GUIDE PRICE : £1,600,000 - £1,700,000.

ANOTHER SALE AGREED BY BRAND VAUGHAN PRESTON PARK OFFICE.

RARELY AVAILABLE DOUBLE FRONTED PERIOD HOUSE WITH DOUBLE DRIVEWAY FOR TWO PARKING SPACES.

INTERNAL VIEWINGS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.


A wealth of period features, generous sun-filled rooms and glorious garden views come together to create this stunning, double-fronted family home within Preston Park Conservation Area. It stands within easy walking distance of Brighton’s North Laine and both Brighton and London Road Stations, plus the local schools are exemplary, attracting a family friendly local community to the area.

With three generous receptions rooms, six double bedrooms and three beautiful bathrooms, there is ample space for a family to grow and evolve. Internally, the aesthetic appeal of this home is immediately impressive, as the current owners have been careful to retain the home’s period character during a full renovation and extension 15-years ago. Features were sympathetically replaced or restored in every room, to include reclaimed marble fireplaces from the period, ornate cornicing and deep skirtings, which were then blended with a stylish Farrow & Ball palette and contemporary fixtures and fittings.

The garden is both private and sunny being open to the east and west but with mature borders. South facing to the front, the garden is bathed in sunshine during high season and is perfectly safe and enclosed for children to play. The property also boasts green credentials with solar roof panels which have the maximum Feed In Tariff (FIT) which is guaranteed and index linked for another 14 years. It reduces the electricity bill and also produces an income of around £1,200 per year. In addition, there is parking for two cars on the driveways which would be ideal should the new owners wish to add external charging ports.

There is a wonderful sense of community among these streets with both families and professionals alike appreciating the close proximity to the city, stations and schools. While the city is easily accessible on foot, there are plenty of local amenities and some highly acclaimed, family friendly gastro pubs just a few minutes away too. With so many positive attributes, this house is sure to attract many.

Style: Victorian double fronted semi-detached villa (1880)
Type: 6 double bedrooms, 3 bathrooms + 2 WC, 3 reception rooms, 1 kitchen dining room, 1 cellar, 1 utility room
Location: Preston Park Conservation Area
Floor Area: 3890 sq. ft.
Outside: north/west facing rear garden, planting to the front
Parking: 2 off-street parking spaces or Residents’ permit Zone J
Council Tax Band: F

Why you’ll like it:
Introduction:
With a palpable sense of community and a striking landscape of substantial Victorian homes set on large tree-lined plots, it’s no wonder that Florence Road has retained its popularity over the years. Along with a highly favoured school catchment and excellent transport links, it has become the most sought-after road within Preston Park Conservation Area - particularly for Londoners moving to the coast, looking for an improved work-life balance.

Perfectly positioned at the lower end of the road, this house has easy access to the parade of shops on Beaconsfield Road and the walk into the city is flat – although there are several buses which take you there too.

As an original double fronted property, it has an air of grandeur with decorative brickwork, beamed gables and an original Victorian tiled path paving the way to the portico entrance. Stepping inside, the scale and beautiful features of this house become immediately apparent. High above your head, intricate plasterwork cornicing wends its way around the ceiling of the entrance hall, while the original wood flooring has been retained, restored and brought back to its former glory. A turning staircase rises centrally through the house with an original mahogany banister rail, and your line of sight takes you through the depth of the house to the glorious garden beyond.

Sitting rooms:
To the front of the property there are two reception rooms with wide, shuttered bay windows almost covering their southerly walls. Varnished wooden floors are paired with Farrow & Ball’s neutral tones on the walls, while the plasterwork and woodwork features have been picked out in white. Within the sitting room, the original fireplace is open to add both warmth and atmosphere to wintery evenings, and there is ample space for the whole family to cosy up together on comfortable furnishings. Vintage-style column radiators can be found throughout for when time is of the essence, and the sun warms the room naturally during the warmer seasons. Across the hall, the second reception room is being used as a formal dining room with a reclaimed black marble fireplace and an original ornate pelmet above the window. The views from both rooms are verdant and private while plenty of natural light can filter through.

Utility, Cloakroom & Boiler room:
During the original renovations, the layout was altered on the ground floor to create a short corridor on the westerly wing leading to the kitchen but with three smaller rooms leading from it. Cleverly designed, these contain a generous plant room housing the sizable boiler and eco water heating systems which doubles as an airing cupboard. Next door is a useful ground floor WC – essential in any family home, and finally a separate utility room with space for a washer/dryer alongside storage and a separate sink.

Family room/snug:
Open plan to the kitchen, the third reception space is used as a TV and gaming room for the family’s teenagers. As a versatile house, this room could have any number of uses as a playroom or workspace as it is conveniently linked to the main family area. This gives it a lovely viewpoint over the garden from the kitchen extension, so the whole ground floor has a lovely sense of flow.

