Described as ‘a sleeping beauty’ by selling agent Simon Backhouse, of Strutt & Parker in Canterbury, Grade II*-listed Ripple Court, three miles from the quaint coastal town of Deal, is rightly regarded as one of east Kent’s most important country houses.
Owned by the same family for the past 60 years and ‘now in need of sensitive updating’, it stands in 8.6 acres of wonderfully private gardens and grounds, screened on three sides by a shelter-belt of mature woodland. The agents quote a guide price of £2.75 million.
Built between 1796 and 1802 on the site of an earlier, 16th-century Ripple Court for Col John Baker Sladen, the classic late-Georgian house was reputedly designed by Sir John Soane.
Although no paper trail exists to this effect, its Historic England listing highlights the front façade and many details of the house and plan as being ‘reminiscent of Sir John Soane, normally the least copied of Neo-Classical architects’. Mr Backhouse also points to the distinctive central chimney-stack as being ‘typically Soane’.
Unusually for this part of Kent, the house is built of white brick with ashlar and Coade stone dressings, the focal point of its elegant front façade a pedimented doorcase framed by tall sash windows.
In 1887, it was extended to the rear by the pioneering Scottish Arts-and-Crafts architect James MacLaren, who added secondary accommodation, garaging and an octagonal tower with a domed roof.
In about 1930, the verandah that originally ran down the entire side of the house was replaced by the single-storey, bow-fronted drawing room, which has three tall windows overlooking the gardens.
Ripple Court offers more than 9,000sq ft of living space on three floors, including a reception hall, three principal reception rooms, two kitchens, a breakfast room, an office, seven bedrooms, three bathrooms, a nursery and a three-bedroom first-floor flat.
Included in the sale are the 17th-century, four-bedroom Old Farm House, listed Grade II, and two sets of listed outbuildings, including a magnificent, 130ft-long Kentish barn with potential for conversion.
Ripple Court is for sale via Strutt & Parker at £2.75m — see more details and pictures.
Seven of the best waterside houses for sale in Britain today
Living beside the water — whether that's the sea, river or lake — is a dream for many of us already. And
Credit: Savills
A beautiful Norfolk town house with a library by John Simpson, right opposite King's Lynn Minster
2 St. Margaret’s Place offers a wonderful opportunity to own a house right in the centre of King's Lynn –
Pitzhanger Manor: The Ealing villa that's the great John Soane's 'architectural self-portrait'
Following a boldly conceived restoration, the interest and quality of Sir John Soane’s Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing villa shines out
The restoration of John Soane's museum 'which raised the standards for the re-creation of a historic interior'
Sir John Soane despaired of his children to such an extent that he left his worldly goods to the nation,
-
New balls please: Eddie Redmayne, Anna Wintour and Laura Bailey on the sensory pleasures of playing tennisLittle beats the popping sound and rubbery smell of a new tube of tennis balls — even if you're a leading Hollywood actor.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streetsThis six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streets
This six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
-
A day walking up and down the UK's most expensive streetWinnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
-
Damon Hill's former home in Marbella is the perfect place to slow downThe glorious Andalusian-style villa is found within the Lomas de Marbella Club and just a short walk from the beach.
-
A 327-acre estate in the heart of 'England’s Côte d’Or', with a 26,000sq ft Georgian style home at its heartStokes Hall in the Crouch Valley is an inspiring property looking for a new owner.
-
Schreiber House, 'the most significant London townhouse of the second half of the 20th century', is up for saleThe five-bedroom Modernist masterpiece sits on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
-
Is the 'race for space' officially over?During the lockdowns, many thought the countryside was the place to be. It seems many are now changing their minds.
-
What's a 'wellness village' and will it tempt you back into the office?The team behind London's first mixed-use ‘wellness village’ says it has the magic formula for tempting workers back into offices.
-
A mini estate in Kent that's so lovely it once featured in Simon Schama's 'History of Britain'The Paper Mill estate is a picture-postcard in the Garden of England.
