Cookham Dene House

Cookham Dene House
Manor Park, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5QD
Cookham Dene House
Manor Park, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5QD
Privacy & scarcity
An important family home designed by Sir Aston Webb in a private estate, exquisitely refurbished and
accessible to central London
Chislehurst 1.4 miles (Charing Cross & Cannon Street 27 minutes, London Bridge 19 minutes), Bromley 3.5 miles (Victoria 19 minutes), Central London 13 miles,
Biggin Hill Airport 7.2 miles, Ashford International 44.9 miles (Paris from 112 minutes).
Main House:
The Coach House:
Ground Floor
• 2 bedrooms
• Porch
• Kitchen
• Entrance hall
• Sitting room
• Sitting room
• Bathroom
• Kitchen/breakfast room
• 2 garages
• Wine store
• Workshop
• Utility room
• Store
• Dining room
• Cloak room
• Drawing room
• Office
Garage & Gym
• Study
• 3 garages
• 3 cloak rooms
• Gym with bathroom
• Planning consent for conversion to include indoor
First Floor
swimming pool
• Master bedroom suite with en suite bathroom,
dressing room & balcony
Outside
• 4 further bedrooms
• Formal garden
• 3 further bathrooms
• Vegetable garden
• Balcony
• Orchard
• Paddock
Second Floor
• Helicopter landing area
• 3 bedrooms
• Sitting room/bedroom 9
• 2 bathrooms
In all about 4 acres
THE ARCHITECT
Cookham Dene House was designed by the renowned English
architect, Sir Aston Webb. Born in London in 1849, Webb was
responsible for the design of many London landmarks of which we are
familiar today. These include the Victoria Memorial and Admiralty
Arch on The Mall, the Victoria and Albert museum main building and
the principle facade of Buckingham Palace which he redesigned in
1913. Aston Webb’s work also extends outside of London, with the
Brittania Naval College in Dartmouth being one of his designs.
Sir Aston Webb planned and designed Cookham Dene House for his
brother, Edward Alfred Webb, the principal author of The History of
Chislehurst. Edward Webb’s initials can be seen today in some areas
of the brickwork and the stained glass window.
THE HOUSE
Cookham Dene House sits within about four acres of its own land
with all the advantages of a substantial country house, while only
being thirteen miles from central London. The majestic and
imposing Arts & Crafts architecture designed by Sir Aston Webb is
Grade II listed, and combines with the remarkable size of the house
with its ‘useable’ address to ensure that the property is one of a kind.
Having undergone an extensive and sympathetic renovation by the
current owner, Cookham Dene House offers an amazing mixture of
Arts & Crafts splendour with twenty first century practicality. The
meticulous attention to detail and objectives of the current owner to
preserve as many original features as possible are noticeable
throughout the house. Exact copies of the old skirting were made,
using the same wood and design, and the fringe plates on all the
doors are original, with the original door knobs having been
repaired. Helpful and practical additions such as the large archway
between the kitchen and sitting room provide a large open space and
SITUATION
The town has convenient links to central London for the commuter. Chislehurst station, just under a mile and
Cookham Dene House occupies an enviable position on an exclusive private road, just under a mile from
a half from the house, has a direct line into Charing Cross, Cannon Street and London Bridge stations. A
the centre of Chislehurst, backing onto National Trust woodland.
direct train to Victoria can be taken from Bromley, three and a half miles west of the house. For international
There are a number of wonderful independent shops in the centre of Chislehurst on Royal Parade, which
travel, Biggin Hill airport can be easily accessed, being around seven miles to the south and the Eurostar goes
is about seven hundred yards from the house including a delicatessen, gift shop, beauty spa as well as an
to Paris from Ashford International, which is about forty five miles south east of Cookham Dene House.
Italian restaurant. Additional shops, pubs and restaurants can be found on the High Street.
Gatwick airport is approximately twenty seven miles to the south.
Attractions in the local area include Chislehurst Golf Club as well as Chislehurst and West Kent Cricket
Schools in the immediate area include Farringtons School, Bromley High School, St. Olave’s Grammar School
and spacious room with marble topped work surfaces and a central
Club, The London Club at West Kingsdown and Lullingstone Golf Club in Eynsford, in addition there are
and the highly sought after Eltham College. Other schools in the area include Chislehurst C of E Primary.
island into which is built a Molteni cooker, a favourite among a
the Chislehurst Caves. There is motor racing at Brands Hatch and flying at Biggin Hill Airport.
Further afield are the highly regarded Dulwich College, Sevenoaks School and Tonbridge School.
number of famous chefs. There is external access, and space for a
ensure that the rooms flow together naturally.
A beautiful brick surrounded fireplace features in both the sitting
room and kitchen and the foresight of the renovation can be noticed
through small, inspired additions such as the partially hidden log
storage area next to the fireplace. The kitchen itself provides a
wonderful area for the family to gather together. It is a bright, open
large fridge and freezer in a separate room behind the kitchen.
A laundry room and cloak room are also easily accessed from the
kitchen.
The drawing room, a remarkable room offering tranquillity combined
with space for formal entertaining, is a large open space with
exceptional ceiling height, divided by three striking archways. Two
stunning bay windows, one with beautiful decorative window seats,
light up this incredibly important room. One of the three archways
separates an area in the corner of the room with small decorated
windows overlooking the formal gardens, and access outside. Two
further archways, flanked by fabulous carved columns run down the
middle of the room. The open fires at each end, one of which has an
intricately decorated surround, add to the calming ambiance of the
room.
