wadhurst east sussex · south west and enjoys bucolic views of uninterrupted countryside to the...
TRANSCRIPT
WadhurstEast Sussex
SOLD
Restored and extended to a refined design by WilliamDeakins Architects, this wonderful five-bedroom house isset within an acre and a half of private gardens borderingthe Wadhurst Park Estate. The house is an elegant marriageof 16th century and Victorian elements, punctuated withsympathetic contemporary additions internally. It extendsto almost 4,500 sq ft with a separate insulated gym andgarage/store and uninterrupted views across the HighWeald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The house is located to the south of the coveted markettown of Wadhurst and is accessed along a privateno-through road, leading to an area adjoining the existinggarage, with parking for several cars. Planning is in placehere for the erection of a new two-storey, oak-framedthree-and-a-half bay garage.
Approached along a wide south-facing terrace, the housetakes a sculptural form atop its beautifully landscaped
020 3795 5920
grounds. Entry is through a gentle-toned facade of limerender and structural oak. A hall with limestone-slabflooring leads right to a dining room and beyond to a utilityroom, cloak room, a guest WC, and large sitting room, allarranged around and with access to a section of pavedterrace or growing gardens at the rear. Also within thisnorthern wing is the study which occupies theeighteenth-century addition; an octagonal sandstone turretclad internally in a rough-sawn painted timber.
At the southern end of the house is the drawing roomwhich contains an inglenook fireplace. This leads through toa new oak structure containing the kitchen and breakfastroom. Glazed walls frame the far-reaching views to thesouth across uninterrupted rolling countryside and doubledoors open to the front terrace. Flooring is polishedconcrete, with bespoke cabinets of birch plywood setagainst worktops of Carrara marble. Overhead, a vaultedcathedral ceiling reveals the excellent craftsmanship of theoak pegging and beamwork, all beautifully pared witharchitectural lighting by Flos.
On the first floor there are four large bedrooms and threebathrooms, with a fifth bedroom on the second level. Themaster bedroom has south-facing windows and an en-suitebathroom with an excellent marble-clad shower enteredbeneath a large oak beam.
The design has stripped much of the unnecessary ornamentthat existed, replacing skirting with shadow gaps andremoving architraves from doorways. The result is aseamlessness through each architectural period and thedrawing of focus to materiality, space and light.
The architect describes the restoration as a challengesurmounted in two parts; first, the integration of thebuilding into its landscape, overseen by Deakins andrenewed with designs from Christopher Bradley-Hole andJo Thompson, both RHS-Chelsea gold medalists. Second,the tying of the periods of architecture into one cohesiveseries of structures that complement one another in formand material.
The garden is arranged in a series of terraced lawnsconnected by granite steps with borders surrounded bymature trees. An enchanting trail through long grasses andwildflowers leads to a fully insulated studio, currently used
020 3795 5920
as a gym. At the rear of the house are several raisedgrowing beds for vegetables and herbs. The terrace facessouth west and enjoys bucolic views of uninterruptedcountryside to the horizon.
Beyond the formal gardens is a wild garden area plantedwith multi-stemmed Himayalan Birch through which amown path leads to the paddock. In total the garden,grounds and paddock extend to just under 0.6 of a hectare(1.4 acres).
The house and grounds are surrounded on three sides byWadhurst Park, a privately owned 800-hectare estatemanaged in order to protect its nature, cultural heritageand beauty. No pesticides are used in the management ofthe land and sustainability and the enhancement of theenvironment are at the heart of the principles of the Park.Public footpaths run through Wadhurst Park and from thegarden gate of the house there are numerous paths whichavoid roads and enable the surrounding countryside, andWadhurst Park in particular, to be enjoyed.
The house occupies a rural position between the hamlets ofTidebrook and Scragg Oak, about two miles south ofWadhurst. Wadhurst itself is an attractive village with animpressive range of independent and local shops, cafés,schools and a mainline railway station, making it popularfor London commuters. Mayfield and Tunbridge Wells arealso close by for further and wider offerings.
Train services to London Bridge from Wadhurst have ajourney time from around 52 minutes and continue on toeither Charing Cross or Cannon Street.
Images courtesy of Edmund Sumner and William Scott
020 3795 5920
