The buyers of Riverdene, in Cookham, Berkshire, will wake up every morning to the views that moved Royal Academician Sir Stanley Spencer. This whitewashed house with a Parisian feel, which is for sale through Hamptons at a guide price of £4.5 million, stands on the banks of the Thames, next to the 12th-century village church.
Spencer was so enamoured of Cookham, where he had been born in 1891, that it called it ‘a village in heaven’ and spent the years before and after the First World War painting landscapes and biblical scenes set – somewhat incongruously but beautifully –against the backdrop of the local churchyard and the surrounding countryside.
Riverdene itself appears in some of the artist’s works, such as the 1936 View from Cookham Bridge, which captures the peaceful beauty of a summer day by the river. (After all, this is also the village that inspired Kenneth Grahame to write Wind in the Willows).
Surprisingly, however, Spencer isn’t Riverdene’s only claim to fame. The house once belonged to racing driver Sir Algernon Guinness—a daredevil with a passion for straight-line speed trials, who set a world Land Speed Record in 1908 with a V8 Darracq.
Story has it that he was the first man in Cookham to have a TV set in the house but, once the new organ was installed in the nearby church, the blower motor created an interference that prevented Sir Algernon from watching TV in the evening. So he paid for a suppressor to be installed.
Today, the property spans 6,115 sq ft of elegant space. The ground floor houses several reception rooms, including a vaulted sitting room and graceful drawing room decorated with wooden panelling that came from the Upper Berkeley Street home of Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. Both open onto the gardens (the drawing room via a verandah) making them ideal for entertaining.
Upstairs are eight bedrooms, arranged across two floors. The master suite on the first floor, with its large bathroom, dressing room and fine views of the river and Cookham bridge is especially beautiful.
The exquisite interiors are matched by panoramic gardens overlooking the Thames, Cookham Bridge and the Church.
Riverdene is for sale at £4.5 million via Hamptons — see more pictures or contact the agent
Cookham: What you need to know
- Location:The village stands about four miles from both Maidenhead and Marlow
- Atmosphere: A settlement well before the Romans reached Britain, Cookham oozes history, with a church of Norman origins and an inn that dates from the 15th-century, thought to be one of the oldest in England. Spencer’s memory is kept alive in the Stanley Spencer Gallery. This is also one of the Thames villages where the Swan Upping Ceremony takes place.
- Things to do: You’ll be spoiled for choice: given the Winds in the Willows connection, a walk on the Thames path is a must. Cliveden is round the corner, as is the nature reserve at Cock Marsh and, a little farther away, the woods at Burnham Beeches. There are several golf courses nearby and of course there’s boating on the Thames
- Schools: Several local primaries are rated outstanding, including the Holy Trinity Church of England School, and, among the privates, Caldicott is four and a half miles away. At secondary level, Marlow has Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School (also rated outstanding) and both Eton and Wycombe Abbey are within easy reach.Find more properties in the area.
Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale
A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.
Credit: H Tiddy
12 stunning character properties for sale at under £400,000
Thatched homes in Cornwall and West Sussex are among the many highlights of these gorgeous character cottages for sale.
-
Graham Norton's elegant East London home hits the market, and it's just as wonderful as you would expectThe four-bedroom home in Wapping should be studied for how well it uses two separate spaces to create a home of immense character and utility.
-
Sign of the times: In the age of the selfie, what’s happening to the humble autograph?When Ringo Starr announced that he was no longer going to sign anything, he kickstarted a celebrity movement that coincided with the advent of the camera phone and selfie. Rob Crossan asks whether, in today’s world, the selfie holds more clout than an autograph?
-
Graham Norton's elegant East London home hits the market, and it's just as wonderful as you would expect
The four-bedroom home in Wapping should be studied for how well it uses two separate spaces to create a home of immense character and utility.
-
About time: The fastest and slowest moving housing markets revealedNew research by Zoopla has shown where it's easy to sell and where it will take quite a while to find a buyer.
-
A wisteria clad hall built by one of the founders of the Bank of EnglandCome for the history of Old Hall. Stay for the interesting interiors.
-
A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River TayCarnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producersStormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in KentNorth Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
