Ivy House is a beautiful home in a prime spot on the south coast. Penny Churchill takes a look.
If sailing’s your scene, you’re in luck: a house has come up for sale in the historic coastal town of Emsworth, Hampshire. Here, you might take the helm of Grade II-listed Ivy House, a handsome, late-18th-century property with a large, three-storey, Victorian rear extension, which stands in a prominent position on King Street, a quiet no-through road leading down to the beach, to which it has access via a shared private path.
Launched in August with a guide price of £3.25m through the Chichester office of Strutt & Parker, the house was built in 1790 by a Mr King, a prosperous merchant who supplied the materials used to build Emsworth’s once-thriving fleet of oyster boats from a timber yard behind the house.
In 2018, Ivy House was acquired by its present owner, a retired Winchester GP and a lifelong sailor. The setting is at the northern end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, 2½ miles from Havant, eight miles from Portsmouth and nine miles from the cathedral city of Chichester; the good doctor was persuaded to move to Emsworth in part for its two sailing clubs. The port has easy access to the calm waters of Chichester Harbour, with the Beaulieu River, the Solent and the Channel beyond.
With more than 5,000sq ft of accommodation arranged over five levels, the house, which has a distinctly nautical feel, has undergone a comprehensive restoration including the re-tiling of the roof, the installation of a new heating system and three new, high-spec bathrooms, and the replacement of old windows with double-glazed wooden sashes.
A neutral colour palette is used throughout and warm-toned wooden flooring creates a sense of cohesion between the living areas. These comprise a front-facing family room, study, dining room and a raised sitting room overlooking the harbour — as indeed is the bathroom which, if you dare, allows you to soak in the tub while watching the boats bob up and down in the harbour.
In total, Ivy House offers four reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, seven bedrooms and two bathrooms, with planning consent to convert the vast loft into a further room with high-level views across the Emsworth water to the Isle of Wight.
For sale via Strutt & Parker — see more pictures and details.
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