The former home of chef, TV presenter and ex-Great British Bake Off judge Mary Berry is for sale with Savills for £3.5 million.
Situated in Penn, a village in Buckinghamshire, the house is Grade II-listed and was Berry’s home for over 30 years. Fans may also recognise the kitchen from Mary Berry Cooks, which was filmed at Watercroft, along with many of her other cookery programmes.
Berry and her husband, Paul Hunnings, already lived in Penn and bought the property —comprised of a 5,413 sq ft house, detached cottage, coach house and outbuildings— from a neighbour, Joan, in 1988. Joan, in turn, bought Berry and Hunnings’ previous house.
“We effectively swapped houses,” Berry wrote in her autobiography. “It was an extremely civilised way to move house, and we were then on hand to help each other deal with those niggly issues you always get with a new home, such as the idiosyncrasies of the boiler.”
After 31 years, the couple downsized to nearby Henley in 2019, selling Watercroft to its current owners for £2.4 million, plus £600,000 for Watercroft Cottage.
Watercroft itself is a six-bedroom village house with Queen Anne origins. Set over three storeys —plus a cellar— there is a formal reception room, drawing room dining room and family room downstairs, along with Berry’s all-important kitchen (plus, of course, an additional prep kitchen).
Berry’s much-photographed Aga forms the centre of the kitchen space, which is fitted with luxury units, granite work surfaces and a cavernous walk-in refrigerated larder. “It’s the heart of the kitchen,” Berry told Country Life in a 2017 interview. “An Aga becomes a part of the family. I can’t think of any other home appliance that sparks that kind of love. It’s utter passion.”
The house’s six bedrooms are all upstairs, accessed by two separate staircases. The principal bedroom, which was originally two rooms, has fitted wardrobes, a large ensuite, and leads onto two curved balconies which overlook the garden.
In total, Berry’s former estate spans 9,008 sq ft, with over four acres of grounds, a natural pond, all-weather tennis court and vegetable and herb gardens. Watercroft Cottage, at 990 sq ft, has its own private access and driveway, and provides a self-contained living space with two further bedrooms. The brick and flint Coach House also been converted into additional accommodation.
Watercroft’s numerous outbuildings will suit green-fingered buyers like Berry herself. There is an orangery, with a potting shed, store and workshop, as well as two greenhouses, other storage spaces, garages and an office.
Since Berry and Hunnings moved on, Watercroft has been home to the Patten family, who also lived in Penn before buying the house. When the Pattens moved in, Berry hosted a party to introduce them to the neighbours and passed on some Aga cookery books. Berry still drops in for tea, Lucy Patten told The Times.
Now, however, the family are selling due to unforeseen circumstances. "I will be devastated to leave," said Patten.
In their time at the house, the Pattens also gained planning permission for an open-air swimming pool, garden walls and fences and the construction of a new, detached garage with a games room, should the new buyer wish to pursue this.
“Watercroft exudes character and charm with some wonderful period and historical features,” says Ben Dommett at Savills. “[It] is a perfect house for those looking for a period family home in the heart of a village with breathtaking views.”
