If you read Country Life, the chances are you enjoy country life. And if you enjoy country life, we'd place a decent bet that you’ll rather like this Grade II listed country house with a garden so enchanting that it's the sort of place which opens each year for the NGS (which it does). Frankly, the whole thing is impossibly pretty and charming, yet equally cosy and liveable; a house, as agents Hamptons put it, that is ‘ideal for those with a penchant for the romantic’.
What they really mean is 'a penchant for the romantic, plus £2,750,000', of course, but those with budgets just a teeny, weeny bit lower are thus invited to look on and dream.
King John’s Lodge is believed to date back to the 16th century. It’s nestled in nearly four acres of carefully-landscaped gardens and grounds. They include a wildflower meadow, an avenue of fruit trees, an Edwardian pond and a natural pond, and planting arranged in ‘stories’. If you’re looking to capture the spirit of an English country garden, this is it.
King John’s Lodge has period features galore. Outside, there’s stone mullioned, oak framed windows and elevations of Ashlar stone.
And inside, you’ll find timber latch doors, wooden floors, wall panelling, exposed oak beams, and a variety of eye-catching fireplaces.
The rooms are full of character in that quintessentially English way. The eagle-eyed may have spotted the drawing room’s barrel-vaulted ceiling. The room was once used as a ballroom, no less.
The sitting room and dining room also have history and charm in spades. Meanwhile, the kitchen, the beating heart of many a country home, boasts a cosy snug area and a bright red AGA that’s tucked neatly into a small inglenook. And let’s not forget the all-important laundry room and loo.
Upstairs, there’s seven bedrooms, an assortment of bathrooms, a dressing area, and a playroom.
All in all, the house extends to nearly 4,600 sq ft (excluding the cellar) spread across three floors.
The previous owners took possession of King John’s Lodge a week before the so-called Great Storm of 1987. The storm damaged many parts of the country. King John’s Lodge was not spared, with more than 100 apple trees thought to have been uprooted. Talk about timing.
Today, it has all the hallmarks of a thriving garden, with a wide variety of plants, trees and shrubs. There’s also a heated outdoor swimming pool and a tennis court.
King John’s Lodge is sandwiched between the villages of Ticehurst and Wadhurst in the High Weald National Landscape, Kent.
Despite its tranquil setting, it is well connected. There’s rail links from Wadhurst and Etchingham to London. And when it comes to road links, the A21 connects you to London and the coast.
Linda Wesson, director at Hamptons and part of its Prime team, says: ‘King John’s Lodge is incredibly special and the property’s enchanting gardens are sure to captivate any purchaser who has a love of the outdoors and passion for nature.
‘Ideal for those with a penchant for the romantic, King John’s Lodge represents a quintessential statement residence that offers a serene rural retreat without compromising on connectivity.
'While it may require some modernisations and benefit from cosmetic updates, it is full of charm and character with surprisingly generous ceiling height for the period.
‘Light and bright for a house of this era, it has a very distinctively warm and inviting ambiance throughout.’
King John's Lodge is on the market for £2,750,000 via Hamptons — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
21 magical homes, from a miniature castle to a house in a fairytale setting, as seen in Country Life
-
How to make a gloomy city garden into a haven of colour and natureTiffany Daneff discovers how to transform a typically dark London back garden into a light-filled green haven that is always in use. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
-
The world's hairiest animal, Saturday Night Fever and winning the lottery twice: Country Life Quiz of the Day 21 February 2025Have a stab at our Quiz of the Day. Good luck!
-
Classical style meets fun and flair in a seven-bedroom manor in CornwallAt Polstrong Manor, the current owners have combined period charm and elegant modern interiors to create a flamboyant country home 10-minutes from the beach.
-
Two halves make a sublime four-bedroom home in Kent's North DownsA contemporary extension to a traditional clapboard house brings light and life to Lavington House.
-
The week in property statistics: Service charges reach record highPlus, how first-time buyers prop up the mortgage market, why you need to move north if you want to live by yourself, and house-price growth slows
-
A seven-bedroom oast house for sale in East Sussex, where your dreams can run riotUnlisted, yet full of character, this property in the High Weald National Landscape is an eccentrically furnished family home that screams fun.
-
Character, history and comfort combine in a four-bedroom farmhouse in NorfolkWillow Farm near Southburgh is that rarest of things — a perfect combination of period charm and modern elegance in some of England's best countryside.
-
A Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse that's part of the fabric of Bath's historyWith 5,500sq ft set over six floors in the centre of Britain's most architecturally rich city, there is much to love here.
-
17 delightful homes for sale, as seen in Country LifeOur round-up of some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a wonderful Cotswolds home and a happily affordable cottage in the West Country.
-
'This is the most money you'll spend on anything ever': The things that really matter when buying your first home in LondonIt’s easy to dream of what the ideal first-home in London might be, but when the cost of living in the capital is this expensive, being near a Gail's isn't as important as you think it is.
