GUIDE PRICE: £700,000--£750,000.

INTERNAL VIEWINGS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.

A quiet haven in a great location if you need rapid or regular access to Brighton, Gatwick or London, this beautiful 4-bedroom Edwardian house with a spacious west facing garden is a just a 6-minute walk to Preston Park Station.
Tucked away in a tranquil enclave of period terraces this end of terrace property is an ideal family house or investment with 1413ft2 (131.2m2) of sun-lit rooms to enjoy just an 8-10-minute walk from the leafy acres, sports facilities and playground of Preston Park itself with a choice of good primary schools a 3-minute drive and secondary schools within a 10-minute radius.

Inside three stories deliver plenty of choice if you sometimes work from home. On the ground floor, a sophisticated, double depth reception invites company at any time of year with French doors opening to a dining terrace and a wood burning stove. Bright and stylish, the eat in kitchen also leads to the terrace, which is level with the house, and steps to the gated, upper tier which gets the sun for most of the day. Upstairs, the luxury bathroom is right on trend, all four bedrooms are inviting doubles which are ready to move into with the guest room at the top ensuite, and although lovely and spacious as it is, there is still potential for extending up or out and creating a third w.c. on the ground floor.

With bus routes to give older children independence, Preston is a popular area known for its friendly community where you are never far from fresh coffee or a croissant with local shops and cafés within a short stroll and the vibrant 7 Dials a few minutes by car or bus. With Dyke Road’s open-air theatre, tennis courts, playground and café 6 minutes on foot, Brighton Station, the city centre and the bars, restaurants and arts venues of the North Laine are just 7 minutes by cab.

Style: End of terrace house circa 1901
Type 4 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 en-suite), double depth reception, eat in kitchen
Area Preston
Floor Area 1413 sq.ft.
Outside Space Dining terrace, raised west garden, open to the south
Parking Permit zone A, no waiting list
Council Tax Band D

Why you’ll like it:
Preston has an easy going, unpretentious vibe and it is just up the hill from the lush acres- and sports facilities - of Preston Park, which also hosts events during our legendary festivals, including Pride. Quietly located between the London Road and Dyke Road, which both deliver you into or out of the city within minutes, this attractive 1901 terraced house is set up and back from a quiet road with plentiful permit parking, and has a side gate for bikes and an impressive pediment above the front door. Inside, a tiled lobby is a practical touch and it opens to a hallway which sets the sensitive, classic tone of the interior, where wood underfoot gives guests, children and pets free reign to roam.

Light and inviting, two rooms have become one to create an elegant living/dining room with a broad bay window at the front for the morning sun and French doors at the back to bring the outside – and afternoon sunshine- in. All about enjoying friends and family with 26’8 x 13’8 (8.12m x 4.16m) for sofas and a large dining table, guests can relax in rare seclusion and enjoy the graceful proportions, garden views and fabulous, carefully sourced period style fireplaces, one of which houses a high end Dean Forge wood burning stove.

Practical for every day but also perfect for parties, past deep under stair storage (with potential for a 3rd w.c.) the kitchen is a classic which won’t date, and the layout flows well with everything to hand from the central Neff gas hob beneath a hood. Lined with windows it is bright and cheerful with glazed doors to the dining terrace (which is larger than some of the gardens in this historic quarter of the city) and inside has ample space for a table for family meals or where finishing homework – or ice -breaking pizza making- can be encouraged. Good to go, this high-spec kitchen has ingenious storage solutions and is fully integrated with a Neff microwave and fan oven, a fridge, a freezer, dishwasher and a washing machine, but if you wanted to add your own stamp to it, there is the possibility of extending into the side return, stnc.

Outside, the garden is a west facing sun trap made child and pet secure by walls, painted fencing and gates between levels. By the house, a paved, lit dining terrace with built in seating is scented by a raised vegetable and fruit bed where a mature, muscat vine produces sweet grapes for the table. Skilfully designed with gated steps to the upper tier which gets the sun for most of the day, it is also easy to maintain and large enough for play, a feature which can be hard to find in a city built on the Downs.

Returning inside, at the top of the stairs the first of the double rooms is restful with space for study and inspiring garden views. On the first floor, the second double bedroom has plenty of character with fitted shelves by a period fireplace, and it also looks over the garden. Next door, the luxury bathroom has a designer finish with a marbled floor, warming rails, midnight blue vanity beneath the high end hand basin and lit mirror above, and a dual head shower above the bath.
Spanning 17’5 x 12’3 (5.3m x 3.72m) at the front of the house the principal bedroom is a dream come true. With calm decoration and the restful proportions only period properties can deliver, it is a welcoming refuge with both a broad bay and tall sash in the east wall to frame magnificent views which sweep over the leafy Preston Valley to surrounding Downland, and there are twin double wardrobes which stretch from floor to ceiling.

Past deep under eave storage which the current owners considered turning into a 5th bedroom or office space, guests will love the light and airy double bedroom at the top of the house which spreads its wings from east to west with a Velux at the front and window framing a sea of gardens at the back. There is good head height, under eave storage and the chic, en-suite shower room is right on trend.

Agent’s thoughts:
“Homes in these quiet, friendly terraces close to the station, parks and good schools are difficult to find as the location is ideal if you’re single and would like to share, a couple or a family, and this light, spacious and stylish house is good to go.”

Owner’s secret:
“We have loved living on Compton Road for 13 years. The location couldn’t be better - as commuters to London and Gatwick, the mere 6 minute (fast) walk to Preston Park train station has been a Godsend and Compton Road is lovely and quiet, with very little traffic. The position of the house, raised on a hill, ensures natural light throughout the day and uninterrupted views across to the South Downs. We enjoyed making the sunny garden a much more useable space by creating a large, level tier at the top and the outdoor dining area by the house - a project made easy by being end-of-terrace and having invaluable side access. Also brilliant for bikes. It is a great place to bring up kids with good schools and sociable parks within an easy walk and a kind, supportive, local community. There are friendly shops and cafés all within easy reach and we can be on the beach, in the city centres of Brighton and Hove, or in the South Downs National Park in minutes.”

What’s around you:
Shops: Local 2 on foot, 7 Dials 6 by car
Station: Preston Park 5 mins on foot, Brighton mainline 5-10 by cab
Seafront or Park: Dyke Road and Preston Park 5-10 mins walk, 2-3 by car, Hove Park 6 mins drive, Seafront 10- 15 to drive
Closest Schools:
Primary: Stanford Infant, Stanford Junior
Secondary: Varndean, Dorothy Stringer
Sixth Form: Varndean, BHASVIC
Private: Windlesham, Lancing Prep, Brighton College, Brighton & Hove High

9 minutes’ walk to Preston Park Station, with friendly local shops, cafés and bistro pubs this area has a lovely community feel and the primary schools, state and private, are good, popular and nearby. Tucked away from the crowds who flock to our famous coastal city, this house is between Dyke Road’s Park with tennis courts, open air theatre, playground and café, and Preston Park’s velodrome, sports facilities, fun runs and football clubs, and Hove Park’s green spaces are also easy to reach. Local bus routes go along both Dyke Road and London Road (both out of hearing) to the South Downs National Park or the beach, and you can get to the whole of the city including the world class shopping, fashionable bars, lively arts venues and international restaurants of Brighton’s 7 Dials and Queen’s Road, and Hove’s Church Road easily. If you commute by car, both the A23 and A27 are easy to reach and at the time of writing, permit zone A has no waiting list.