Having an unusual name is equal parts blessing and curse. Take my friend with the surname ‘Marjoribanks’. It's a Scottish moniker uncommon enough that it's one you won't forget, especially given that it’s pronounced ‘Marshbanks’. Being remembered at parties is one thing, though; dealing with call centre staff is another, and my poor friend, despite usually sounding it out as ‘Mah-jaw-ree-banks’ when on the phone, has spent his life getting post to all sorts of names: Marsh-Banks, Mr Marchbanks, and even a promotion to Major Banks at one point. My favourite was the day he opened a new bank account, with the cards arriving a few days later all made out in the name of Miss Marjorie Banks.
Potential buyers should probably take this in to account when taking a look at Joldwynds, am intriguing Grade II-listed house in Boxhurst, on the edge of the Wealden village of Sandhurst, that’s 3½ miles from Hawkhurst on the Kent/East Sussex border. It’s up for sale at a guide price of £2.5m via Jackson-Stops, and it’s got pretty much everything going for it apart from that unpronounceable, unspellable name.
The house has been meticulously designed to create a striking family home full of innovative ideas for modern living, yet retaining many original, even Lutyens-esque features. Recent additions are a state-of-the-art kitchen and a pool house, which blend seamlessly with the building’s original structure.
Originally two barns with an oast, the building was converted in the 1930s by the prolific English architect Oliver Hill, an admirer of Lutyens, as an ‘entertainment complex’ for Boxhurst Farm, which was owned at that time by Wilfred Greene, 1st Baron Greene, later Master of the Rolls.
As for the odd name? Well, shortly after having the barns converted, Greene moved to Holmbury St Mary in Surrey, where he commissioned Hill to design a Modernist house called Joldwynds to replace an 1874 Arts-and-Crafts-style house designed by Philip Webb, which Greene had demolished in 1930. The Surrey Joldwynds, completed in 1932, is a beautiful place that's celebrated as one of the great Modernist country houses. As you can already tell, this Joldwynds isn't that Joldwynds: somewhat confusingly, back at Boxhurst Farm, the present owner of the former entertainment complex converted the building to residential use in the 1980s, and renamed it Joldwynds. And then there were two.
The converted barn Joldwynds is a wonderful family home has another benefit to offer: it’s within the Cranbrook School catchment area. Alastair Hancock of Jackson-Stops in Cranbrook is handling the sale at a guide price of £2.5m, and it looks lovely. Just steel yourself for a lifetime of post addressed to Goldwings, Gold Winds, Joel Wynds, and many more amusing variations.
Joldwynds is for sale at £2.5 million via Strutt & Parker – see more pictures and details.
-
A country house that's 'the finest-looking estate between the Humber and the Tweed' (at least according to Queen Victoria)Burn Hall is a treasure-trove of architectural features, from its sweeping staircase to its grand snooker room.
-
Liverpool and literature: Country Life Quiz of the Day, July 18, 2025Which river runs through Liverpool and how much do you remember from the 'Harry Potter' book series?
-
A country house that's 'the finest-looking estate between the Humber and the Tweed' (at least according to Queen Victoria)
Burn Hall is a treasure-trove of architectural features, from its sweeping staircase to its grand snooker room.
-
Six beautiful homes around the world, from Portofino to Provence to Palm BeachAn exquisite villa tucked into a hillside? A A breathtaking apartment created to make you feel like you're flying through the endless blue skies?
-
An idyllic home where the forest meets the sea, for sale for the first time in over half a centuryLittle Aston is a graceful, charming home with superb gardens and its own orchard, as well as some of the south coast's most beautiful areas right on its doorstep. Penny Churchill takes a look.
-
'Just look at those stairs. Just as an art form, they are bewitching, like the shell of a nautilus': The lure of buying a stairway to heavenIt seems like madness to buy a house purely because you fall in love with the staircase — but sometimes, they are simply so beautiful that it's impossible to resist. Toby Keel takes a look at some glorious examples of staircases we've seen in Country Life in the last couple of years.
-
The one-of-a-kind estate with two private beaches and a surf house on storied Martha's Vineyard islandBeach Farm on Martha’s Vineyard — a favourite summertime holiday destination with prominent American families — is a perfect melding of New England and Scandinavian design styles.
-
The architect who created the MI6 building only designed a tiny handful of houses — and one of them is now up for sale in one of London's most bucolic spotsSir Terry Farrell designed the beautiful, light-filled, T-shaped Drum House in Petersham, with gardens laid out by John Sallis Chandler, who has won multiple RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medals.
-
'True waterfront homes are finite... miss one and it could be years before you see another like it again': Why the best waterfront property always hits the spotThere’s no denying the appeal of waterfront property, which now sells for some 51% more than its inland equivalent, finds Knight Frank. Annabel Dixon explores the shore.
-
19 charming homes for sale, from picture-perfect cottages to beachside retreats, as seen in Country LifeThis week's selection of some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week.
