The enchanting Chapel House stands in National Trust land on the edge of the village of Westhumble, two miles from Dorking and close to Box Hill within the Surrey Hills AONB. It is newly listed for sale through the Cobham office of Knight Frank (01932 591602) at a guide price of £3m.
The house offers more than 4,500sq ft of charming, light-filled living space, including four reception rooms, a kitchen, family room, seven bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Chapel House, or Chapel Croft as it was previously known, stands opposite the ruined 13th-century chapel once owned by the canons of Merton, from which it takes its name.
Although its exact date of construction is not known, Chapel House is thought to have been built in the late 1850s as part of the modernisation of the Denbies estate, which was acquired by Thomas Cubitt in 1850. In any event, a watercolour dated 1869 shows the house clearly and firmly entrenched in its setting.
Although not only a master builder, but often his own architect, Cubitt established himself as the most important builder in London in the first half of the 19th century. His many notable country projects included Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, which he built in conjunction with Prince Albert in 1845–51.
Between 1821 and 1823, Cubitt built a brand new country house for Joseph Bonsor on the Polesden Lacey estate at Great Bookham, near Dorking, during which time he became familiar with the beautiful North Downs countryside. Some 25 years later, he bought the nearby Denbies estate, where he died, aged 67, in 1855.
Set well back from a country lane and surrounded by more than 10 acres of delightful gardens, grounds and woodland, Chapel House enjoys a high level of privacy and seclusion, within easy reach of all necessary amenities and communications.
Chapel House is listed with Knight Frank for a guide price of £3m
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