Space to unwine-d in all seasons

WHEN Alan and Marina Smee moved into Meadowbrook in 1982 they were planting the seeds of a whole new life.

Alan, then a pilot with British Airways, had long harboured a dream of owning a vineyard.

The couple had met and married in Henley but wanted more space for their growing family and the Hambleden Valley proved irresistible.

At the time, Meadowbrook was still being finished. Set in just under an acre in the centre of Skirmett, the house offered privacy, scope and views that stretch across open countryside to the spire of Fingest church.

Alan wasted no time in planting 800 vines. His winemaking was enthusiastic, if not universally appreciated. “He liked it,” Marina recalls with a smile, “but I didn’t.”

Eventually the rows of vines gave way to a paddock — less work and, in Marina’s words, “a far prettier outlook”.

Although the house was new when they bought it, the pair were not shy about making it their own. Extra windows were added upstairs, a conservatory was built to capture the garden from every angle and Alan landscaped while Marina set to work filling the beds with colour.

A swimming pool and poolhouse soon followed, where generations of children — their own and their friends’ — learned to swim.

The south-east-facing lawn is level and encircled by tall beech hedges, giving seclusion without shutting out the valley views. The parterre nearest the house is laced with herbs and perennials and the wisteria that now climbs across the rear façade is a sign of four decades of careful tending.

Beyond the pool, the old vineyard paddock offers open space, framed by fruit trees and large enough to take a tennis court.

The house itself has a spacious, welcoming feel, with plenty of room for family life and entertaining. There are four double bedrooms, including a principal suite with views of the hills behind and a choice of reception rooms.

The Amdega conservatory is a bright gathering space in all seasons, while the snug, with its inglenook fireplace and wood-burning stove, has a more intimate air.

The modern kitchen has been carefully designed with family use in mind and a separate utility connects directly to the double garage which, thanks to its vaulted roof, holds the potential for extra accommodation subject to planning consent.

The wide gravel driveway can accommodate up to nine cars with further parking space through the paddock gate to the side of the house.

From Meadowbrook, it’s only a short stroll to the Frog pub — currently under refurbishment — or across the valley footpaths to the Chequers at Fingest and the Bull and Butcher at Turville.

Henley, Marlow and High Wycombe are each around seven miles away, with the motorway network and London Paddington within easy reach.

The area is also in catchment for leading grammar schools, including Sir William Borlase in Marlow.

For Alan and Marina, now in their late seventies, the house has been more than bricks and mortar. “It’s given us such pleasure,” Marina says. “It’s the most tranquil place to come back to, with friendly neighbours and so many walks right on the doorstep.”

The time has come, however, for them to downsize to an apartment closer to their daughter and grandchildren in Gerrards Cross. “It will be a complete change of life for us, but it will be lovely to be close to family,” Marina adds.

l Meadowbrook has an asking price of £1,875,000, freehold. For more information and to arrange a viewing, call Philip Booth Esq on (01491) 876544.