The Ewelme Park Estate, Park Corner, Nettlebed, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9

Property description

Tenure: Freehold

Superb Unlisted, Lutyens-style Country House set in outstanding gardens overlooking the Chilterns Escarpment

Description

The Ewelme Park Estate occupies a fantastic position at the South Western end of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The estate comprises a traditional English farming estate set in a single block of farmland and woodland extending to approximately 741 acres.

Approached from east, the drive stretches for a mile, lined with Horse Chestnut, Cherry and Norwegian Maple Trees leading from the Hamlet of Park Corner. The main house is situated
at the Western end of the estate and is surrounded by approximately 20 acres of gardens and paddocks. It sits atop the Chilterns escarpment and looks west towards Wittenham Clumps and the countryside of South Oxfordshire and Berkshire.
The land is predominately accessed off the main drive with extra access onto the local road network, whilst the grain store has separate access ideal for HGV traffic. The land is a mixture of flat and rolling farmland characteristic of the location in the Chilterns.

Ewelme Park House
Ewelme Park House is a Lutyens-style property built in 1913 and designed by the architect L. Stanley Crosbie. The property is arranged in an H-plan with a long timber-framed central range connecting the East and West Wings. The walls are predominately roughcast and the sweeping roofs are made of slate.

The main entrance is approached from the drive through a clock-tower which leads to a gravelled courtyard. The house is entered via a recessed porch which leads to the oak-panelled Hall which runs the length of the property with views across the wonderful gardens. Off this are a cloakroom, flower-room and bar. At the west end of the Hall is the Drawing Room, with a double height barrel vaulted ceiling, inglenook fireplace and a minstrels’ gallery which is accessed from the first floor. Large mullioned-and-transomed windows provide magnificent views to the west down over the Chilterns Escarpment and south across the sunken garden.

The Dining Room with fielded panelling and intricate coffered ceilings is located at the eastern end of the Hall. There is a Sitting Room to the south of the Dining Room and the Kitchen is located to the north through a small Study. The kitchen leads through to the back hall with the larder, game cellar, offices, laundry room, wine cellar and secondary staircase.
There is also a cloakroom with access to the garages.

The main stairs are located at the western end of the Hall and lead to the first floor via a landing with spectacular views to the west. The Master Bedroom suite, extending to well over 800 sq ft, includes an en-suite bathroom and a beautiful dressing room with east and south facing views over the gardens. Also on the first floor are 3 principal en-suite bedrooms, 4 further bedrooms and two further bathrooms. There is also a sauna with shower room on this floor.
The second floor, is accessed by staircases at both the east and western ends of the property and contains 7 further rooms in need of refurbishment.

Gardens & Grounds
The gardens are of very high quality and have been maintained with the utmost care by the current owner. The gardens are predominately laid to lawn with elegant borders, mature climbing roses and wisteria.
To the north of the house is the manicured front courtyard which is accessed through the wisteria clad Clock Tower beyond which are the Holly Walk, Orchard and Arboretum which houses a collection of specimen trees. The Clock Tower has two Bothies which are currently used as a Potting Shed and dog kennels.

The formal gardens which extend to approximately 5 acres are situated to the East, South & West of the house. There is a paved terrace with dining area opening out onto the East Lawn which gives access to the heated greenhouse. In the middle of the East lawn lies a peacock house which has been home to
the Estate’s flock of Peacocks. A Magnificent Blue Wisteria adorns the eastern wall of the house. Steps lead down to The South lawn which is intersected by a paved walkway with a fish pond and gives on to the Sunken garden. This is surrounded by a pergola adorned with wisteria and climbing roses. To the western side of the pergola is a stone wall with embrasures looking out over the swimming pool area.

A gate from the pergola goes through to a paved walk fronting The West Portico which provides stunning views over the Chilterns escarpment - a perfect spot for sundowners. The
Terrace off the West Portico leads to steps down to a lawn surrounding the outdoor heated swimming pool and tennis court. There are two Pavilions, one containing a kitchen/dining room and the second containing the pump and heating for the swimming pool.
The gardens are watered through an irrigation system fed by rainwater from the roofs, which is collected in underground storage tanks beneath the orchard.

