In 1999, Anna Hunter, a gallery owner in London, was looking for a large detached private house when she saw an advertisement in Country Life magazine for the main house of the Chinthurst Hill estate in Surrey.
"I immediately jumped in the car and, within 20 minutes or so, I was there. I was amazed to find that a Lutyens house I had never heard of should be for sale," she recalled.
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She was referring to Sir Edwin Lutyens, a prolific architect who designed many English country houses, war memorials, public buildings and even the city of New Delhi. Chinthurst Hill is believed to be the first major project he was commissioned, and was designed from 1893 to 1895.
Ms. Hunter, whose Belgravia Gallery has showcased works by Nelson Mandela, The Prince of Wales and Andy Warhol, snapped up two adjoining properties on the estate in 2006 and 2013, respectively. But after living there for almost 18 years, she’s decided to put them back onto the market for £18.5 million (US$23.13 million).
"The property is on the finest site in the South England, and it’s only 23 miles from London," she told Mansion Global. "I love the magnificent 360-degree views across the park to the coast. But it’s time for other families to enjoy."
Ms. Hunter currently lives on the estate with her husband, Graham Bonham-Carter, second cousin of the Oscar-nominated actress Helena Bonham Carter.
Included in the sale are a nine-bedroom main house; the three-bedroom Gate House with planning permission to extend; the brick-built main garage, which has permission to be converted into a two-bedroom house and a summer house. In addition, the property comes with a pool, a tennis court, as well as 18-acres of gardens designed by Gertrude Jekyll, a British horticulturist who created more than 400 gardens in Europe and the U.S..
With over a century of rich history, Chinthurst Hill has seen a slew of famous owners, including Lord Stuart Rendel, who bought the the property in 1897, according to Ms. Hunter. His grandson H.S. Goodhart-Rendel grew up on the property and was inspired by Lord Lutyens to become an architect himself.
Write to Fang Block at fang.block@dowjones.com