Elegant Grade II listed period house with equestrian facilities and wonderful South Downs views.

Description

Wannock Place is a wonderful Grade II listed property, believed to date from the sixteenth century and originally built as a farmhouse. The property was significantly extended and reconfigured in the eighteenth century and now has a classic Georgian frontage of red brick under a tiled roof, set with a central doorway with engaged columns and a semi-circular fanlight, and sash windows with glazing bars to each floor. The side and rear elevations are predominantly flint, a characteristic of medieval Downland architecture.

The house is beautifully presented and light floods throughout. Its well-proportioned rooms are decorated in a neutral palette, and have generally good ceiling heights, offering spacious yet comfortable accommodation arranged over three floors, plus the cellar.

Either side of the reception hall are two reception rooms, one a study/consulting room with adjoining WC and one a cosy yet bright family room. Steps lead down from the entrance hall to the inner hall which links the C16th and C18th century portions of the house . There are some interesting period features in this portion of the house, including the old front door, a central chimney with huge inglenook fireplaces in the sitting room and dining room, and an internal first floor window, with latticed leaded lights.

The sitting room is dual aspect, with a vaulted ceiling at one end with a window rising to the apex, creating a striking frame for the view over the pond and garden. The inglenook fireplace is set with a wood burning stove. An open corridor leads to the dining room, which has a bay window seat, herringbone parquet floor, and a cast iron stove in the inglenook. There is a door to the playroom/study, which in turn leads to the conservatory, which is also accessed from the dining room.

The kitchen/breakfast room is fitted with bespoke painted wood under counter and wall hung units, with granite worktops and a matching dresser; there is a large, walk-in larder and access to the cellars, which provide space for utility appliances and plenty of storage.

On the first floor, the principal bedroom suite is sited in the oldest portion of the house and occupies the entire rear elevation of this floor. It comprises a bedroom, dressing room with fitted wardrobes, and bathroom with a bath and separate shower.

There are three further bedrooms on the first floor, two reached by a short flight of stairs up to a half-landing, with internal glazed doors opening to a study. Bedroom two has an en suite shower room; a spacious family bathroom with bath and separate shower serves the remaining bedrooms. Bedrooms five and six are situated on the second floor.

Gardens, outbuildings and grounds
The house is approached via a short driveway, opening to a gravelled parking area ahead of the house. The grounds immediately surrounding the house are beautifully arranged as a series of walled gardens: to the south east of the house is an enclosed garden, a lovely sheltered spot to enjoy the outside space with cottage-style flower beds and a barbecue area, and space for table and chairs. Beyond is a smaller lawn with patio and rose beds, which opens out to the west of the house into a large formal garden which is a wonderful space for entertaining, with a pond and levelled lawn bordered by well-stocked beds ahead of the flint wall.

The driveway leads past the walled garden to a small brick and flint outbuilding, originally built as stables and now used as secure storage; directly opposite lies the detached garage which has an EV charging point, and beyond is the gardener’s workshop and store. A path leads past the sand school to the greenhouse and kitchen garden, and an interesting building, formerly the shepherd’s keep and now providing useful storage.

Equestrian facilities
The drive leads on to the extensive equestrian facilities, which lie to south of the house. The yard has eleven stables with feed/tack stores arranged around it. There is an L shaped block with seven brick built boxes and an open barn, and two additional blocks each comprising two boxes and a hay/tack store. A brick and flint former granary provides feed storage. There is direct access from the yard to the sand school and to the paddocks. The yard, stables and paddocks fall within the boundary of the South Downs National Park.

In all, about 5.3 acres.

Location

Wannock Place is situated in Wannock, within the parish of Willingdon and Jevington, between Polegate (one mile) and Eastbourne (four miles) in East Sussex. Polegate provides a good range of day to day amenities including a range of supermarkets and a station, and comprehensive shopping, cinema, leisure centre and restaurants are found in Eastbourne.

There are many leisure activities available locally, including clubs for football, rugby, cricket and theatre; across Sussex, activities include show jumping at Hickstead, sailing at the coast and golf at one of the many courses across the county.

There are miles of walks and bridle paths across the surrounding countryside, including the South Downs National Park, which is readily accessible from the property.

Spa and country house hotels include East Sussex National, Ashdown Park, Gravetye Manor and South Lodge.

Sussex offers a vibrant cultural scene, with world-class opera at Glyndebourne, art exhibitions at Charleston, theatre and events at the historic County town of Lewes, and the annual Brighton Festival presenting a huge programme of theatre, dance, classical music and literary events.

Rail Services: Polegate (London Victoria from 83 minutes).
Schools: There are a number of state and independent schools and colleges in the local area, including Polegate School, The Eastbourne Academy, Bede’s, Eastbourne College, Roedean and Brighton College.

All distances and journey times are approximate.

Square Footage: 4,551 sq ft


Acreage: 5.3 Acres

Additional Info

Agent’s notes: 1. Wannock Place owns the drive from Jevington Road. Wannock Lodge has right of access over the first portion (outside the entrance of Wannock Place) to reach their property.
2. The property has a hidden valley gutter (“London drain”) which drains rainwater from the roof and requires clearing from time to time.

Services: Mains gas fired central heating. Mains electricity, water and drainage.

Outgoings: Wealden District Council,[use Contact Agent Button]. Council tax band H.

Photographs taken: August 2023

Tenure: Freehold.

EPC rating: D

Cladding: We have been told that this property has no cladding. Purchasers should make enquiries about the external wall system of the property, if it has cladding and if it is safe or if there are interim measures in place.