WowHaus

One of the first and possibly best modern movement houses in the UK is back on the market. Amyas Connell’s High & Over house in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.

Amyas Connell’s High & Over has been up for sale previously, both in 2010 and 2014. But High & Over being offered for sale is still quite a big deal. You really cannot overstate the significance of this house.

Not that it was always like this. This iconic 1929 dwelling and grade II*-listed house fell out of favour some decades back. In fact, if you ever saw the classic Sir John Betjeman documentary Metro-land from 1973 you would have seen the house in a sorry state and at the time, subdivided into two separate spaces. Thankfully, the decades since have been more kind to High & Over.

In fact, the recent past has been particularly kind to this Amyas Connell icon, with the six-bedroom house subject to extensive restorative renovations that have both updated and enhanced the building. This is still the same 1920s design. But brought up to date a little and with its original details brought back to the fore.

As I said earlier, the house was divided in 1962. In fact, it stayed that way until 2008 when someone (thankfully) reunited the two halves and commenced work to bring it back to its best.

This means the prospective new oner has three levels of versatile living space, covering something like 4,500 sq. ft. internally. And then there is all that amazing outsider space too, which I will come to later.

Not just space. Attractive living space. In recent years, the current owners have carried out a comprehensive programme of refurbishment in order to restore much of the house to its former glory.

That included reconfiguring the ground floor to its original plan and reinstating some colour schemes chosen by the first owners in 1930. Yes, that level of detail, which always impresses me. The end result is just stunning. It was the modern dream back in 1929 and this angular vision in white still is today.

A private driveway leads to the house with ‘sloped access’ to the lower level, used by the current owners as studio spaces. But as I said, much of the space here is flexible and open to numerous other uses.

Enter through the original and striking chrome front doors into a reception hall. From there, you can access a living room, a dining room, the kitchen and the library. It’s also a first glance at those wonderful period details.

You can’t miss the spiral staircase encased entirely in glass, those chrome double front doors, and a large circular balcony overlooking the marble-floored hall, as well as the spectacular roof terraces that offer amazing views over the equally appealing gardens.

The first floor is where you will find the main bedroom wing, which includes an en-suite bathroom and dressing room, as well as four other bedrooms and a bathroom.

The second floor has a further bedroom and another reception room that leads onto one of High & over’s crowning glories. Quite literally. That wonderful roof terrace, which has far-reaching views across the historic Amersham Old Town and the River Misbourne Valley.

Words don’t really do this one justice, with more likely to catch your eye in the photos. Whether that’s the era-appropriate kitchen area, the wonderful wooden bookcases, the doors, the glazing, the decor and cladding or the light fittings, there is so much to take in here. It is a credit to the current owners.

If you want to take it on further, there is still more potential here. The owners have investigated and sought approval from English Heritage for many improvements and alterations in the past and planning permission has also been granted for the conversion of the garage into a single-storey annexe for further accommodation if you need it. Although personally, I would keep it as it is. But that’s not down to me. It’s all about the next owner.

As I said, the outside space is also a key selling point of High & Over. It covers around 1.7 acres, with sweeping lawns bordered by mature trees and hedging.

Note that the gardens also retain the original circular swimming pool, which is positioned at the foot of a set of steps leading down from the house. A joy of a space during the summer months.

As you might expect, Amyas Connell’s High & Over isn’t a cheap option. It is on the market right now for £2,500,000. If I had that kind of money available I would certainly be booking a viewing.

Images and details courtesy of The Modern House. For more details and to make an enquiry, please visit the website.

Note also that the First Sun House in Amersham by the renowned architectural partnership Connell and Ward is also on the market right now.

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