room — a generous, well-proportioned reception room with real scale and genuine character. This is a room that earns the word "formal" without ever feeling stiff: it is the kind of space where a long table is set for twelve, candles are lit, and the evening runs well past midnight. Period detailing throughout gives it an atmosphere that a modern dining room simply cannot replicate. For families who love to host — properly host — this room is a significant and very welcome asset.

PRINCIPAL SITTING ROOM & THE INGLENOOK FIREPLACE
To the left of the staircase lies the principal sitting room, and it is here that Clarence Cottage delivers its most powerful moment. Dominating one wall is a magnificent original brick inglenook fireplace — a full, deep recess inset with a contemporary wood-burning stove. On a cold autumn evening, with the stove lit and the room glowing, this is one of those spaces that makes you feel something that no modern living room can replicate. It is the kind of fireplace that a family gathers around instinctively, that children remember for the rest of their lives, and that makes a house feel like a home in the truest and most enduring sense.
This room is also particularly well considered for family life. It sits directly adjacent to the kitchen and family dining area, meaning that whether guests are settled in the sitting room or children are watching television here on a Sunday afternoon, whoever is in the kitchen remains fully connected — part of the conversation, part of the evening, never isolated from the rest of the household.

In a period property of this age, to find that kind of natural, flowing connection between principal rooms is genuinely rare, and it is one of the things that makes this layout work so well for modern family living.

FARMHOUSE KITCHEN WITH AGA RANGE COOKER & FAMILY BREAKFAST ROOM
The kitchen spans the full rear width of the property in a generous galley-style arrangement, and it is exactly the kind of kitchen that families fall in love with and never want to leave. At its heart sits an Aga range cooker — and if you have lived with an Aga, you will need no further explanation. If you have not, understand this: an Aga changes the way a kitchen feels. It is permanently warm, it fills the room with a gentle, constant heat, it cooks in a way that nothing else does, and it becomes the anchor point around which the whole household gravitates. The kitchen is positioned to overlook both the rear courtyard and the full extent of the back gardens — so at any time of day, you are connected to the outside world and to everything happening in it.
The kitchen opens directly into a family breakfast room — a generous, open-plan second dining space that will almost certainly become the most naturally used room in the house for daily meals. Morning coffee, after-school routines, casual suppers — this is where the rhythm of family life plays out, and its easy connection to the kitchen makes it function beautifully. A utility room leads off from the kitchen with direct garden access, keeping the practical side of a busy household properly organised. A cloakroom completes the ground floor. Please refer to the full floor plan for detailed room dimensions.

PRINCIPAL BEDROOM SUITE — BEDROOM, DRESSING ROOM & EN-SUITE
The principal bedroom suite is, quite simply, one of the finest you will find in a period property at this price point — and every detail of it deserves to be understood fully before viewing.
The bedroom itself is a generous double, set beneath a vaulted ceiling from which the original oak roof beams are fully exposed — beams that have held this roof in place since the seventeenth century, now framing a bedroom of extraordinary atmosphere and quiet beauty. There is a quality of light, height, and space in a vaulted beamed bedroom that a standard flat ceiling simply cannot achieve, and this room has it completely.
Beyond the bedroom lies the dressing room — and this deserves to be stated plainly: this is not a walk-in wardrobe, not a fitted alcove, not a converted landing. This is a proper, dedicated dressing room that is comparable in size to a small double bedroom. It has the space to dress properly, with rails, drawers, a full-length mirror, and the kind of morning routine that feels considered and unhurried rather than compressed into a corner. It also benefits from its own fireplace — an extraordinary detail in itself — and double aspect windows that look out towards the riverside direction, giving the room a peaceful, quietly special quality at both the start and end of each day. For anyone who has always wanted a dressing room that genuinely functions as one, this delivers entirely without compromise. The private en-suite bathroom completes the suite.

BEDROOM TWO WITH EN-SUITE
The second bedroom is a large double of excellent proportions, also set beneath a vaulted ceiling with fully exposed oak beams, and served by its own private en-suite — making it a fully self-contained guest suite or a genuine second principal room. Ideal for households where two adults require equivalent comfort and privacy, or for families with regular overnight guests who deserve something considerably better than a standard spare room.

BEDROOMS THREE & FOUR
Two further large double bedrooms continue the theme of generous proportions and authentic period character throughout. Both accommodate double beds and full furniture with ease, and both benefit from the vaulted ceiling and exposed beam detailing that gives this upper floor such a distinctive and memorable quality. These are bedrooms that children will grow up in and remember — rooms with real character, real warmth, and real scale. Both are served by the family bathroom.

BEDROOM FIVE — STUDIO & STUDY
The fifth room is currently configured as a studio and study — a flexible and valuable space that adapts easily to the needs of the household. Home office, creative studio, single bedroom, or teenage retreat — it serves all of these uses well and adds a layer of practical flexibility that is genuinely useful in a busy family home.

FAMILY BATHROOM
The family bathroom serves the remaining bedrooms and has been updated with underfloor heating — one of a number of practical improvements made to the property over the years that bring genuine modern comfort without compromising the building's period integrity in any way.

