Latest Homes Sussex magazine

Andrew Kay finds vision and versatility in this stunning country town house with a difference

Like so many other people,I thought that Steyning was a village. That is until my Goddaughter moved there and I discovered that it is indeed a busy little town with its own farmers’ market, excellent local shops and community facilities that would make most Sussex residents look on with envy. It’s a town with spirit, a sense of place and pride.

I ponder this as I drive along Goring Road in search of the property I’m going to see. It’s a wide, leafy road, quiet and well tended. It’s easy to see why it is one of the town’s most desirable addresses.

I find the house. Sitting beyond a giant, protected copper beech that gives it its name. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I had been told that this was a modern home but from the front the large arched Victorian windows and gigantic wooden stable doors give it the look of a period coach house.

Inside I meet the owners, Bob and Penny, who explain how this extraordinary property came to be. They had bought the plot and a very run down house three years ago. They
clearly had a vision of how to make what was a tired 1960s property into a gorgeous modern home and it was a vision that they have realised with a great deal of style.

“A stylish modern home that would suit a professional couple who need home offices and love entertaining on a large scale or, differently configured, a large four-bedroom home”

Before Bob and Penny got stuck in outside was dull: modern windows, no style. Inside was an encyclopedia of bad taste: glass bricks used badly, crazy paving up the walls, heavy patterned papers. There’s no sign of that now, Today from the outside, this is a well maintained Victorian-style property. Inside, it is a contemporary home of immense charm and lavish space.

The front door opens into a large stonefloored hallway. To the left, double doors open into the main living area. The best way to describe this is a suite of spaces – mainly open-plan – that lead into each other and eventually come full circle. The first space is a lounge, a room on a grand scale that Bob and Penny have taken full advantage of. Here, they have balanced a collection of smart contemporary furniture against antiques and ethnic pieces. The effect is dramatic, but at the same time comfortable. Ahead, steps lead up to a wood-floored second space and a huge picture window that overlooks a very mature garden. This is the dining area, but that hardly uses half of the space and there are places to sit quietly to read or simply just relax and look out over the garden beyond. Double doors lead onto a patio, after which there is a lawn surrounded by dense planting. Beyond that is a stately row of mature yuccas and finally a Victorian hot-house in need of repair but full of sensational period design and engineering.

Back inside and to the left of the dining area is a large and fairly traditional modern kitchen, the space separated by a huge slab of black granite that forms a less formal dining area. Off here is a small lobby and steps down to another space – a combined pantry and utility room. Left again and you enter a smart home office but looking right you realise that this is another sitting room, used at present as a library and reading room and off here is a WC and cloakroom. Leaving through a second door you find yourself back in the sitting room.

I return to the hall and discover that a suite of rooms including a bathroom is currently used by Penny as her studio. Here she works on her striking charcoal life studies and smaller nature-inspired images. Of course I immediately see that this is a very fine and generous double bedroom suite in another family’s hands.

The stairs lead from the hall and then divide. To the right there is a large double bedroom with a very large en-suite bathroom. The window has pretty downs views to the east and there is no shortage of space. The second branch of the stairs leads up to a pretty landing which is home to an antique writing desk and would easily accommodate a modern home office if needed.

Off the landing is the master bedroom, again huge and with a vast picture window opposite the bed which looks out over the garden, hothouse and the fruit trees next door. Opposite the door is a door-lined corridor, and these doors open onto his-and-hers walk-in wardrobes. At the end of the corridor, a step down and you are in a luxuriously large bathroom with a vast Jacuzzi-style bath tub, twin sinks, WC and vast shower. The look is contemporary boutique hotel chic, and done brilliantly.

Bob and Jenny have done a brilliant job of creating a stylish modern home that would suit a busy working professional couple who need home offices and have a love of entertaining on a large scale. That said, they have also cunningly disguised that, differently configured this is a large four-bedroom home, three of which have en-suite bathrooms and one of which has an en-suite WC.

Whichever way you look at this, it is a large property in a very desirable location in what has become a very fashionable small town. Try finding anything of this size and quality in the city and you would be looking at almost double the price. It takes me only 20 minutes to get back to central Brighton and that is at the busiest time of the afternoon. You could have all that the city has to offer at the same time as living a thoroughly rural lifestyle, but with modern facilities to hand at all times. Copper Beech House is a versatile home that has been brilliantly conceived to suit a wide range of occupants.

Copper Beech House
£770,000 Freehold
Halifax
4–6 East Street,
Shoreham
01273 361866

Ian Trevett discovers an idyllic, historic home within the grounds of a castle built for a poet

Taking in the views of the quaint Castle Goring Mews from the expansive farmlands to the south, it is easy to immerse yourself in the tranquillity of rural isolation. Peaceful it may be, but it certainly isn’t off the beaten track – remarkably this property is located just off the south coast’s main artery, the A27, just west of Worthing.

The hustle and bustle of modern life is a stone’s throw away at the end of the gravel drive, but this is a blissful bolt-hole, steeped in history.

The mews houses were originally the stable blocks for Castle Goring, a fabulous folly originally built as the family home of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.

You can sometimes get a glimpse of the castle from the main road, with its northfacing side dominated by tall towers topped with battlements, reminiscent of the nearby Arundel Castle.

Building started in 1790, but by 1815, after 25 years, the Castle was still not complete despite significant investment, and it began to fall into disrepair.

