5 bedroom detached house for sale

Cosy & Characterful

From Crowborough Hill, a shared driveway leads to parking for up to three cars in front of the property's distinctive and characterful exterior, featuring red brick with stonework quoins, sandstone Tudor roses, a beautiful gabled roofline, and stone balustrading to the raised paved terrace surrounding the entrance.

Stepping inside, you have space to remove shoes and store logs in a spacious porch area formed by a bay with large multi-paned windows. Open the distinguished original front door, dressed with substantial brass furniture, to find the hallway where beautiful Victorian encaustic floor tiles meet tall neutral 'Slipper Satin' walls trimmed with dado and picture rails.

The exposed oak staircase ahead complements the stripped pine internal doors and original restored floorboards seen throughout the house. Around the corner, the hallway segues into a cloakroom with outstanding period wall tiling to dado level leading to a side door, originally a tradesman's entrance. A useful Victorian blue floral pedestal basin matches the high-level toilet cistern in the adjoining WC lit by a stained-glass sash window.

The current owner has sensitively restored and retained all original features, redecorating throughout using Farrow & Ball. During the renovations, a solid wood painted kitchen and solid oak flooring were added; the ensuite bathroom was refurbished using DeVol furniture and within the last year a new boiler with pressurised water system was installed.

Space to Entertain

To the left in front of the stairs, you'll discover an impressively proportioned drawing room illuminated by a beautiful east-facing bay with French doors to the front terrace for morning light and two large side windows, allowing more natural light to stream in during the afternoon.

Stunning original parquet flooring underfoot pairs with gorgeous wall panels, creating a calming period atmosphere for spending quality time with family and friends, hosting a party or music evening, or curling up in front of the wood burner or the unique 1920s corner brick fireplace with an open gas coal-effect fire. Meanwhile, elegant full-height in-built shelving in 'Shaded White' alludes to the possibility of a fabulous home library - there's even a cosy reading corner overlooking the trees in The Ghyll Nature Reserve. A glazed door from the library end leads to a lean-to greenhouse perfect for propagating new plants or sheltering delicate ones, from here there is access to an enclosed terracotta patio and the studio/garden outbuilding with double doors.

Across the entrance hall to the right of the stairs there is the more intimate space of a charming snug or dining room. Here, original floorboards feature again, a tall wooden fire surround, along with high picture rails, tall skirtings, and a vast bay window with French patio doors out to the front terrace and a vertical designer radiator to the side.

A casement window with a deep sill overlooks the garden, perfect for letting in the setting sun. The snug has warm blue walls, a wood-burning stove on an inset brick fireplace with slate hearth, and a formal wooden mantelpiece framed by full-height built-in bookcases to echo the drawing room.

Wine & Dine

At the back of the house, a spacious and bright open-plan kitchen dining or breakfast room in 'Pale Hound' with French doors to the garden awaits. The solid oak flooring coordinates with oak shelving and solid oak surfaces topping country chic cabinetry painted in Farrow & Ball's 'Cooking Apple Green', while the original tiling creates a splashback in the chimney breast housing the wood fired Rayburn under a tall mantle shelf.

Storage space is plentiful and complemented by a freestanding larder cupboard and built in original ceiling height cupboard next to the fireplace. A traditional pulley clothes airer above the Rayburn is hardly noticeable under the incredibly high ceiling. In addition, you have a Butler sink beneath the side window, space for a separate cooker, and a dishwasher. Furthermore, the walk-in pantry/boiler room, with original corner storage cupboard, brightened by a tall sash window, offers space for more appliances and supplies.

You'll also find a separate utility space containing another deep Butler sink and room for two laundry appliances, doubling as a useful boot room from the garden.

Retreat Upstairs

Following the crafted oak newel post and handrail leading up the stripped pine stairs, with its Arts & Crafts fretwork balustrading, you're greeted by a tall southerly facing sash window that floods the restored warm pine flooring in the upstairs hall with sunshine, providing a lovely view over the sandstone columns, trees and fountain in the garden.

To the rear, you'll find a separate contemporary WC (with original 1930s tiling) and a modern family bathroom fitted with an original restored bath and contemporary double shower, a large pedestal basin, and a traditional-style radiator with a heated towel rail.

Back in the hall, you'll pass built-in book shelving and linen storage cupboards on your way to bedrooms two and three - both lit by large sash windows and featuring original Lincrusta decorative friezes and ceilings. The largest bedroom also enjoys windows with plantation shutters to the front and side and a cast iron period fireplace, while the garden bedroom has a floral sink and a view over trees and landscape.