The dining room is a superb juxtaposition of old and new. Oak
panelling and a spectacularly decorated open fireplace, combine with
the two small, detailed windows to show off the heritage of the
property. The large space makes it the most practical of entertaining
rooms and a large bay window overlooks the rear garden and
paddock beyond.
The notable Victorian finery continues upstairs, with a vast elaborate
stained glass window dominating the staircase. Leading off the
landing are five bedrooms.
The fabulous master bedroom suite overlooks the gardens and
grounds, in the owner’s words providing a very calming and relaxing
environment; it benefits from a fantastic walk in closet and dressing
room with floor to ceiling built in storage. There is a balcony that can
be accessed from the dressing room which looks out over the land
belonging to the house. An extravagant en suite bathroom, which has
been finished to an impeccable standard, is situated beyond the
dressing room, and features both a marble topped bath as well as a
separate shower.
The remaining bedrooms and bathrooms are finished to the same
exacting standards, most notably the guest bedroom which also has a
lovely fireplace and a wonderful en suite bathroom.
The second floor contains a further two bedrooms, bathroom, shower
room and a sitting room which could be used as an additional
bedroom if needed. This area of the house is believed to be a former
nursery and would work perfectly as a nanny’s apartment.
THE COACH HOUSE
Directly opposite the entrance to the main house is a coach
house, providing useful secondary accommodation in the
form of a flat on the first floor. The accommodation
comprises a sitting room, fitted kitchen, bathroom and two
bedrooms. There is also a downstairs hallway and storage
area. Below the flat is a double garage, a large workshop, an
additional store room and a cloak room.
GARAGES AND GYM
Adjacent to the coach house is an outbuilding with a triple
garage on the ground level and a gym above with bathroom.
Planning permission has been obtained to replace the
existing building with a detached two story building
containing a double garage and swimming pool at ground
floor level, and a gym with changing room on the first floor.
OUTSIDE
Cookham Dene House is accessed via attractive wooden
coded entry electric gates which lead into a gravel drive and
parking area. Manicured trees, imported from Belgium by
the current owners, and hedges have been planted
judiciously to ensure the property enjoys a great sense of
seclusion. The house is rare in its immediate surroundings
due to the amount of land surrounding it, providing what the
current owner describes as a children’s paradise. The formal
gardens, completely rebuilt during the renovation, are to the
south of the house, with mature trees and hedges flanking a
neatly cut square lawn. Steps lead up to an orchard, beyond
which lies the paddock with helicopter landing zone. The
paddock sweeps around the property and at the northern
end is a vegetable garden. Beyond this is an area of mature
woodland. The entire garden has been scrupulously
designed with the current owner’s family and most especially
children in mind.
Architect’s impression
NOTE – Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Map with the permission of the
Controller of H. M. Stationery Office. © Crown copyright licence number 100020449
Chesterton Global Ltd. NOTE – Published for the purposes of identification only
and although believed to be correct its accuracy is not guaranteed.
SERVICES
Mains water and electricity, under floor heating throughout. Mains drainage.
LOCAL AUTHORITY AND COUNCIL TAX
London Borough of Bromley. Cookham Dene House is listed as band H and attracts an annual charge of
£2,626.14 for 2013/14. Planning Permission Reference: 04/02750
DIRECTIONS
From London, take the A2 (Old Kent Road) southbound towards New Cross. At New Cross station, turn right
onto the A20 (Amersham Road). Continue through Lewisham and once you have crossed the South Circular,
continue for approximately another 2 miles, then turn left onto B263 (Green Lane). Bear left onto Heathfield
NOTE – Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Map with the permission of the
Controller of H. M. Stationery Office. © Crown copyright licence number 100020449
Chesterton Global Ltd. NOTE – Published for the purposes of identification only
and although believed to be correct its accuracy is not guaranteed.
Road after approximately 1.2 miles, then turn left onto Centre Common Road at Chislehurst Common. Continue
chestertonhumberts.com
onto Royal Parade and then after 0.5 miles turn right onto Manor Park. Cookham Dene Close can be found on
020 7594 4746
01732 741212
the left after approximately 200 metres, and the gates for Cookham Dene House will be straight ahead.
Chesterton Humberts Country Department
Chesterton Humberts Sevenoaks
60 Sloane Avenue
99-101 High Street, Sevenoaks
VIEWING
London SW3 3DD
Kent TN13 1LH
Viewing strictly by prior appointment with the agents.
country.department@chestertonhumberts.com
sales.sevenoaks@chestertonhumberts.com
Chesterton Global Ltd trading as Chesterton Humberts for themselves and for the vendor of this property whose agents they are, give notice that (i) these particulars do
not constitute any part of an offer or contract, (ii) all statements contained within these particulars are made without responsibility on the part of Chesterton Humberts or
the vendor, (iii) whilst made in good faith, none of the statements contained within these particulars are to be relied upon as a statement of representation or fact, (iv) any
intending purchaser must satisfy him/herself by inspection or otherwise as to the correctness of each of the statements contained within these particulars, (v) the vendor
does not make or give either Chesterton Humberts or any person in their employment any authority to make or give representation or warranty whatsoever in relation to
this property. Particulars of sale designed and printed 2014. © Copyright Chesterton Humberts 2014 | Chesterton Global Ltd | Registered Office Connaught House 1-3
Mount Street London W1K 3NB | Registered Company Number 05334580