However, with the Palladian architecture of the south front – with an elevation of considerable beauty, greatly resembling a villa in the vicinity of Rome – it was a treasure that was destined to be saved. Today it is enjoyed by visitors to these shores, with its new role as a language school.

The mews houses have had a less turbulent history since their conversion from stables in the late 19th Century. They are now sought after residential properties which are reasonably priced considering their historical character.

Four Castle Goring Mews is currently the home for a family with two very young sons. They have always appreciated how lucky they are with the views. They have particularly enjoyed waking up and being able to look out over the farmland, and having the opportunity to make the most of the rural setting, the peace and the tranquillity.

If all this sounds like the perfect English country setting, it is a surprise to discover that the inside of the two bedroom property has a distinctive Gallic flair.

It transpires that the previous owners were dedicated Francophiles, and they imported the impressive wooden beams that dominate the front room from France. They also created a wonderful fireplace using the doorway from a stately châteaux.

The design of the house means virtually all the main windows are south-facing, flooding the property with glorious light. It also has the effect of blocking any distant rumblings from the dual carriageway to the north.

Downstairs the lounge/diner has tremendous character with its charming rustic walls and stone fireplace, set off by the solid oak floor and beams across the ceiling. A few modern touches, such as the subtle spotlights, prevent it from feeling old-fashioned.

"It is a surprise to discover that the inside of the two bedroom property has a distinct Gallic flair"

The kitchen/breakfast room has a warm and welcoming feel, again benefiting from the southern sunlight. The kitchen features ‘limed oak’-style base and drawer units with roll-edge work surfaces. The ceiling is beamed and there is laminate-effect flooring.

One of the most interesting features is the double-arched hallway, between which is an understairs storage area and a WC. The property also benefits from a family bathroom and an en-suite in one of the bedrooms.

Upstairs the two bedrooms have excellent views. The second bedroom has views over farmlands, and the master bed has west-facing windows overlooking the private garden.

Both are good-sized bedrooms, but the reason the Hoopers are moving on is to find a property with more bedrooms. So, although the property has a spacious feel, it may not be ideal for a large family. However, the property would be ideal for a professional couple or a smaller family.

It is secluded, yet sociable, with a communal green – ideal for a neighbourly summer barbeque. But most of all, this is the place to get way from it all, without having to make the effort of driving deep into the countryside.

Castle Goring Mews
Worthing, £334,950 F/H

Lampons
4 St George’s Road,
Kemp Town
01273 600050
www.lampons.com

Andrew Kay finds rural charm and city style in Henfield

Here I am in Henfield once again, one of the loveliest villages at the foot of the downs and one that is a thriving community with a wide range of activities and a full compliment of local shops, restaurants and pubs.

This time we are in a family house that has been converted from a former Victorian infants’ school built in 1844. So, given the fact that we are in a pretty rural setting and dealing with a period property that is over 150 years old, we might expect a rather rustic treatment.

The long maritime history of the area is clearly evident. For hundreds of years, until the First and Second World Wars, Newhaven had been a prosperous fishing port. Steeped in maritime history the port provided quick, easy access to Dieppe and the town continued to flourish with the navy based there. Newhaven still has a large fishing fleet and the Transmanche ferry link to France has daily runs to both Le Havre and Dieppe. Nothing could be further from the truth and when I discover that the developer is Lewis Watts, with the architect John Turner, I am not surprised. I came across their work in Brighton, at a development called Star Of Brunswick. There, they had ingeniously created a set of smart modern living environments from a former pub. This time they had a village school to play with, but it’s clear that the same deft hand has been at work.

On the ground floor the front door opens into a square hallway. Straight ahead the stairs rise to the upper floor and a door opens into a coat cupboard. To the right, a door opens into the main living spaces. Initially you enter the dining space with large windows overlooking the lane outside. Behind, a sleek modern kitchen resists the urge to ‘go country’. Stylish modern fixtures punctuate cool minimal surfaces and storage. A peninsula unit divides the space and offers breakfast dining as well as a large work surface and sink.

From the kitchen, a door opens into a clever combined utility room and WC with lots of storage space.

Back in the kitchen dining area, glazed double doors open into a large sitting room. The windows throughout are traditional sash style but all using double glazed panels. The solid panelled doors, too, have been sourced to suggest a rural note, but in a modern way. Other than that, the look is clean-lined and minimal.

There is a further room off the main living room, ideally suited to a home office or child’s play room.

French doors open into the rear L-shaped south-facing garden with a slate paved patio and beyond a raised lawned area, although newly landscaped, already the air is filled with the scent of a honeysuckle in full flower.

"Solid panelled doors suggest a rural note, but in a modern way. Other than that, the look is clean-lined and minimal"

Upstairs, there are three bedrooms, one en-suite and a separate family bathroom again fitted in smart contemporary style. Two of the bedrooms are double, one with en-suite WC and shower room. The second double has a feature window which goes from floor to ceiling and is the upper part of what was once the main school hall. It is a dramatic detail that highlights the architect’s and designer’s respect for the original building. The property also benefits from a ten year NHBC guarantee.

The Old School house offers an almost unique opportunity to buy into the pretty community of Henfield. Nep Town Road is a quiet property-lined lane on the southern edge of the village but all local amenities are only a short walk away.

For a family who craves the country life but wants a city-style environment, The Old School House may well be the answer.