The shutters continue on the front window in the hall and the twin front windows in the master bedroom. Painted in the muted tone of 'Setting Plaster' with picture rails and skirtings and subtle ceiling decorations, this super spacious principal suite comes with a whole wall of integrated wardrobes, while a feature log fireplace adds a contemporary touch.

Saving the best till last, continue into the huge en-suite - a luxurious retreat boasting a freestanding double-ended bathtub, a DeVol bathroom unit with dual countertop basins, a modern toilet and a separate double rainfall shower enclosure. Plantation shutters also allow light in while maintaining privacy.

A second oak and stripped pine staircase rises to the natural top-floor/ attic landing decorated with original bead & butt panelling, continuing into the bedrooms, painted in 'Slipper Satin' to match the flooring and original in-built storage painted in 'Jitney'. This leads to two further carpeted bedrooms featuring leafy views to the front and rear. Up here, there's also a large attic store room with the potential for adding a bathroom, given recent work ensuring plumbing is easily accessible.

Step Outside

Peppered with original stonework walls, columns and a beautiful fountain pond, the serene southerly facing garden feels like stepping back in time into a traditional cottage courtyard. All around are fig and standard olive trees, camellias, hydrangeas, and a variety of perennials in the raised stone borders provide privacy, shade, and seasonal colour as you explore this expansive space. Meander along to a raised level with views across distant fields - two sets of stone steps, at front and rear of the garden, lead to an upper walkway and secondary lawns with silver birch, rhododendrons and shaped yew hedging.

From the courtyard, you'll find a gated pathway back to the driveway. On the other side, a large, brick-built outbuilding or studio with light and power lies opposite a convenient outdoor WC leading to the original terracotta paved patio by the greenhouse. This space would make an excellent studio or convert to a gym and sauna with a link to the outdoor WC/possible shower room.

Continue past the fountain, sandstone columns to the right and central stone urn to arrive at the main lawn - a huge area enclosed by high fencing, trellising and a mature oak, evergreens, fruit trees and an imposing Atlas cedar tree. At the centre, a fire pit circled by log seating makes for the perfect place to cosy up under the stars.

Out & About

Crowborough is a town in East Sussex, in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 7 miles southwest of Royal Tunbridge Wells and 33 miles south of London. It is located on the eastern edge of Ashdown Forest, an ancient area of open heathland that was the setting for A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories.

Crowborough is within excellent commuting distance of London with a direct and affordable link to London Bridge (65 minutes) via East Croydon. A regular bus service also connects the town with Brighton and Tunbridge Wells.

Originally the home of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes renown and now known for its annual bonfire and carnival night, complete with fête and torch-lit parade. The Ghyll Nature Reserve was the inspiration for one of the Sherlock Holmes books, Morven has views across to this landscape.

Bowles Rocks is an outdoor rock-climbing and dry ski slope centre in nearby Eridge which was founded by a former resident at Morven in the 1960s, John Gray Walters. There is also a challenging mountain biking circuit within a 5 minute ride of Morven and walks that take you to the Deer Park café in Eridge or the nearby village of Rotherfield, all across beautiful wooded landscapes.

There are plenty of outdoor spaces to enjoy, the Ashdown Forest, a 7 minute car journey, or closer by the 16 acres of nature reserve at Crowborough Country Park is 3 minutes walk from Morven.

Crowborough also has a recreation centre and also a private gym, both with swimming pools. Furthermore, you'll find a variety of sports clubs to participate in, from rugby and football to tennis and golf all nearby.

Crowborough is well stocked with shops and day-to-day amenities, including high-end and budget supermarkets, health services, cafés, pubs and restaurants. A short drive will bring you to Royal Tunbridge Wells in 10 minutes, the county town of Lewes in 30, and the iconic seaside town of Brighton in 40 minutes.

There are several well-rated schools to choose from, including Sir Henry Fermor and Ashdown Schools, Rotherfield Primary and the Ofsted-rated 'Outstanding' secondary school, Beacon Academy, and a full range of independent and prep schools all within easy reach and with dedicated bus services usually to the door.

Beyond all this, the home's High Weald National Landscape location means you're never far from beautiful scenery, reservoirs, fishing lakes, 6,500 acres of open land for walking and riding at Ashdown Forest, water sports at Bewl Water and East Sussex's famous dramatic clifftops, nature reserves, and coastline.

Council Tax Band: F
Tenure: Freehold