Original features — a house that tells its own story
Clarence Cottage retains an exceptional collection of original period features, and the cumulative effect of them — experienced room by room, floor by floor — is something that photographs can suggest and the video tour will begin to convey, but only a viewing can fully communicate. Exposed oak timber framing runs both internally and externally, solid wood doors are found throughout, the inglenook fireplace in the sitting room is a centrepiece of considerable drama and warmth, and — perhaps most remarkably of all — original fireplaces feature in almost every room of the house.
That last point deserves to sit with you for a moment. Fireplaces in almost every room. In a house that has stood since the 1600s, these are not decorative additions or period-style features added for effect. They are original, part of the very fabric of a building designed and constructed at a time when a fireplace was the means by which a home was kept alive through an English winter. To find them preserved, in this number, across a property of this scale and character, is a level of authenticity that is genuinely extraordinary — and genuinely rare.

The property has been thoughtfully and sensitively improved over the years, including being stripped back to install new insulation and underfloor heating in the bathrooms — works that bring real practical benefit while fully respecting the building's integrity and heritage. The kitchen, the décor, and certain spaces offer the incoming owners the genuine pleasure of personalising an exceptional canvas to their own taste. The property has been honestly and transparently priced to reflect this, and the vendors fully understand that buyers will wish to make Clarence Cottage their own home in due course. All works will require the appropriate listed building consent — which is part of the responsibility, and the privilege, of being the custodian of a building of this significance and age.

The gardens — more than you expect, in every sense
The front garden frames the property beautifully — a neatly kept hedgerow, a traditional tiled path leading to the front door, and a setting that adds charm to the façade rather than simply filling the space between house and pavement. Off-street parking sits to the front of the house, with additional space beside the driveway where a further vehicle can be carefully accommodated. The attached single garage leads to a generous workshop and storage area with direct access to the rear garden — a practical, well-considered arrangement for daily family use.

The rear garden reveals itself in two distinct and generous sections, the full extent of which the photography, video tour, and floor plan will help to convey. The first section is enclosed on all sides by high walls, creating a space that feels wonderfully private and sheltered — a garden room as much as a garden, where the outside world disappears entirely. A paved and gravel terrace leads directly from the house — perfect for outdoor dining, summer entertaining, and long evenings outside — and gives way to a generous lawn enclosed by mature borders of established shrubs and seasonal planting. A powered greenhouse and potting shed provides a proper setup for the keen gardener.
Through a gate lies the second garden — and this is where the true and considerable scale of the plot becomes fully clear. This lawned space is substantially larger than the entire gardens of most properties in the surrounding area. To give a meaningful and honest sense of its scale: this garden has comfortably hosted a full wedding marquee, with space for guests to move freely, a dance floor, a catering area, and everything that a proper family celebration requires — and still had garden remaining. It is planted with a variety of established trees and is the kind of outdoor space that is simply not available at this price point in the villages that surround it. For families with children and dogs, for those who love to entertain at scale, or for anyone who values genuine, generous outdoor space — this garden is a rare and significant part of what makes Clarence Cottage so special. A powered lean-to greenhouse and log store serves this section. Subject to the necessary planning and listed building consents, there is also potential to add a substantial summerhouse or timber outbuilding (STPP).

Location & connectivity
Clarence Cottage sits within easy walking distance of Bourne End village, with independent shops, cafés, and everyday amenities immediately on the doorstep. Bourne End railway station is less than half a mile from the front door — a genuinely walkable distance — providing GWR services to Maidenhead, Reading, and London Paddington. At Maidenhead, the Elizabeth line opens up fast, frequent connections across London from west to east. For international travel, Heathrow Airport is approximately 25 to 30 minutes by car — an advantage in daily life that is easy to underestimate until you are living it.
For those who travel by car, the property's position gives access to the M40, A40, and A404, connecting to the wider motorway network in multiple directions and placing the M4 corridor within straightforward reach. This combination of rail, road, and air connectivity is among the strongest available in the Home Counties at this price point, and it forms a significant part of what makes Bourne End such a consistently and deservedly sought-after address for families who need both genuine quality of life and ease of movement.

The surrounding area encompasses some of the finest towns and countryside in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire — Marlow, Cookham, and Beaconsfield are all close by, offering exceptional restaurants, leisure facilities, Thames-side walks, and the full richness of English countryside living at its very best. For schooling, the property sits within the catchment for a number of well-regarded local schools, with Claytons Primary School within comfortable walking distance of the front door.

Viewing is strictly by appointment. Prospective purchasers are advised to verify all information with their legal representatives and to confirm school catchment eligibility directly with the relevant admissions authorities.

NOTE TO BUYERS -
This property is "Legally Prepared" - Thames & Country has collated the documents for the draft contract. Any potential buyer can request these from us, prior to offering. The pack includes Legal Title, Official copy of the Register Title (Property Deeds) Title Plan, Seller's Protocol Forms (Property Information forms) TA6, TA10, Warranties, Guarantees, Planning permission and Building control certificates, Estate or Lease Management packs, Property details and EPC. We endeavour to supply as much of this as we can in our pack.

This seller of this property requires a ‘Reservation Agreement’ to show their commitment to protect any serious buyer while proceeding to exchange of contracts. More info on request.
Thames & Country use Government recommended Reservation Agreement process on all property sales, at the minimum compensation level of £10,000 - Buyers would need to pay £900.00 and sellers £900.00.
Higher compensation can be agreed at the time of sale subject to Buyers and Sellers mutually agreeing compensation Value, and fee split. Full information can be given at any time on request.

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE
In accordance with anti-money laundering regulations, this agency conducts mandatory identity verification checks for all buyers and sellers as standard practice. All parties will be required to provide satisfactory proof of identity and proof of address before proceeding with any property transaction. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in meeting these legal requirements.