A country house that used to be the home of the Slazenger sports dynasty has gone on the market for £4.5million.
The Slazenger family lived inside Thorne Barton Hall in the Chiltern Hills, near Chesham, Buckinghamshire until 1953 when they moved to Ireland, mainly to escape high taxation on wealth.
It is also rumoured that Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret played in the garden and paddled in the pond as children in the late 1930s.
The seven-bedroom house has been owned by the same family for 40 years and they are now looking to downsize.
As well as fulfilling any tennis needs, the elegant Victorian house also comes with a swimming pool, sauna and almost six acres of land.
The Slazenger family lived inside Thorne Barton Hall in the Chiltern Hills, near Chesham, Buckinghamshire until 1953 when they moved to Ireland, mainly to escape high taxation on wealth
As well as fulfilling any tennis needs (pictured), the elegant Victorian house also comes with a swimming pool, sauna and almost six acres of land
The kitchen is connected to a dining area with its own conservatory , complete with bay windows looking out onto the home’s six acres of land
Thorne Barton Hall in the Chiltern Hills, near Chesham, Bucks, dates back to the 1830s but Ralph Slazenger bought it for after the Second World War
The mansion would cater to the most ardent of health fanatics, with its own swimming pool and tennis courts within a stone’s throw of the back door
The sprawling home comes with an entrance hall (shown), reception room, dining room, study, boot room, pump room and sauna downstairs and seven bedrooms, as well as a guest kitchen and a guest reception room upstairs
It is also rumoured that Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret played in the garden and paddled in the pond as children in the late 1930s
They current owners also have added a substantial garage wing which has a studio above. It has been used for storage but could be a games room as it is big enough for a full-sized snooker table.
The sprawling home comes with an entrance hall, reception room, dining room, study, boot room, pump room and sauna downstairs and seven bedrooms, as well as a guest kitchen and a guest reception room upstairs.
Part of the first floor accommodation is currently a self-contained flat but could be incorporated back into the main accommodation.
The property sits in 5.8 acres of land with a swimming pool, the top quality all weather tennis court and a range of timber clad outbuildings which provide storage for garden machinery.
It has outstanding views over the wooded valleys to the west. There is an ornamental pond, a selection of deciduous and evergreen trees.
Mark Rimell, of estate agents Savills, who are handling the sale, said: ‘The property is in a great location in the Chiltern Hills and the views are fantastic, really spectacular.
‘The house itself is everything you would expect from a Victorian property like this – lovely high ceilings, beautifully proportioned rooms, lots of light.
‘I imagine whoever buys it will want to put their own stamp on it and update the kitchen and bathrooms.
The seven-bedroom mansion has been owned by the same family for 40 years and they are now looking to downsize to a smaller property
The property sits in 5.8 acres of land with a swimming pool, the top quality all weather tennis court and a range of timber clad outbuildings which provide storage for garden machinery
The country house’s kitchen area. The home used to be the home of the Slazenger sports dynasty and has gone on the market for £4.5million
The massive ground-floor room has enough space for a large dining table and ten chairs, and includes floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the garden
Part of the separate accommodation is currently a self-contained flat but could be incorporated back into the main accommodation
‘My client has added quite a substantial garage complex with the most enormous room above. He has never properly used it but it could be anything – a separate flat or a fantastic office. It’s 45ft in length.
‘The house has had some interesting owners. Slazenger was an interesting individual and my client bought it from a guy who was one of the last of the big game hunters and the house was littered with animals heads and things like a rhino hide sofa.
‘There is also a suggestion that the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret played in the gardens there when they were children and paddled in the pond.
‘It’s a great family home, a great place for children to grow up. You’ve got all that space and a fantastic views.’
The Slazenger company was started by Ralph’s father Albert and his uncle, also called Ralph, in 1881 when they started making wooden racquets and tennis balls.
The company quickly became the leading manufacturer of sporting equipment for tennis and golf.
Slazenger has been the official supplier of tennis balls for the Wimbledon Championship since 1902, which remains one of the longest unbroken sporting sponsorships in history.
But the family’s connection with the brand ended in 1959 when Ralph Slazenger Jnr sold the business to Dunlop Rubber.
Pictured is one of the large home’s seven bedrooms, which includes its own sink area and views looking out onto the sprawling lands