High Street, Hurley, Berkshire

The Cloisters is one of the principle houses in this much sought after village, and can be approached either from the original Cloisters Garth adjacent to the church (included in the properties demise) or from its own gated entrance and sweeping driveway off Mill lane.

The property was extensively refurbished and modernised in 2017 by the present owners resulting in an eclectic mix of ancient and modern, the centrepiece being the monks refectory which is approaching a thousand years old, and today services as a magnificent entertaining space. Accommodation is arranged principally over two floors, with the majority of the rooms having delightful and private views over the main gardens and adjacency terraces which surround the main house. The first floor houses the principal bedroom suite, three additional bedrooms, a fifth bedroom/office at attic level, and three beautiful refurbished bathrooms.

SWIMMING POOL & LEISURE FACILITIES

As a part of the renovations, Roman Pools were commissioned to design a new swimming pool set in the original pool garden, complete with landscape decking and entertaining areas in an Italian inspired setting. The pool has a fully automated management system, electronic solar cover, and is powered by a heat source pump for added efficiency.

Adjacent to the pool is a beautiful pool house, clad in Cedar wood, which replaced the original summer house, and features a state of the art sauna and steam room, a home gym, and fully fitted and equipped kitchen area. In addition to the pool, a ten seater hot tub is built into the landscaped areas and overlooks the pool house and tennis courts beyond.

GARDENS AND GROUNDS

The probated gated entrance leads to a large sweeping drive which opens out onto an extensive parking area adjacent to the oak framed garage and workshop block. Stone steps rise up to the avenue of Irish yew which divide the formal gardens from the meadows and the tennis court. The original medieval carp pond sits at the entrance to the gardens and paths lead towards a timber bridge over the moat, bordered by mellow Tudor walls which surround the western and northern boundaries. Through a discrete doorway lies the riverside garden, with river frontage and informal mooring, and houses a delightful summerhouse which was mentioned in Pevsner. The house can also be approached from the private no through road off the village high street, and is set behind a stone archway leading through to the cloister Gareth where additional
parking is available.

In addition, “monks cottage” is adjacent to the house and offers self contained staff or additional family accommodation.

Set at the extreme northern end of the village, off a private no-through road, the property enjoys a level of privacy and seclusion on the southern banks of the river Thames, between Oxford and London approximately 50 minutes drive and linked by fast rail services from maidenhead). Hurley is a thriving community with its own village hall, tennis and cricket club, a hotel, pub and village shop/post office.

The Cloisters has a rich history dating from its foundation in 1086 as a Benedictine Priory by Geoffrey de Mandeville n memory of his first wife. The Priory was the centre of village life for over 450 years until it was closed down in 1536 during the dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. As a daughter cell of Westminster Abbey the monks here were more fortunate than most.

The monastic estate passed to John Lovelace in 1545 and this family became Lords of the Manor. They built a mansion called Ladye Place (demolished in the 19th Century) recalling the original foundation, in the grounds of the Priory (on the southern edge of the present lawn). The 3rd Lord John Lovelace played an important role in the Glorious or Bloodless Revolution of 1688. He and his fellow Lords plotted to restore the Protestant monarch William of Orange to the English throne. It is said that his lordly friends used the water gateway in the Tudor wall to the river to approach the property in secret for their conspiratorial meetings in the crypt (now in a neighbouring garden). More recently, in April 1931 Queen Mary visited these renowned gardens and watched a game of tennis sitting on the stone seat (now by the large lawn) which is still known as ‘Queen Mary’s seat’. The original 20 acre monastic domain was still called “Paradise” until 1948 when it was divided into separate properties.

During the Second World War, Mr Sorrel Strausler, the designer of the amphibious tank used in the D-Day landings, reportedly used the moat to test its prototype.