House For Sale £3,000,000
Description
"I am the home of a 20th Century family that loves air, sun and open country". This is the declaration of High and Over, a unique Grade II* Modernist home near Amersham which is now coming to the market with Unique Property Company. The words may have been written close to a hundred years ago but are as relevant now as they were in 1929 -1931 when the building was completed.
It's hard to imagine the impact that this house had on the landscape and the polite suburban society into which it was launched in the inter war years. The sense of space, introducing light and incorporating nature into the outlook from every room was a far cry from the inward-looking Victorian architecture that preceded it. Today High and Over is a poised and elegant home with an easy flow to the rooms and a flexible layout which makes it a very live-able family home as much as an architectural masterpiece. The grounds and gardens extend to just under two acres and include formal and informal gardens, a swimming pool and woodlands.
High and Over was built to a commission for Professor Bernard Ashmole, then the Keeper of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum. It was designed by Amyas Connell of Connell Ward & Lucas, a New Zealand born architect who had been a student of Professor Ashmole. It's interesting that a professor of antiquities should choose such an innovative and modern design for his own home. The design of the house intriguingly mixes Modernism with classical references and proportions.
High and Over is now considered to be one of the most significant Modernist buildings of the 20th century. "In 1931 all Buckinghamshire was scandalised by the appearance, high above Amersham of a concrete house in the shape of a letter "Y" was John Betjemans response. Pevsner's Buildings of England, Tachens World Architecture and Irvings 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die all regarded High and Over as an iconic masterpiece. Some people who lived locally named the house the "Aeroplane House" as it was thought that the winged roof terraces looked a little like the wings of a 'plane.
Positioned between Amersham on the Hill and the Old Town and with spectacular views over The Chilterns, High and Over is also convenient for travelling into central London (32 minutes via the Chiltern Line) or via the Metropolitan Line. It is ten minutes to the M40 and the M25 linking it to London, the Midlands and Heathrow.
High and Over is built over three levels and has six bedrooms, many with attached bathrooms and dressing areas, study, Dining Room, Drawing Room, Library, Reception Hall which can be opened up to all of the ground floor reception rooms to provide a spectacular entertaining space. Roof Terraces - some areas covered for year round use. Garages, store rooms, garden room.
The current owners have lived at High & Over for twelve years and have regarded their time there with total pleasure. It's been a family home and also a space for an artist and sculptor and a writer. During that time they've made a significant commitment to returning the house to its original splendour: They have reinstated the original ground floor configuration of glazed doors and ceiling light boxes throughout the Reception rooms. In 1962 the house was split into two parts and the current owners reinstated it as one magnificent property. The entrance hall with its dramatic open "occulous" above which punches through to the first floor makes an immediate statement; flooded with natural light which is further enhanced in the polished floor finish.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire a wonderful house of distinction, important architectural provenance and also a marvellous home. The property is on the market at £3,000,000.
Council Tax Band: H (Buckingham Council - Chiltern)
Tenure: Freehold
Monthly utility bills estimated at £500 pcm
"I am the home of a 20th Century family that loves air, sun and open country". This is the declaration of High and Over, a unique Grade II* Modernist home near Amersham which is now coming to the market with Unique Property Company. The words may have been written close to a hundred years ago but are as relevant now as they were in 1929 -1931 when the building was completed.
It's hard to imagine the impact that this house had on the landscape and the polite suburban society into which it was launched in the inter war years. The sense of space, introducing light and incorporating nature into the outlook from every room was a far cry from the inward-looking Victorian architecture that preceded it. Today High and Over is a poised and elegant home with an easy flow to the rooms and a flexible layout which makes it a very live-able family home as much as an architectural masterpiece. The grounds and gardens extend to just under two acres and include formal and informal gardens, a swimming pool and woodlands.
High and Over was built to a commission for Professor Bernard Ashmole, then the Keeper of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum. It was designed by Amyas Connell of Connell Ward & Lucas, a New Zealand born architect who had been a student of Professor Ashmole. It's interesting that a professor of antiquities should choose such an innovative and modern design for his own home. The design of the house intriguingly mixes Modernism with classical references and proportions.
High and Over is now considered to be one of the most significant Modernist buildings of the 20th century. "In 1931 all Buckinghamshire was scandalised by the appearance, high above Amersham of a concrete house in the shape of a letter "Y" was John Betjemans response. Pevsner's Buildings of England, Tachens World Architecture and Irvings 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die all regarded High and Over as an iconic masterpiece. Some people who lived locally named the house the "Aeroplane House" as it was thought that the winged roof terraces looked a little like the wings of a 'plane.
Positioned between Amersham on the Hill and the Old Town and with spectacular views over The Chilterns, High and Over is also convenient for travelling into central London (32 minutes via the Chiltern Line) or via the Metropolitan Line. It is ten minutes to the M40 and the M25 linking it to London, the Midlands and Heathrow.
High and Over is built over three levels and has six bedrooms, many with attached bathrooms and dressing areas, study, Dining Room, Drawing Room, Library, Reception Hall which can be opened up to all of the ground floor reception rooms to provide a spectacular entertaining space. Roof Terraces - some areas covered for year round use. Garages, store rooms, garden room.
The current owners have lived at High & Over for twelve years and have regarded their time there with total pleasure. It's been a family home and also a space for an artist and sculptor and a writer. During that time they've made a significant commitment to returning the house to its original splendour: They have reinstated the original ground floor configuration of glazed doors and ceiling light boxes throughout the Reception rooms. In 1962 the house was split into two parts and the current owners reinstated it as one magnificent property. The entrance hall with its dramatic open "occulous" above which punches through to the first floor makes an immediate statement; flooded with natural light which is further enhanced in the polished floor finish.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire a wonderful house of distinction, important architectural provenance and also a marvellous home. The property is on the market at £3,000,000.
Council Tax Band: H (Buckingham Council - Chiltern)
Tenure: Freehold
Monthly utility bills estimated at £500 pcm
