6 bedroom house

A handsome Grade II Listed country house with detached oast and excellent recreational facilities, in a superb rural setting.


Description

Great Baynden is a handsome Grade II Listed country house of wonderful proportions which occupies an elevated position off a rural lane with panoramic views over The Weald to the North Downs. The main house is originally believed to date from the 16th century or earlier with later 20th century additions and Edward Hasted notes in his writings on Kent that the house has been a Gentleman’s Seat under the name of Baynden.

Attractive Grade II listed buildings include the sympathetically and beautifully refurbished principal house and a substantial timber framed Kentish barn, believed to date from the 18th century or earlier and incorporating garaging, a workshop and a mezzanine floor utilised for storage purposes. In addition, to the north-east of the main house, lies a detached two bedroom oast house with private garden, which is currently tenanted. Points of note include:
Diamond leaded light casement windows with oak frames, sills and ornate fitments, an abundance of oak timbers and beams, good ceiling heights, zoned under-floor heating to the kitchen/breakfast room, utility and boot rooms.
A substantial, part vaulted reception hall with polished brick flooring leads through to a morning room of excellent proportions with aspects to both the east and south over the attractive gardens. Further reception rooms include a beautiful drawing room with painted panelling, a formal dining room and a family room with bespoke fitted shelving. All boast impressive period fireplaces, two with contemporary rotating wood burning stoves.
The kitchen/breakfast room enjoys lovely views and features an extensive range of painted cupboards and central island by Plain English with honed granite work surfaces. Appliances comprise an oil fired 4 oven Aga and integral dishwasher. There is a walk-in larder with shelving. Off the kitchen is a boot room which in turn links through to a utility room where there is space for further white goods and a cloakroom.
Winding stone steps lead via a trap door down to the cellar where there is a wine store and boiler room.
A turned oak staircase and a secondary staircase lead to the first floor where five attractive bedrooms, including the excellent principal suite, are served by three well appointed bathrooms equipped with modern sanitary ware. One of the bedrooms is currently used as a study/home office and enjoys a lovely westerly outlook over the formal gardens and bedroom 3 is presently utilised as a dressing room.
Four vaulted bedrooms, a bathroom, and a useful storage room are located on the second floor and complete the internal accommodation.

Great Baynden is approached over a gently sloping gravel drive leading via an electric five bar gate to a parking area immediately to the north of the house and the garaging within the Kentish barn. The drive continues along the northern boundary and culminates at a detached triple garage with adjacent mower/tractor and log stores.
The gardens and grounds provide a charming setting for Great Baynden, merging both formal and informal areas. The front of the house is east-facing and, enhanced by a mature wisteria, overlooks a walled garden edged with seasonal shrubs and plants. To the west lies the more formal Knot Garden with shingle pathways together with borders of lavender and box hedging. Wonderful views can be enjoyed from the lawns that stretch away to the south and west.
There is an enclosed kitchen garden with numerous raised beds and a greenhouse.
Recreational facilities include a heated swimming pool, with pretty period "tea house" ideal for entertaining and an all-weather tennis court.

To the north east of the main house and reached via its own separate entrance is Great Baynden Oast, an attractive period oast and barn conversion consisting of an open plan kitchen/dining/sitting room, a study, two bedroom suites and a cloakroom. Outside is a private garden, terrace and an area of off road parking.

Outgoings
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council –

Great Baynden: Tax band G.
The Oast Great Baynden: Tax band E

Agent's Note
There is a footpath over part of the property.

Location

Great Baynden lies just under 2 miles to the north-east of popular village of Horsmonden where there are a good range of local shops and amenities including an award winning village shop and a primary school.
• Comprehensive shopping: can be found in Tunbridge Wells, Paddock Wood and Maidstone. Bluewater shopping is located off the M25 Junction 2 (A2/M2).
• Schools: Great Baynden is situated in the catchment area for both The Judd School, Tonbridge and Cranbrook School, Cranbrook. An excellent range of education opportunities can be found locally at both primary and secondary levels, in the private and state sectors. These include Saint Ronans, Marlborough House and Dulwich preparatory schools, The High Weald Academy, Benenden School for Girls and there are independent girl and boy’s schools in Sutton Valence, Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge.
• Mainline rail services: Fast and frequent services run from Paddock Wood and Tonbridge stations to London Charing Cross and Cannon Street. Trains to Gatwick airport run from Tonbridge. Eurostar trains are available from Ashford International. A high speed train service runs from Ashford to London St Pancras in about 37 minutes.
• Communications: The A21 provides access to the M25 orbital motorway and other motorway networks, Gatwick and Heathrow Airports, the Channel Tunnel and ferry ports at Dover.

Square Footage: 7,142 sq ft




Acreage: 4.3 Acres

Directions

From Savills office in Cranbrook proceed to Wilsley Pound roundabout and turn left onto the A262. After approximately 4 miles turn right by the Goudhurst Inn into Chequers Road and at the end turn right onto North Road (B2079). Proceed for 0.8 of a mile turn left signposted to Horsmonden, Brenchley and Paddock Wood, continue for 0.9 of a mile and turn right in to Grovehurst Lane which merges into School House Lane. The entrance to Great Baynden will be found after about 1.2 miles on the left hand side.


Additional Info

Please note photographs date from 2018.

Marketed by: Savills, Country Department