If there's a reason why Denham Mount — a spectacularly pretty country house near Gerrards Cross — looks familiar, it might be this: the house was used in the filming of Blithe Sprit, the 1945 adaptation by David Lean of Noël Coward's hit stage play which is one of the best-loved British films of the post-war era.
The film stars Rex Harrison as a man haunted by first his ex-wife and then his wife, following her untimely death, with neither of them seemingly will to leave the beautiful home. And its not hard to see why: this really is an idyllic spot, 40 acres of rolling countryside just 18 miles from London.
The main house was designed by Robert Lugar — known as ‘the country gentleman’s architect’ — in the early 19th century, and is an elegant Grade II-listed Georgian villa.
It's a seven-bedroom home with beautifully-proportioned rooms and all sorts of graceful touches, including a sweeping staircase that curves around towards the first floor, a huge garden room with one wall almost entirely glazed.
The room which most catches the eye is the drawing room, centred on a carved, open fireplace, and with a bay that boasts French doors which lead on to the veranda where several of the scenes from the film were shot. It's a glorious spot, and it's hard not to dream of sitting beneath the wisteria-clad awning while enjoying the view down to the lake.
The master bedroom on the first floor shares the same graceful, curved bay and views over the grounds, while there are four further upstairs bedrooms plus a self-contained staff flat on the second floor above.
The delightful office also caught our eye, though we can't help feeling that sitting and gazing out of the two large windows would be preferable to sitting and getting work done.
There are also four cottages included in the sale, while elsewhere within the grounds there is a Victorian ice house, folly, coach house, extensive lawns, a lake, fruit and vegetable gardens and a tennis court.
Denham Mount is for sale via Strutt & Parker at £6.5 million — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt & Parker
Inside the Hollywood A-lister's mansion which has come up for sale in Surrey
The word 'legend' is bandied around all too frequently these days, but the man selling this home in the Surrey
Alan Titchmarsh: The 'Hollywood A-listers' of the plant world are fussy, flouncy — and totally irresistible
Alan Titchmarsh waxes lyrical about the benefits of bulbs, and why disposing of them year on year might not be
Giardini La Mortella: A lost world of near-tropical beauty tucked away on an Italian isle
Steven Desmond describes the cross-fertilisation of exuberant experimentation and cool practicality that produced La Mortella, one of the destinations of
-
The Manot bed that made it from a Herefordshire attic to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Country LifeWhen Henry Avray Tipping spotted a 17th-century four poster languishing in a Herefordshire attic in 1911, he set off a chain of events that saw the bed leave its ancestral home and land at The Met in New York
-
Prime Ministers, geography, Jaws and barely inhabited islands. It's the Country Life Quiz of the DaySeptember 1's quiz gets to grips with many great geographical questions. And shark identification.
-
Five magnificent homes for sale, from Highland escape to a 17th century school, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life.
-
A castle that's 'a masterpiece of the baronial revival' with 17 bedrooms, breathtaking gardens and its own miniature railwayMajestic, imposing, graceful, romantic... Ayton Castle is the very picture of
-
'One of the finest houses in Cheshire' blends Georgian architecture, modern exoticism and space to park your helicopterPenny Churchill looks inside Stretton Hall, an exceptional house for sale
-
Splendid isolation at four gorgeous properties for sale around the worldFor those craving a home that offers a true escape from the world, some wonderful properties are on the market right now. Here's our pick of some of the finest — ideal for nature lovers, those in search of tranquility and Bond villains alike.
-
The market for super-prime houses in England's biggest millionaire's playground is booming — and this £10m example is one of the bestWhirley Hall is a 17th century building that's a perfect example of how 21st century updates can transform an old home almost beyond recognition.
-
If I had to spend the rest of my life living underground, I would do it in this four-bedroom house for sale in the Peak DistrictThe aptly named Underhill is a 'a work of inhabitable art' that was built in the 1970s. And there's a swimming pool in the middle of it.
-
A micro estate for sale in west Wales shows that the best things come in small packages. In this case, three of themBrithdir is a remarkable collection of properties centred around a lake and just five miles from the sea.
-
This blissful converted mill has sweeping views, a breathtaking library and gardens by a Chelsea gold medallistPenny Churchill takes a look at Stanbridge Mill, one of the finest properties for sale today in the west country.
