For the past 23 years, Old Middleton, an unlisted house set within the South Downs National Park in East Sussex, has been a cherished family home. It stands two miles from the centre of Ditchling, which has two pubs, a café, surgery and a post office, and both footpaths and bridleways lead straight from the house and disappear up into the Downs. Everything sets the stage for a blissful rural upbringing.
‘We have four boys, all grown up now, but they were forever playing football, cricket and tennis and bringing their friends to the house,’ explains owner Sophy Chetwood, who, with her husband, has now put the house on the market and is looking to downsize. The property is for sale with Hamptons for £3.75 million.
‘The boys would build camps in the wood and they’d be outdoors the whole time — it’s such a safe environment. When we bought Old Middleton, we’d moved from London and couldn’t believe the difference that the house, the setting and being surrounded by Nature made to our family.’
Dating, in part, from the 17th century, the eight-bedroom house has an attractive Queen Anne frontage. Having been extended over the years at different times, there is now abundant space for both entertaining and everyday living, across a vast vaulted kitchen/breakfast room with an Aga; a games room, which is currently home to a ping-pong table; and a 32ft drawing room.
The dual-aspect main bedroom occupies the entire southern elevation of the first floor, offering glorious rural views. There are a further four bedrooms with three bath or shower rooms on this floor, as well as three bedrooms and a study with a bathroom on the top floor.
Joanna Cocking, head of private office and prime at Hamptons, describes the setting as ‘frankly idyllic’ and there is plenty to keep young people occupied at home. The gardens of 5½ acres include a croquet or marquee lawn, heated swimming pool, outdoor sauna and secluded all-weather tennis court.
The property also comes with about 14 acres of agricultural land. Leading from the driveway is a set of outbuildings arranged around a courtyard, which features a flint-walled home office with fibre broadband and under-floor heating, as well as a double garage, log store and workshop.
Beyond is an unconverted two-storey barn, which could be transformed into ancillary accommodation or a party room and teenage den, subject to obtaining the necessary consents. The coast is a 25-minute drive away and trains to London from Haywards Heath take just over 45 minutes.
-
Can't you hear me S.O.S? Our treasured native dog breeds are at risk of extinctionDo you know your Kerry blue terrier from your Lancashire heeler? A simple lack of publicity is often to blame for some of the UK's native dog breeds flying dangerously low under-the-radar.
-
'There are architects and architects, but only one ARCHITECT': Sir Edwin Lutyens and the wartime Chancellor who helped launch his stellar careerClive Aslet explores the relationship between Sir Edwin Lutyens and perhaps his most important private client, the politician and financier Reginald McKenna.
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in DorsetWith 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed follyHagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
This elegant Greek villa offers would-be buyers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in the shadow of the AcropolisAthenian Legacy consists of two houses in walking —and almost touching — distance of one of the world’s most famous and precious landmarks.
