‘Glammed up’ hideaway has rich history of entertaining

THIS Grade II-listed home in Mortimer has been a farmhouse, manor house, childhood playground, ballroom for parties and, most recently, a much-loved family home for Crispin and Sadie Keable and their three sons.

Now, after 25 years of life within its oak-panelled walls, the children have grown and flown and the Keables are preparing to downsize to another home in the area.

Crispin’s relationship with the house began long before he moved in. His parents, Julian and Verena, bought it in the Seventies from Major and Mrs Lambton who, at that time, lived there alone with the help of a housekeeper and groundsman.

The Lambtons’ children had long since grown but their legacy remained, not least in the garage wing, where Major Lambton kept his collection of Bugattis and a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith.

Those garages have since been converted into artists’ studios but the stories linger, giving the house the kind of patina you can’t replicate with new build.

By the late Nineties, Crispin’s mother was ready to downsize and he and Sadie were ready to upsize. “We wanted our boys to grow up here,” he recalls. “It has been the most brilliant family house.”

The couple have preserved the character of the house while carefully bringing it up to date. The green credentials are notable — a large Windhager wood-pellet boiler supplies carbon-neutral heating to the main house and also the adjoining flats.

With government support under the Renewable Heating Initiative, the running costs are cleverly offset. “It’s a big house,” says Crispin, “but it’s warm in winter, cool in summer and remarkably comfortable for its size.”

Comfort is one thing, atmosphere is another. This house has both in spades. It was substantially remodelled around 1850, when a prosperous owner decided to “glam it up”, raising ceilings, adding mouldings and installing a full ballroom with sprung oak floors.

Today, that ballroom survives as a magnificent drawing room, one of several reception spaces that lend the house its generosity of scale. The stone porch was added later and the oak staircase, with its long domed skylight, leads to a galleried landing that pours light into the heart of the house.

There are six bedrooms in the main house, including a principal suite with a cleverly concealed en suite bathroom tucked behind fitted wardrobes. The room enjoys an east-facing view across gardens and meadowland, where the sun rises over Abbeycroft’s fields.

“It’s spectacular,” says Crispin. “You never tire of it.” Beyond that are further bedrooms, attics and quirky spaces that children inevitably adopt as hideouts.

The kitchen has a story of its own. After a storm brought down a vast oak tree in “Gaffer’s Garden” on the estate, Crispin arranged for it to be milled, seasoned and transformed into the bespoke cupboards, fire surrounds and dining table that still stand today.

Even the “Green Man” carving above the fireplace is a salvaged piece from another carpentry project. The result is a kitchen that is rustic, handmade and very much tied to the land it sits on.

The garden has almost two acres in total. A ha-ha marks the end of the lawn, giving an unbroken view across open countryside. Mature trees and shrubberies provide privacy, while a winding drive leads to a turning circle with ample off-road parking.

Few people realise the house is even here. It is tucked back behind woodland, despite being only a short walk from Mortimer station, shops, pubs and schools.

The land beneath it is even richer in history. Before the neighbouring Strawberry Fields estate was built, archaeologists uncovered Roman urns, coins, pottery shards (including fine Samian ware), a bronze mirror and evidence of both a medieval and Bronze Age settlement. The consensus was that a Roman villa lies somewhere on the site, although its remains have never been found.

A local dowser once suggested it may sit beneath the lawn of the adjoining house to the north. Whatever its precise location, it is clear that this land has been settled, farmed and lived upon for thousands of years.

The house also includes the Upper Flat, once owned by Crispin’s sister but now incorporated into the Keables’ holdings. It has long been rented out, providing a reliable second income and could serve equally as accommodation for extended family, a nanny or guests. The basement comprises old service rooms and two wine cellars, accessed via the servants’ staircase. It reminds you that this was once a working estate, complete with house staff and bustling activity.

Mortimer station is a mile away, with direct trains to Paddington in around
45 minutes and access to the Elizabeth Line into the City. Reading is seven miles, Basingstoke 13, and Heathrow under an hour.

l 1 Mortimer Hill is available for offers over £1,675,000, leasehold, with share of the freehold. For more information and to arrange a viewing, call Sara Batting on 0118 950 2341.