Gerrards Cross, West Common, Latchmere Pond
"A building of considerable presence and standing which would contribute significantly to the character and appearance of the Gerrards Cross Conservation Area."(Planning Inspectorate 2017)
The back-story: Around 1800 Dr Sidney Smith bought a plot of land overlooking the Latchmere Pond near Gerrards Cross, and built a modest house, with adjoining coach-house, stables and accommodation for his driver and his wife, the housekeeper and cook. When his son, Dr Montmorency Smith inherited the property he added, for his socialite sister Emma, a separate house on the North side with an orangery and roof terrace to afford delightful and enviable views across the picturesque pond and the beautiful West Common. He let out the coach-house to the controversial astronomer Claude Mane who installed a cupola observatory. After Emma’a tragic drowning during an especially bohemian summer soiree, Dr Smith added a small cottage linking the houses in order to increase rental value, and spent his remaining years painting views of the West Common and inventing fictional histories much like this one.