Kitchen & Dining room:
Having been extended into the side return with a vaulted ceiling and a vast amount of glazing framing both sky and garden views, the new kitchen and dining room now spans the back of this substantial house to create an inviting space for both family time and sophisticated entertaining. To one side, the kitchen is sociable with plenty of storage solutions in cream shaker style cabinetry topped with composite stone worktops in grey. Below these, dual fridges and a Miele dishwasher are integrated, while a range cooker has been seamlessly cut in. This may be available by separate negotiation. Across the room, there is space for a large dining table and chairs to seat ten if need be, which can spill outside to the garden patio area during the warmer seasons.

Garden:
The garden is incredibly spacious for a house so close to the city centre. It is spread over five shallow levels with a lower, tiled patio encircling the house with steps leading up to a sandstone patio, then onto two areas of lawn, rising up to a decked dining area spanning the rear of the garden which catches the last of the summer sunshine. On either side there are lush green borders of mature shrubs which create an attractive yet low maintenance outside space, while a sweet blossoming cherry tree and a sensational fig tree add texture, interest and dappled shade when needed. There is plenty of scope to landscape further and for somewhere so central is it incredibly peaceful. To the side of the house, a secure lean to houses bikes and garden furniture for winter storage, but it is also incredibly useful for access from the front of the house should you need to bring in gardening equipment or muddy boots/bikes/paws, rather than traipsing them through the building.

Principal bedroom suite:
Architect designed during the renovations, the principal bedroom gained an en suite shower room and a walk-in wardrobe without compromising on floor space. The original floorboards remain as does the marble fireplace with colourful tiles. The window looks out over the leafy street which faces south so soft light streams in to wake you in the morning, although shutters have been added for both privacy and shade. The en suite has a roomy rainfall shower, a WC and hand basin, plus the windowpane has switchable smart glass with frosting for privacy when needed. The walk-in wardrobe has ample clothes and shoe storage for two.

First floor Bedrooms & Bathroom:
Quality wool stair runners with brass rails lead onto the landing from the ground floor where the family bathroom is directly ahead alongside a separate WC. Using a modern take on a period style, metro brick tiling runs full height within the rainfall shower cubicle and along the bath side. The suite is contemporary in white, and the bath taps are wall mounted for comfortable bathing at either end.

Bedroom six is a smaller double room which is currently used as a spacious home office with CAT 6 integrated broadband and several power points for office equipment. Bedroom two sits to the front of the house with a wide bay window to mirror the sitting room below it, but with full height shutters to allow natural light in, or to block it entirely for weekend lie-ins. The classic Victorian features continue in the bedrooms, to include marble fireplaces, picture rails, cornicing and varnished floorboards, plus bedrooms two and three have retained their original wardrobes built into the alcoves.

Second floor bedrooms and bathrooms:
The second floor of this substantial house is original, rather than an extension, housing two incredibly spacious double bedrooms with high ceilings and wooden floors. Dormer windows look out to the green landscape of gardens and mature trees below the rooflines and chimney stacks of neighbouring homes. Elevated above the road and city, it is tranquil up here, ideal for teenagers to study or for parents to tuck themselves away from the hubbub of family life. Reclaimed cast iron fireplaces add character and decoration, and both rooms have plenty of eaves storage. They share use of a third beautifully appointed bathroom which echoes the main family bathroom in style and space.

Cellar:
From the kitchen, a few steps lead down to the capacious cellar which is formed of three rooms. While the head height is lessened, it is easy to navigate around, and these rooms make ideal spaces as workshops, storage rooms or utility rooms. The current owners have two fridge freezers down here, alongside shed and attic storage, camping equipment and bikes – so it’s incredibly versatile and more importantly…dry. Some neighbours have chosen to dig down to create full height rooms to convert into a cinema space or gym, which may be food for thought for some.

Agent’s thoughts:
This is a magnificent property bursting with character, space and charm. It has been expertly restored and it is ready to move straight into. The location is incredible for families and professionals who will appreciate living so close to the parks, the city centre, stations and schools. This is a sought-after location and style of house, so we are sure it will be coveted by many.

Owners’ thoughts:
“When we bought the house it was a complete shell, but we immediately fell in love with the space, the light and the original features that remained. It was a big task to renovate and extend, particularly with small children at the time, but we have adored our time here. The house as evolved with us as the children have grown and they have loved being so close to school and the town as they have had independence to walk to the shops or hop on a bus when needed. We have made many happy memories here so we are sad to be moving, but we are looking to make our next move now – although fining a comparable house will be tricky!”

Where it is
Shops: Local 1 min walk, North Laine 10-12 min walk
Station: London Road 4 min walk Brighton 15 min walk
Seafront or Park: Preston Park 4 min walk, seafront 20 min walk
Closest Schools:
Primary: Downs Infant and Junior Schools
Secondary: Varndean and Dorothy Stringer, Cardinal Newman RC
Sixth Form: BHASVIC, Varndean College, Newman College
Private: Brighton College

This is a wonderful family home in a popular location which is well served for shops, parks and schools. There are plenty of local green spaces, and great transport links, but you are also only a short walk from everything this vibrant coastal city has to offer. The A23/A27 and three stations are also within easy reach, for those requiring fast links to the universities, Gatwick or London on a daily or weekly basis.