A house that divided opinion nationally and locally when it was built in the early part of the last century is on the market with a guide price of £2.5 million.

After it was completed in 1931 Christopher Hussey, then-architectural editor of Country Life, reported: “Here is architecture pure and unalloyed by sentiment, reminiscence or claptrap.”

Hindsight had the opposite effect on Sir John Betjeman. Writing about his favourite topic Metroland, he recalled: “In 1931 all Buckinghamshire was scandalised by the appearance, high above Amersham, of a concrete house in the shape of a letter Y.”

Fast forward 100 years and the sculptural outline of the property called High and Over is a local landmark at the top of the hill that runs parallel with Station Road, leading to the Met line station.

The prospect of having trains into Marylebone a short walk from home was what first motivated archaeologist Professor Bernard Ashmole and his wife to commission up and coming New Zealander architect Amyas Connell to build them a house here.

Ashmole had been head of the British School in Rome and came to London to take up a job at University College. The 12-acre site his architect tracked down in Amersham exactly matched his client’s brief.

The professor was looking for a plot surrounded by countryside an easy commute from his new London office, same as many do now in the wake of the pandemic.

Connell, a devotee of the Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier, designed the house for the Ashmoles in a Y shape with rooms radiating from the hexagonal hall.

The distinctive design can be seen from the sky. It became a waypoint for pilots flying back from missions in the 1939-45 war.

As the present owners confirm, there’s always one angle of the house that’s bathed in sun if it’s shining.

After the Ashmoles moved on, some of their successors didn’t make a good job of attempts to bring it up to date with interior design trends.

Over the years much of the land was sold off and only three or four more houses were built in the lane in a modernist style.

In the 1960s the main house was at risk of demolition. Eventually it was divided into two.

A joint project by the neighbours to bring their homes up to date was overseen by architect John Winter. For a property renowned among professionals specialising in modernist architecture, the “First Sun House” proved to be the turning point in Mr Winter’s fortunes

Nick Pounce at Savills’ office in Amersham says the stunning design and now Grade II* lsted status of the property on his books with a guide of £2.5 million “makes this an iconic masterpiece of the Modernist movement.”

The present owners have lived in the house since 2010. “We’d never been to Amersham before, never even passed through on the tube. We wanted a house with lots of space. Think we spotted it on the web. We fell in love with it as soon as we saw it.”

The latest incumbents have reconfigured the original ground floor layout with living room, dining room, library and kitchen radiating off the hall. They also reinstated the Ashmoles’ colour scheme.

Upstairs rooms are spread over two floors and provide the option for seven bedrooms or an assortment of uses - his and her studies or main bedrooms and staff quarters, it’ll be up to the buyers.

One of the highlights is the part covered roof terrace extending to about 1000 square feet, colossal.

The present owners take pride in what they claim is now the world’s largest modernist garden. The 1.7 acres which remain after much of the original plot was sold off include a circular swimming pool.

The outdoor area is landscaped into terraces: one leads to store rooms in the basement. There are also garages and a gravel drive with a turning circle in front of the house. If you fancy seeing a model of the house before you view the real thing, pop along over to Bekonscot Model Village in Beaconsfield. High and Over is one of the visitor attractions that pull in the crowds year in, year out - although it isn’t everyday you have a chance to buy the real thing.