Location

Location
The Ewelme Park Estate is located in South Oxfordshire between the villages of Nettlebed (2.6 miles to the South) and Watlington (5.1 miles to the North). Both of these settlements contain a good range of everyday services. A wider range of retail, educational and leisure facilities can be found in Henley-on-Thames, 7.8 miles to the South East, Wallingford, 9.6 miles to the West, Reading, 12.7 miles to the South and Oxford, 19.7 miles to the North West.

Communication links to the Estate are good via A4130 to Henley-on-Thames, Wallingford and Didcot. The local road network provides access to M40 J5 8.6 miles to the North. The M40 provides access to London to the South East and the Midlands to the North.

The closest mainline railway station is at Reading, 11.9 miles to the south with a direct service into London Paddington within approximately 30 minutes and direct services into London Waterloo within approximately 90 minutes. International air travel is provided at London Heathrow, 35.7 miles to the South East. There is a private airfield at London Oxford airport, 20.16 miles to the North West.

Square Footage: 13,260 sq ft


Acreage: 741 Acres

Additional Info

The Cottages
Ewelme Park Farmhouse
The property has good size rooms throughout, a lovely walled garden and a driveway. To the ground floor is a spacious sitting room with a log burner overlooking the garden. There is a dining room adjacent to the kitchen with access to the cellar. The kitchen has plenty of space for a breakfast table and has a separate utility room. The cellar is a large space ideal for storage. Upstairs are two well sized double bedrooms with decorative fireplaces facing the garden. There is an en suite shower room and a family bathroom. To the second floor is a large landing and two further double bedrooms. To the exterior is a pretty walled garden and garage.

The Pump House
The former pump house for the estate was converted into a cottage in the early 1970s and contains two bedrooms, a reception/dining room, a kitchen and bathroom. There is a small garden to the front of the property surrounded by a low wall and a parking area for at least 1 car.

Ewelme Park Farm Cottages 1 – 4
Ewelme Park Farm Cottages are made up of two pairs of semi-detached cottages. Constructed of brick with tile roofs, the cottages are located on the main drive and a made up of either 3 or 4 bedrooms with receptions rooms and kitchens on the ground floor. Each property has driveway parking, a garage and a garden.

The Stable Yard
The stable yard is made up of the Upper and Lower Yard and contains 25 boxes with appropriate tack and feed storage rooms. There is also a coffee room with a wood burning stove for cold winter days. Previously the stable complex contained planning consent for conversion of part to a 1 bed bedsit, although this permission has now expired. There is a 20m x 40m outdoor manège. The stable yard is currently occupied on a DIY livery basis and vacant possession will be provided upon completion.

Farm Buildings
There is a range of traditional stone and modern steel frame farm buildings to the North of the house located adjacent to the stable yard. The largest steel frame agricultural barn was built in the 1970s to house beef cattle and now is used for general estate storage purposes. There is also a traditional Dutch barn for hay/straw storage. Located to the north of the entrance to the main driveway are two steel framed grain stores built in the 1990s. They are surrounded by a concrete forecourt and are accessed
through double five bar gates. The buildings house storage up to 800 and 500 tons respectively and there is a dry air generator within the larger of the two buildings.

Farmland
The Estate is dominated by productive rolling arable farmland with a small section of pasture paddocks close to the main house. The Arable land which extends to approximately 513 acres comprises mainly Grade 3 farmland with two distinct soil types. The western portion of the estate is predominately steep ground and is made up of shallow lime-rich soils over chalk or limestone. To the east of the main house the land is flatter and comprises slightly acid loamy and clayey soils. The arable land is farmed on a standard rotation basis and is let on a Farm Business Tenancy with a term to run until 28th September 2021. Full cropping details can be provided if needed. The pasture paddocks extend to approximately 20 acres and are currently used by the DIY livery business at the stable yard.

Woodland
The woodland on the estate extends to approximately 184 acres and is strategically located to benefit the Estate’s private shoot. The woodlands are primarily deciduous with distinct groups; mixed broadleaves and conifers; broadleaves and conifer. Less than 8% of the woodland is classified as ancient woodland and a significant area was planted on farmland throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. The woodlands generally have level to moderate slopes but are located in undulating topography which allows for harvesting and extraction to be carried out by conventional means. The Estate currently benefits from the Woodland Regeneration Grant.

Shoot & Conservation
The shoot has been run since the current owner purchased the Estate in 1960 and utilises the woodland and strategically planted cover crops to provide challenging pheasants and partridges. Feeder pens are located within the woodland.