Country houses for sale

Feeling brave? This ‘rare find’ in Surrey is on the market for the first time in 50 years — and it’s crying out for some love and attention

16th century Fairview is an exciting project waiting to happen in the village of Betchworth.

From the outside, Fairview appears in fairly good condition. Its handsome red-bricked exterior is surrounded by a long driveway with space for parking, lawns on either side and a number of now derelict outbuildings, including a detached double garage.

Having been in the same family ownership since the 1970s, the five bedroom period property is now on the market via Jackson-Stops with a guide price of £1.6 million.

In total, the grounds extend to just shy of an acre, with views reaching out over the open farmland towards the North Downs and Box Hill. With the garages, outbuildings and a separate workshop in the rear garden which offers plenty of scope for a home office or studio space, there’s plenty of potential on offer externally.

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Inside, the accommodation has retained a number of period touches, including feature windows, exposed timbers, original doors and an especially unique fireplace in the family room with seating on either side.

It’s the sort of canvas that lends itself well to owners looking to make their mark on a property without losing its sense of history and character.

The ground floor is currently configured with the entrance porch leading into the family room, which in turn leads into a large sitting room (with another feature fireplace), off which is a study.

The dated dining room and kitchen are situated towards the rear of the house, both with access out to the rear gardens. Subject to all the necessary planning hoops and hurdles, this space would make a fantastic open-plan kitchen/dining area that could incorporate the rear garden nicely during the warmer months with a terraced seating area.

Completing the downstairs space is a boot room located between the dining and family room (with handy side door access), a store room, a larder and a bathroom.

All five bedrooms can be found on the first floor (with stairs leading up from the dining room), along with two bathrooms. Again, with the necessary planning consent, there is ample space here to reconfigure the layout in order to suit a range of family needs.

Fairview sits in the small rural community of Gadbrook, just a few miles from Betchworth village, in the Mole Valley district in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

There are several good primary schools in the immediate area, with North Downs Primary School and Sandcross Primary School, plus a post office/shop and a couple of pubs. For a wider range of amenities, Reigate and Dorking are about 3.5 miles to the east and west, both with an excellent range of schools plus commuter services into London.

Fairview is currently on the market via Jackson-Stops with a guide price of £1.6 million — see more pictures or enquire with the agents for further details.