The windmill and adjoining cottage at Rays Hill, Braziers End, Chorlesbury
(Picture: Savills)In Mark Gertler’s 1916 painting “Gilbert Cannan and his Mill”, the writer and dramatic critic Cannan stands in front of his home — a converted windmill surrounded by a white fence — with his two dogs.
Today, more than 90 years later, the painting is on display at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford — and the Grade-II listed windmill is on sale for £1.65 million.
Located in Chorlesbury, Buckinghamshire, the windmill and adjoining cottage form a 2,217 square foot home, complete with five bedrooms, two reception areas, and an entire floor dedicated to the kitchen and dining rooms.
The white, towering windmill is at the front of the four-storey house. “Your first impression as you go through the front door is this lovely, circular reception hall,” says Nick Pounce, Savills’ local agent. “It’s a landmark property with outstanding views that get better the higher up you go in the tower.”
The tower also encompasses a bedroom with ensuite and a study, whilst in the dining room downstairs, the original flywheel feature is on display on one curved wall.
The current owners of the property have restored it to its original Victorian specification with a new fantail and sails, so the windmill is still in working order — although it is kept in a locked position.
The windmill, a masonry tower mill, was built in 1883 on the site of a former smock mill, and was thought to be one of the last of its kind in England. It remained operational until 1912, when it was converted into a private residence.
In 1913, Gilbert Cannan and his wife Mary moved in. The couple had close connections to the pre-eminent literary and artistic circles of the time.
Mary was previously married to Peter Pan creator JM Barrie, while they had friendships with members of the Bloomsbury Group —a set of English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists— and the London Group, a collection of artists. As well as Gertler, authors DH Lawrence and Katherine Mansfield both reputedly came to visit the Cannans at the windmill.
After the Cannans moved out in 1916, the property was rented by American actress Doris Keane, who used it as a weekend retreat while she performed in theatres in London. Since then, other notable occupants have included the artist Bernard Adams, who used it as a studio in the 1930s, and the late Sir David Hatch, former director of BBC Radio.
“It would fit a family who want something different and iconic and like the idea of having a unique place in the country,” says Pounce. “I see somebody coming from London and just falling in love with it. It’s still accessible from London, and it’s surrounded by beautiful Chiltern countryside.”
After enjoying the house as a family home for the past 10 years, the current owners are now looking to downsize. “They’ve had a wonderful family life there with the children,” Pounce says. “Now it’s someone else’s turn.”
