Country houses for sale

South Downs country idyll

Houghton House is an exceptional Grade II listed village property believed to date back to the 17th Century located in the South Downs National Park. Subsequently updated in different periods, the house has attractive elevations of Sussex flint.

The ground floor offers a spacious kitchen/breakfast room, and a dining area and snug which takes advantage of a lovely inglenook fireplace and wood burning stove, as well as a study, cloakroom, traditional dining room and domestic offices which include a utility/second kitchen with its own Aga. The welcoming formal drawing room has an open marble fireplace and French doors giving access to a south-facing patio at the rear.

An attractive staircase leads to the first floor where the garden room has floor-to-ceiling glazing and sliding doors which give access to the covered veranda. This room can be accessed in a number of ways, from the secondary staircase leading from the ground floor, the master bedroom, or from the garden. Second floor accommodation comprises three bedrooms and a family bathroom, and this floor could also be used as a self-contained staff flat thanks to the secondary staircase.

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Accommodation in total comprises: entrance hall, kitchen/breakfast room, drawing room, dining room, study, store room, cloakroom, domestic offices consisting of utility/secondary kitchen, first floor garden room, master bedroom suite with  dressing room, two guest bedroom suites, four further bedrooms, two family bathrooms, and an extensive cellar with bespoke wine bin.

Outside, the enchanting formal gardens lie to the rear, with tailored hedges, rose gardens with box hedging, a secret garden and three ponds. There is also a floodlit tennis court and a croquet lawn with a  timber-clad summer house. Further areas include a fruit cage, vegetable  garden, greenhouse and an area to the rear of the property that if fenced  off, would lend itself well as a paddock. The grounds come to around 2.25 acres

Houghton House occupies a commanding position in the hamlet of Houghton, which falls within the South Downs National Park Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and borders the River Arun. Arundel lies some 3 miles to the south and offers a good range of shops,  restaurants and leisure facilities including an open air swimming pool,  tennis courts and walking on the South Downs way. The beaches of  the south coast are 8 miles away and sailing may be enjoyed from the  many centres along the coast and from Chichester Harbour.

The guide price is £2m. For further information please contact Strutt & Parker on 0 1243 832 600 or visit www.struttandparker.com.

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